Tabbouleh is a salad or side dish that you find at many Mediterranean restaurants. It consists of plenty of fresh herbs, tomatoes, and usually bulgur. After a weekend away with family (eating meals and snacks that did not follow my normal routine), I just craved something that felt GOOD to eat. I remembered previously pinning Simply Scratch’s recipe on my must-try Pinterest board. This dish is light and refreshing with no cooking involved! I used my food processor to chop the herbs, but feel free to chop by hand.
I’ve altered the recipe to my tastes. I felt like it was missing something so I added red wine vinegar. My husband and I enjoyed this dish so much, I made it two weeks in a row.
I’m a big fan of mezze plates. I LOVE Mediterranean dips and spreads, especially for “wine nights.” I served this dish with Lavash bread, grape leaves, hummus, kalamata olives (all from Trader Joe’s) and an easy tzatziki sauce I threw together using soy yogurt. Perfect for summer, whether it is a side dish or a meal.
Ingredients:
- 1 head of cauliflower, riced, about 4 1/2 – 5 cups
- 3 bunches of flat-leaf Italian parsley, finely chopped
- 1 large handful of mint (about 1/2 a cup after washed), finely chopped
- 1 bunch of green onion, finely chopped
- 3 roma tomatoes, finely diced
- 1 cup of cucumber, peeled & finely diced (about 2/3 of a cucumber)
- 2 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
- 1/4 cup lemon juice
- 1 tsp of crushed red pepper (optional)
- 1 tsp of salt
Serves 8 to 10
Rice cauliflower* in your food processor. Place into a large mixing bowl. Do the same with the parsley, then mint, then green onion, then garlic**. Add the remaining ingredients in the bowl and thoroughly combine. Keep refrigerated until ready to serve.
*I recommend splitting this up into 4 – 5 rounds. For the cauliflower and the following ingredients, blend for 7 – 10 seconds. Ingredients should just be finely chopped, not over-processed.
**I add an extra tbsp of lemon juice in with the garlic to offset the taste of the raw garlic.
Loved it!
I have been wanting to try riced cauliflower, and for this recipe I just ran the cauliflower through the grater attachment of my Cuisinart. I make hummus every week, but I am only a moderate fan of tabbouleh because it is generally so heavy. However, this recipe is light and refreshing. I was a bit skeptical about the oil/lemon juice/vinegar ratio, but it was perfect. I served it with hummus, toasted pita bread, grilled cherry tomatoes, and sliced avocado.
This is a perfect summertime meal, and it would be great for picnics and potlucks.