Cauliflower Couscous Greek Salad Recipe • theVintageMixer.com #greeksalad #cauliflower #cauliflowerrice #healthyrecipe #cleaneating #eatseasonal

Raw Cauliflower “Couscous” Greek Salad

Written by Becky

Three years ago now, a fellow blogger and friend, Lindsey from Soul Food Living, and I set out to create some new recipes using cauliflower – Cauliflower Couscous Greek Salad, and Cauliflower Pizza Crust. To this day, this recipe is still one we enjoy for a light winter meal. Because I myself still use this recipe, I thought my photos needed a little updating so I’m reposting the recipe today with new photos and maybe new motivation for you to give this a try!

With two cauliflower heads in hand and ideas for a few recipes, we experimented until we came up with something fabulous.  After testing and sampling, we came up with two delicious recipes, proving my kitchen mantra that having good company in the kitchen is always the best way to be creative. Today I’m sharing a recipe for the Cauliflower “Couscous” Greek Salad. Though there’s no couscous involved, the cauliflower acts as a tiny grain after being pulsed in a food processor; it’s look and texture is almost exactly like that of couscous.

Cauliflower Couscous Greek Salad Recipe • theVintageMixer.com #greeksalad #cauliflower #cauliflowerrice #healthyrecipe #cleaneating #eatseasonal

Cauliflower Couscous Greek Salad Recipe • theVintageMixer.com #greeksalad #cauliflower #cauliflowerrice #healthyrecipe #cleaneating #eatseasonal

The ingredients for this salad were all found at Liberty Heights Fresh, a great local source for seasonal ingredients! Also, the recipe for this salad was inspired by a cookbook called, The Naked Foods Cookbook.

Lindsay and I had both seen several folks lately experimenting with cauliflower similarly, some substituting it for rice and others for crusts and crumb toppings. She had even made a cauliflower fried rice while I recently tried making cauliflower mac n’cheese. Lucky for us, both of our husbands also enjoy cauliflower!

Cauliflower Couscous Greek Salad Recipe • theVintageMixer.com #greeksalad #cauliflower #cauliflowerrice #healthyrecipe #cleaneating #eatseasonal

As we started our cooking and creating our conversation diverted from cauliflower, interesting as the vegetable is, to so many other amazing topics.  We talked about adoption in foreign cultures, and how she spent a year in Tanzania working at an orphanage.  We chatted about nutrition and how important it is during pregnancy, which lead to both of our intrigue into midwifery and the work of dulas. As our hands were at work, we had no shortage of topics to cover.  The hours passed quickly and soon enough we found ourselves with successful creations and hungry bellies, so we sat down to enjoy our creations.

Cauliflower Couscous Greek Salad Recipe • theVintageMixer.com #greeksalad #cauliflower #cauliflowerrice #healthyrecipe #cleaneating #eatseasonal

This salad is light and fresh and will be wonderful to enjoy throughout the entire winter/spring cauliflower season.  I imagine it would be lovely using a purple cauliflower or making a little twist in the recipe for several varieties of salads like Cauliflower Cobb Salad or Cauliflower Caesar Salad.  Another recipe with endless possibilities.

Cauliflower Couscous Greek Salad Recipe • theVintageMixer.com #greeksalad #cauliflower #cauliflowerrice #healthyrecipe #cleaneating #eatseasonal

Raw Cauliflower "Couscous" Greek Salad Recipe

Use raw cauliflower to make couscous (like cauliflower rice) for this Greek Salad. 
Prep Time 35 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Course Lunch, Main Course, Side Dish
Cuisine American, Dairy Free, Gluten Free, Greek
Servings 6 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 1 head of cauliflower
  • 1/2 cup fresh basil
  • 1/4 cup fresh mint
  • 1 cup parsley
  • 1 garlic clove
  • 1 cucumber, cubed
  • 1 red bell pepper, cubed
  • 1/2 cup sliced sun dried tomatoes
  • 2 heads of romaine lettuce, chopped
  • 1/2 cup kalamata olives, halved and pitted
  • 1/2 cup pine nuts
  • 3/4 cup feta cheese, crumbled
  • 1/4 red onion, sliced thin

for the Greek Salad Dressing

  • juice of 1 lemon
  • 1/2 cup olive oil
  • 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
  • 1/4 teaspoon paprika
  • 1/4 teaspoon cumin

Instructions
 

  • Break the cauliflower into big chunks and put into a food processor along with basil, mint, parsley and garlic. Pulse several times until minced. The cauliflower will have a granular texture - much like couscous. Set the cauliflower aside in a big bowl.
  • Add cucumber, bell pepper, and sun dried tomatoes to the cauliflower.
  • Chop the romaine lettuce and place in a big salad bowl. Top with the cauliflower mixture just before serving and mix thoroughly.

for the Greek Salad Dressing

  • Whisk together lemon juice, olive oil, salt, pepper, paprika, and cumin. Drizzle the dressing over the salad and toss to mix thoroughly. (The lettuce may wilt once you add the dressing and cauliflower so don't toss until just about to eat.)
  • Sprinkle with olives, pine nuts, feta cheese, and red onions.

Notes

Pulsing cauliflower in a food processor will give the cauliflower a granular-like texture, similar to that of couscous.

Comments (34)

  1. I am definitely making this tonight. I am looking forward to this!! I love that the ingredients are fresh and healthy and that it takes almost no time to put together.

  2. I’ve pinned this for (hopefully) many future garden parties! Imagine this as the side dish to some barbecued chicken, oh wow. It’s a bit like a tabbouleh salad though – dare I say this – your version sounds more interesting!

  3. Yum! Thanks! I shared on my blog – I’m a fitness trainer and my clients are all in a frenzy to de-winterize their diets. This is a great one to get them going and wean off the winter heavies…

  4. I made this last night… so delicious! I like that this is kind of versatile and you can add and decrease ingredients to fit your tastes (I’m not much of a parsley fan so I increased the other 2 herbs). Great refreshing summer recipe!

  5. I made this today and it is a keeper! I served it by itself (without the lettuce) as a kind of raw energy salad. Loved it!

  6. This is very good, I will make it again. I left out the basil, pinenuts, tomato and feta either due to not having available or allergy and it was still good. I am not sure where the 12 minute estimate comes from, it took me almost an hour.

  7. I used purple cauliflower and left out the mint and romaine lettuce and was very happy with the results. Thanks for the recipe =)

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