This is an easy refreshing salad that makes for a perfect lunch or side dish! Roasting riced cauliflower gives the salad a couscous like texture that tastes amazing with bright and acidic ingredients like lemons, olives etc. I added some almonds for texture. This salad is delightfully mood lifting.
Ingredients
2 small heads cauliflower, broken into florets
½ cup slivered almonds, lightly toasted
2 tbsp cup chopped cilantro
½ tsp crushed red pepper flakes
3 tbsp fresh lemon juice
¼ cup olives pitted and sliced (I used Kalamata, but green, black or all can be used)
1/2 tsp salt
1 clove garlic, finely chopped (optional)
Preheat the oven to 450F.
Method
Break down the cauliflower into course pieces in a food processor. Work this in batches and pulse so you get the same size as couscous, and so the vegetable doesn’t get over processed and mushy.
You could certainly skip this step, and use store bought bags of riced cauliflower as well. However, for a couscous like texture, I prefer them to be finer than the bagged variety.
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Get a strainer that when dipped into the water, fits and submerges perfectly into the pot.
Once the water is boiling, transfer the ‘riced’ cauliflower to a strainer and dip into boiling water for 2 minutes. remove and drain well.
Transfer the drained the cauliflower onto a greased ovenproof baking sheet.
Bake in the oven for 5 minutes at 450F, until all the water is absorbed and some edges are crispy.
In a mixing bowl, add the olives, cilantro, red pepper flakes, garlic, lemon juice and salt. Transfer the cooked cauliflower to the bowl, add the almonds and gently toss.
Serve warm.
