cauliflower tabbouleh
Not a meal goes by in my house without fruits and veggies — we love them in all their shapes, colors and flavors. The good thing about Sundays is that my fridge is always stocked up again with lots of fresh produce for the week, making the weekend the perfect time to test lots of new recipes. This cauliflower tabbouleh has been on my to-share list for a couple of months already, but every time I thought about photographing it I didn’t have all the ingredients on hand. I made sure to add all the produce I needed to my Saturday shopping list this weekend and came back home all excited to not only photograph the recipe for you, but film it as well.
Being of Lebanese origin, tabbouleh has always been a big part of dinners at home. Traditionally served with other mezzes, tabbouleh is made with bulgur wheat, tomatoes, lots of parsley, some mint and a lemony dressing. A couple of months ago I didn’t have much produce left in the fridge besides a cauliflower head, tomatoes, green onion and a cucumber, so I thought about combining them into a zesty salad reminiscent of traditional tabbouleh.
Instead of using bulgur wheat, I chose to pulse the cauliflower in my food processor until it resembled the consistency of couscous. I then chopped up the tomatoes, green onion and cucumber and added it to the cauliflower with all the parsley I had and mint. I kept the dressing the same as the traditional version, whisking together lemon juice, olive oil, salt, pepper and cumin before pouring it all on the salad. The result was mind-blowing — it truly tasted like tabbouleh, but even better!
Less caloric, lighter and just so fresh, this salad goes deliciously well with grilled fish, meat, or chicken, or even on its own with an avocado toast. It takes 20 minutes to prepare from start to finish and saves well in the fridge for a couple of days, making it a great dish to enjoy from lunch to dinner or anytime in between!
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- 1 cauliflower head, cut into florets
- 1 large tomato, diced
- 1 cup diced cucumber
- 1 green onion, white and green part chopped
- 1 cup fresh parsley, chopped
- ⅛ cup fresh mint leaves, chopped
- Juice of 1 lemon (about 2 tablespoons)
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- In a food processor, pulse the cauliflower florets in two batches until they resemble the consistency of couscous. Set aside in a big bowl.
- Add the tomato, cucumber, green onion, parsley and mint leaves and mix to combine. Add the lemon juice, olive oil, cumin, salt and pepper and mix to combine.
- Serve at room temperature with lemon wedges on the side for those who like their salad more zesty!