This super healthy Cauliflower Tabbouleh will make you feel like you are on the right track. It is full of bright vegetables and tossed with a lemony, garlic dressing. Make this for ahead for lunches and feel good about eating your veggies. {gluten free, keto, low carb}
This post was update 2018 to include new photos.
Weekends are tough around here in the eating department. I do okay when I have a stash of healthy eats in the fridge but some weekends are so busy, we just run from one sporting event to the other with lots of eating out in between. Other times, we are so tired that we just order pizza. I can't resist eating it. I would say I use the 80/20 rule for healthy eating. During the week, I do okay when I have the time to prepare healthy foods, but on the weekends all bets are off and I indulge. Diets have never worked for me, because if I feel like something is off limits I always crave it more. I have to be surrounded by healthy food that tastes good and keep the bad stuff out of the pantry (ie. cookies, chips and cereal).
The key to eating healthy is making your healthy food taste and look good, like this Cauliflower Tabbouleh. Isn't it gorgeous?
I can't live on dry chicken breasts and salads with no dressing. That's not going to work for me long term. I feel better when I eat whole, seasonal and clean foods. This salad takes a few minutes to prepare but it makes a huge batch that stays fresh in the fridge for several days. Sometimes I add more protein from leftover dinner the night before, other times I eat it straight up. If I'm feeling like I've been a good eater that day I'll sprinkle it with a bit of feta. It adds a great saltiness that brings it all together.
If you don't like vegetables, you won't like this. I'm not going to lie! It's only as good as the fresh veggies and herbs you put in, so make sure everything is fresh. The dressing can be adjusted to taste by adding more olive oil, more lemon and more seasonings. Please don't forget the salt. It's very important to the dressing and is the only seasoning besides pepper.
Pulsing your cauliflower in the food processor makes it resemble quinoa or rice. It tastes very mild and adds a good crunchy texture to this salad without being overwhelming in the flavor department. Once you learn to make cauliflower like this, you can use it to replace carbs in so many ways. Check out these cool ways to enjoy cauliflower...
- Cauliflower Rice from Minimalist Baker
- Cauliflower Pizza Crust from Katie Lee
- 15 Minute Cauliflower Fried Rice from Pinch of Yum
- Cauliflower Bread Sticks from Fast Paleo
- Cauliflower Tortillas from Paleo Leap
- Cauliflower Wraps from Empowered Sustenance
Cauliflower is infinitely adaptable because of its' mild flavor so give it a try. My kids are still wary of it but I'll keep trying until I find one they like. In the meantime, this salad is all mine and I can't wait to eat it while watching the sunset. Kids stay inside - this is momma time.
Cauliflower Tabbouleh
Ingredients
- 1 head cauliflower pulsed in food processor to be size of rice or quinoa
- 1 14 oz can chickpeas rinsed
- 1 English cucumber diced small
- 1 tomato, seeded and diced
- ½ - 1 cup of chopped parsley
- ½ cup chopped mint
- 2 spring onions diced small
- For Dressing:
- juice of two lemons
- 6-7 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon diced garlic
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
Instructions
- Break the cauliflower into smaller pieces and place in the food processor. Pulse it 5-10 times depending on desired size.
- Add all ingredients up to dressing and toss.
- Put all dressing ingredients into a jar and shake well.
- Dress salad and taste. Add more salt, pepper and lemon as needed.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition Disclaimer
All nutritional information provided is an estimate. For specific dietary needs or concerns, we recommend consulting a nutrition calculator or a qualified expert.
This recipe was adapted from this one at Food Network.
Karen Kelly
Karen Kelly is a nationally syndicated food and travel writer, founder of Seasonal Cravings, and co-founder of The Roam Report. She develops approachable seasonal recipes and covers travel and lifestyle trends. Her work has appeared in numerous media outlets, including Yahoo, Taste of Home, Apple News, NBC, FOX, and other national and regional publications.
Marla says
Love the idea of this grain free tabouleh!
Karen Kelly says
Thanks Marla!
Mona says
Wow! What a great recipe. So simple and fresh - right up my alley especially now that cauliflower is the new kale 🙂
Natasha @ Salt and Lavender says
Love this! I really need to do more with cauliflower. At least in my world, it's overlooked way too often!!
Cheyanne @ No Spoon Necessary says
I'm a fan of the 80/20 rule, because while I actually really like healthy foods, I also really like certain naughty foods. Like fried calamari and pizza. 🙂 Cauliflower is one of my favorite veggies, because it's so stinkin' versatile! So I'm looooooving that you used it as the base for tabbouleh!!! YES YES YES! This is definitely going on my summer BBQ side rotation! Pinned! Cheers!
Agness of Run Agness Run says
So refreshing, vivid, and healthy recipe! Cauliflower seems like an excellent idea!
Karen Kelly says
Thanks Agness!
annie@ciaochowbambina says
I am with you on the 80/20 rule! But I'd eat this 100% of the time! So fresh!!
Courtney says
Tabbouleh is a family favourite! Love all the bright fresh flavours in this dish, and how you've swapped out the bulgar for cauliflower. Great way to sneak some extra veggies in the dish and lighten it up!
Kristen Greazel says
Oh my gosh. This is so pretty! I can't wait to try this!
Roxana says
I love tabbouleh. This is a nice twist to the traditional one. Would like to try the chickpeas in it too.
Lisa | Garlic & Zest says
My husband and I have been on the South Beach Diet for about 2 months so this is perfect for us. Can't wait to make it.
Patrick says
I have a hard time getting past all the advertisements on your web pages. Not only is one third of the page given up for adds on the right, but you also have ads every paragraph or image on the left side. Way overboard.
Karen Kelly says
Thanks for letting me know how you feel Patrick. Unfortunately in order for me to provide FREE recipes for my readers I have to test the recipes, buy the groceries, take the photos, edit the photos, create the post, pay for my website hosting, not to mention keeping up with the technology required to run a website, I feel that it is only fair for me to make a few dollars on ads.