Raw Cauliflower Salad

This salad has everything: raw cauliflower, jarred artichoke hearts, pepperoncini, grape tomatoes, kalamata olives, vegan mozzarella, and raw pumpkin seeds!

But, perhaps you’re not a fan of cauliflower. That’s ok. Not everyone likes cruciferous vegetables. If that’s the case, you can just be polite, nod your head and say, ‘No thank you’ like (hopefully) your parents or grandparents taught you. This recipe makes a LOT. Serves 4-6 easily as a side dish. Though, I’ve eaten it as a main dish with a slice of bread and a glass of wine for dinner when I don’t feel like cooking.

  • 1 head of cauliflower, washed, trimmed, and cut into bit size pieces
  • 1 red bell pepper, diced
  • 1/2C pepperoncini peppers
  • 1/2C kalamata olives, diced, or whole if you prefer!
  • 1/4C raw pumpkin seeds
  • 1/2C vegan mozz
  • handful of grape tomatoes (optional)

Dressing:

For the dressing I just used some of the liquid from the jar of pepperoncini and a little bit of olive oil. I’ve also used white wine vinegar and oil in another version. You can also omit the oil altogether. I like the punch that the juice from the jarred peppers gives this salad.

Assemble!

Add all ingredients in a large bowl then add the dressing. This is such a nice and crunchy salad to have for lunch or even dinner. It makes a LOT. Enjoy!

Cauliflower salad

Raw Cauliflower Salad, or, Almost Tabbouli

I wanted to make a grain free summer-inspired salad. Like I mentioned before, I’m not paleo or grain-free and wanted to try a recipe for those who are (I’ve also made a cauliflower fried rice, here). I am happy to report that I don’t miss the bulgur here at all in this recipe! I can imagine many variations of this salad with different flavors. The cauliflower can be a stand in for rice, quinoa, bulgur or couscous. It’s crunchy (can also add chopped almonds for extra crunchiness) and light. Perfect for lunch, paired with some hummus. And, that’s exactly what I’m going to do right now.

  • 1 head of cauliflower, stemmed, cleaned
  • 1 C chopped parsley (Italian or curly)
  • 1/2 C, or, a handful of grape tomatoes, sliced in half
  • juice of 1-2 lemons (my preference was two)
  • 2 TB of extra virgin olive oil
  • 6-8 scallions, sliced
  • 1/8 C Kalamata olives (optional)
  • French feta, sprinkled over top (optional)
  • S/P to taste

Rinse and clean head of cauliflower, cut into florets. Add florets to food processor and pulse until the cauliflower resembles small grains (it won’t take long). Add cauliflower to large bowl, add remaining ingredients and stir together. Serve cold.

cauliflower tabbouli

Cauliflower “Fried Rice”

cauliflower "fried rice"

cauliflower “fried rice”

I had seen a few other recipes online for this non-grain “fried rice,” so I decided to do my own riff. I was actually quite amazed at how much this is texturally akin to fried rice. I don’t really eat a lot of rice in general, so, I thought I’d prefer this, and, after making it, I do! It’s totally adaptable, in that you can use whatever ingredients you like: bamboo shoots, water chestnuts, pea pods, scallions, etc.

  • 1 head of cauliflower, cut into florets
  • 1 leek, sliced thin, thoroughly washed
  • 1/2C thinly sliced carrots
  • 1/2C peas
  • 2 eggs
  • 1tsp shredded ginger
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1TB olive oil
  • 2TB low-sodium tamari (or more to taste)
  • Siracha or hot sauce
  • 1-2tsp rice vinegar
  • 1/2TB sesame oil

Cut cauliflower into florets, add to food processor and pulse until it resembles grains of rice (depending on how large the head of cauliflower is, you may have to do a few batches). Don’t over-process because it will quickly turn into mush, which you do not want. For the leeks, make sure your sliced leeks are thoroughly washed and free of sand too. I slice them, and then let them soak in a bowl of water, then drain in a colander, repeat a few times.

Heat wok pan or large sauté pan and add olive oil. Then add leeks and garlic and ginger. Cook for about 5 minutes or until the leeks have wilted and cooked down, slightly browned. Add carrots and peas, cook for another few minutes, until tender. Then add cauliflower. Stir until combined. Let the mixture cook down a bit, stirring occasionally. Push mixture to the sides and create a small space in the center of the pan and add the beaten eggs. (Make sure the heat is medium to high). Stir to combine, and the eggs will fry.
*Add the sesame oil, hot sauce, vinegar and tamari. Let this cook on medium for 15-20 minutes. Just eyeball it and see if it’s cooked down (it will).

Note: It might be easier to combine the sesame oil, vinegar, hot sauce and tamari beforehand, rather than adding to pan. That way, you can adjust to seasonings and not have super hot “fried rice” like I did (which I don’t mind at all).

Got wine? This goes well with a nice, mineral-ly, crisp white wine.