Cauliflower tabbouleh is an excellent substitute for a grain-free dish using cauliflower rice! Tabbouleh is a staple vegetarian salad of the Middle East served cold with fresh parsley, tomatoes and a light olive oil dressing.
This cauliflower tabbouleh It is a delicious side dish and caters to Paleo and Whole 30 diets, is gluten-free, grain-free and vegan!
Tabbouleh (also referred to as tabouleh, tabbouli, tabouli, or taboulah) is usually made with bulgur or sometimes couscous. To get rid of the grains and extra vegetables, this tabbouleh is made with riced cauliflower providing a tender texture, made naturally with all vegetables! In addition to fresh parsley and tomatoes it has crunchy cucumbers and a hint of mint which helps with digestion and flushing out the system.
Cauliflower “rice” is an excellent substitute when you want to avoid eating grains. We love to add it into cauliflower rice fajita burritos, cauliflower pizza crust, cauliflower rice fitters, served as a chimichurri buddha bowl, and tossed in salads. It can be used anywhere that you would otherwise use white or brown rice, quinoa, wheat berries, couscous or bulgur, providing a low carb healthier meal.
My boys could not wait to have some of this cauliflower tabbouleh as I was taking photos and my husband was thoroughly impressed with how delicious and healthy this is! Kids with little finger might find it easier to eat in bowl with a spoon for easy scooping?.
Tips To Make Cauliflower Rice
There are a few tips when using cauliflower to achieve the perfect “rice” texture and to avoid the rice from getting too mushy and soft.
- How to turn cauliflower into rice: Use a cauliflower that is already riced for convenience. Otherwise you can make it at home in a food processor by breaking up a cauliflower head into small pieces and pulsing a bit at a time in the food processor. Try to avoid getting the pieces too small so it still visually looks like a “grain”.
- Try not to over-cook the cauliflower rice. Sautéing the cauliflower rice gives it a slightly sweeter taste than microwaving it or steaming it. In this process only sauté about 3 minutes in a light amount of oil. Cooking longer can make it a bit soft and it will start to become more fragrant the longer it cooks, which may not be appealing to some (like my husband)!
- Once the tabbouleh is made do not let it set for too long. Other tabbouleh made with bulgur or a grain taste better when they sit as the grain absorbs the dressing. Cauliflower rice is not like that and will not absorb the dressing the same way. Leaving it set too long will start to soften the cauliflower. Once the dish is made, serve immediately or within a day for the best texture. You can also wait to add the dressing until right before serving.
How To Serve Cauliflower Tabbouleh
Eat it as a healthy side dish! Our favorite way to eat cauliflower tabbouleh is as a side dish but occasionally I will just eat almost this whole thing in one meal! It is just so yummy and I feel so good and clean knowing it has nutrients my body needs without the carbs.
Other ways to enjoy this is as a meze, which is an assortment of small portions served first in a multi-course meal. You can also stuff them into grape vine leaves or butter lettuce leaves for healthy wraps.
Cauliflower helps to detox the body, flush out the system, aids in reducing high blood pressure, helps reduce the risk of cancer and builds the immunity. It is also rich vitamins and minerals such as vitamin K, vitamin C, vitamin B6, folate, pantothenic acid, potassium and manganese to name a few.
Pretty sure you cannot go wrong when eating a big bowl of vegetables, overall making this is a winning healthy dish! Enjoy this cauliflower tabbouleh as a meal itself, side dish, or stuffed into grape vine leaves or lettuce wraps! It is extremely delicious and easy to make and one of the healthiest salad recipes to eat!
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Cauliflower Tabbouleh
Ingredients
- 3 cups cauliflower rice
- 3 Tablespoons olive oil
- 1 cup grape tomatoes diced
- 1 cup cucumber diced
- 1/4 cup green onion thinly sliced (about 2)
- 1/2 parsley finely chopped
- 1 Tablespoon mint finely chopped
- 1/4 teaspoon pink Himalayan salt
- 2 Tablespoons lemon juice
Instructions
- In a large saute pan, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil and the cauliflower rice on medium heat for about 3 minutes or until slightly softened but still with a little crunch. Set aside to cool.
- In a small bowl add the salt, lemon juice and 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Mix well.
- Chop and prepare all vegetables then in a large bowl add the cooled cauliflower rice, tomatoes, cucumbers, green onion, parsley, mint, and the dressing. Mix blend and coat all the vegetables.
- Chill for a few minutes then serve right away or within the same day.
Nutrition
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