A fresh take on tabbouleh that uses riced cauliflower and broccoli to replace the usual grains! This recipe is loaded with flavor and crunch with lots of fresh herbs, pomegranate arils and crunchy pistachios! You’ll never think about tabbouleh the same way after eating this healthy, vibrant vegan and gluten-free version.
Ingredient Notes
- Riced Cauliflower and Broccoli: Swapping the grains usually found in tabbouleh recipe for pulsed vegetables is a great trick to enhance the nutritional profile while still getting all the great texture that’s found in bulgur wheat or couscous. You can save time buying riced cauliflower (in the fresh produce section or frozen)or save money by pulsing the vegetables in your food processor yourself.
- Spices: sumac adds to the citrus punch, and brings life to all the fresh herbs and kale. I use the middle eastern spice in my nectarine salad with arugula with the same tasty, summery results.
Make it
This is a raw salad. There’s no cooking involved, The prep is in ricing the cauliflower and broccoli, washing and chopping the fresh herbs and kale, slicing the scallion, dicing the shallot and taking the seeds out of the pomegranate.
The dressing uses fresh lemon juice, so zest the lemon over the bowl of salad ingredients before you juice it to mix with the olive oil and maple syrup.
Debra’s Pro Tips
- If pomegranate isn’t in season, use dried cranberries or cherries that are unsweetened and make without sulphur. You’ll still get a beautiful pop of color and the chewy texture. Even golden raisins would be nice.
- The hearty kale will stand up to the dressing and the salad will stay good in the fridge for a few days without getting soggy.
- Otherwise, prep the salad and the dressing in advance and store them separately in air tight containers in the fridge until ready to serve.
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📖 Recipe
Grain-free Raw Tabbouleh Salad Recipe
Ingredients
- 5 cups riced broccoli or cauliflower or a combo.
- 1-2 cups kale *
- 1 bunch scallions thinly sliced
- 1 cup fresh parsley chopped
- ½ cup fresh mint chopped
- 1 shallot minced
- ⅓ cup pistachios chopped
- ½ cup pomegranate arils
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon sumac
- 2 lemons zested and juiced
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 2 Tablespoons maple syrup
Instructions
- Rice the cauliflower/broccoli in food processor or use frozen or fresh already riced.
- Wash and dry kale before roughly chopping, or tearing into bite sized pieces.
- In a small measuring cup, whisk together the olive oil and maple syrup. Set aside. Zest the lemon and set aside. Then juice the lemon into the oil mixture.
- In a large bowl, combine veggies, greens, herbs and all spices, including lemon zest. Pour dressing over and mix well.
- Store in airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. Flavors will intensify as they mingle, but salad will not become wilted.
Notes
Nutrition
Note
The nutrition calculations were done using online tools. To obtain the most accurate representation of the nutritional information in any given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients you used. You are ultimately responsible for ensuring that any nutritional information is accurate, complete and useful.
Laurie
Oops–forgot to rate–but I give this five stars!
Laurie
Not just for winter! Works perfectly in summer with cherry tomatoes from the garden. I love my grains but there are some times I crave a lighter dish–made this just the other day and it was yummy!
Debra Klein
For sure! Also in the summer, I have all the herbs growing in my garden….makes it so easy.
Shinta Simon
This sounds fresh, clean and exactly what I need right now! I love using pomegranate and honey to my salads as well. Thank you for sharing!
Debra Klein
Fresh, clean and exactly what many of us need right now! Thank YOU!
Shanika
Wow, this dish looks amazing! It’s packed with so many nutrients and veggies! Definitely the perfect side dish for the Holidays!
Debra Klein
Gotta sneak in the nutrition wherever you can!
Traci
What a beautiful salad! I’m in love with every single ingredient you added to this recipe. This is the kind of salad I make and eat all week. Thanks for sharing…just pinned!
Debra Klein
Exactly! It actually gets better as it sits, so I often make this during meal prep on Sunday and use it in lunches and dinners all week.
Ellen
Such a great side dish. It will be perfect for holiday entertaining.
Debra Klein
Right? Those pomegranate seeds add the perfect burst of color….and flavor…plus you can make this in advance.
Leslie
Awesome stuff! This is perfect. I have to have gluten-free and this fits the bill. It looks delicious.
Debra Klein
Perfect for gluten-free individuals….and it gives the same satisfaction as if it did have grains.