Greek Cauliflower Salad Bowls (Grain Free, Vegetarian)

This cauliflower salad is packed with nutrition! Greek Cauliflower Salad Bowls feature cauliflower rice, grape leaves, olives, crunchy pumpkin seeds, and goat cheese. This salad bowls recipe makes a low carb salad or meatless meal that will fill you up while keeping your body strong and healthy! Lower carb, gluten-free, grain-free, and vegetarian.

Trending –> Bowl food. Okay I may be bias. Also trending —> Mediterranean food diet named best diet for 2019! Why? Because gosh darn that food is so fresh and delicious. Shouldn’t that be the focus all the time? Well, with the exception of cookie week, pumpkin lattes, and birthdays.  Haha, in all seriousness, I am a Mediterranean food has (and will always be) a FAVORITE in our house. Trending 24/7. Which is why I am sharing with you this delicious cauliflower salad recipe, adapted from one that’s published in my cookbook.

Shameless plug… You do have a copy of my Nourishing Superfoods Bowl cookbook, right? If not, you seriously need a copy. We’ll also be giving away a few copies during our next Meal Plan Challenge starting this next week! Yes, another shameless plug to JOIN the FB group.

I digress. Let’s talk…

Greek Cauliflower Salad Bowls

Can you make a complete “Mediterranean” meal with cauliflower rice?  Well yes, you just have to know how to “pump it up.” In fact,  is a low carb dish that’s great for lunch and made from leftovers. You heard me right… this NOURISHING power salad can be made using LEFTOVERS. Or, if you are the meal planning and meal prep recipes pro, you may already have a stash of cauliflower rice in your freezer. In which case, you are ready to go!

On second thought, you may already be planning to use it to make a pot of Curried Cauliflower Rice Kale Soup or a Thai Carrot Cauliflower Rice Salad. That’s OK with me, you’ll just need to make more cauliflower rice for this recipe.

Nutrition in Cauliflower Salad

The amount of healthy nutrition packed into this Greek salad will blow your mind! Go ahead and ask (you know you want to)…

How are Greek Cauliflower Salad Bowls healthy?

Grape Leaves – The grape leaves have tremendous nutrition and can count towards your weekly recommended intake of dark green veggies. They are low in calories; 1 cup contains only 13 calories. Plus, they are a rich source of essential nutrients like vitamins K and C, with minerals like calcium and iron!

Goat Cheese (or Feta) –  These cheeses are full of calcium and plant-based protein and easier to digest than most lactose due to its fermentation process.

Cauliflower – Provides antioxidants and phytonutrients that help fight against cancer. It also contains fiber to aid digestion, choline that is essential for learning and memory, and herbs/seeds.

All of those healthy ingredients = a POWERHOUSE low carb salad or meatless meal.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 head cauliflower ( to be riced). You can totally by the prepared cauliflower rice as well!  In fact, many stores carry frozen cauliflower rice. 1 medium head cauliflower equals around 4 cups riced! 🙂
•  garlic
•  sea salt and pepper
•  pumpkin seeds
• grape leaves – Found in grocery aisle – a jar or can (shredded and pressed clean to remove extra water).
• grape tomatoes – diced
• Herbs like cilantro or basil or parsley! All work!
• Stuffed green olives or marinated green olives
• lemon juice and olive oil
• Crumbled goat cheese 🧀 (or feta if you prefer)

The key to adding more flavor and tang to this CHOPPED cauliflower salad?

Well, you blend the cauliflower with grape leaves. Like so!

That’s it! Then you have two ways for making this (hot or cold). Chop, toss, mix and garnish. Delish fresh cauliflower salad DONE!

OR…..

Lightly cook/toast the cauliflower rice in the oven with spices (for 10 minutes on a sheet pan) FIRST  for extra flavor! Then serve straight from the bowl and DIG IN! 😋

Greek Cauliflower Salad Bowls (Low Carb, Vegetarian)

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★★★★★

5 from 2 reviews

• Author: Lindsay Cotter
• Prep Time: 15
• Total Time: 15
• Yield: 3
• Category: salad
• Method: Chop
• Cuisine: Mediterranean

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Description

Greek Cauliflower Salad Bowls feature cauliflower rice, grape leaves, Mediterranean olives and seasonings, pumpkin seeds for crunch, and creamy goat cheese. This gluten-free, grain-free, vegetarian, low carb salad is perfect for lunch or meatless dinner.

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Ingredients

• 1 small to medium head cauliflower (riced) – if you prefer to buy premade cauliflower rice, use 3 to 4 cups riced. 
• 1-2 tbsp of olive oil (2 tbsp if using a large amount of cauliflower)
• 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic (or 1/4 tsp garlic powder)
• 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup pumpkin seeds
• 1 cup grape leaves – Found in grocery aisle – a jar or can (shredded and pressed clean to remove extra water).
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes – diced/sliced
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil, parsley, or cilantro!
• 5-7 marinated green olives (or regular stuffed olives)
• 1/2 lemon, juiced
• 1 ounce or more crumbled goat cheese (soft) – see notes for alternatives

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Instructions

1. Remove the stem from the cauliflower and cut the cauliflower head into four or five sections. Place one or two sections of the cauliflower, depending on size, into a food processor and pulse until cauliflower rice is formed, usually 3 or 4 pulses.
2. Repeat for each section of the cauliflower.
3. Place the cauliflower rice in a large bowl. Add 1-2 tbsp olive oil, garlic, salt, pepper and pumpkin seeds, and toss to combine.
4. For a fresh cauliflower salad, mix the cauliflower rice with the chopped grape leaves (preparation instructions below) and tomatoes. Alternatively you can lightly toast the cauliflower rice on an oiled baking sheet, spread out evenly. Bake for 10-15 minutes at 375F, tossing once during baking. Remove and let cool.
5. To prepare the grape leaves, rinse the grape leaves with water to remove the excess salt. Press the grape leaves with a paper towel to remove the excess water. Chop or shred grape leaves and set aside.
6. Dice the tomatoes, herbs, and olives to your liking. Place in s large bowl with the cauliflower rice, and then add the grape leaves. Toss together, mixing well. Add a fresh squeeze of lemon, salt and pepper to taste, and red pepper flakes.
7. GARNISH with a hefty dose of crumbled goat cheese, Red pepper flakes, herbs (cilantro or basil), and lemon slices.
8. You can serve straight from one large bowl or serve into 2 -3 smaller bowls!

Notes

• Feel free to omit cheese for dairy free option! Or use non dairy cheese.
• If you don’t like goat cheese, then feta, mozzarella balls, or even a dollop of greek yogurt is divine!

Keywords: Mediterranean, salad, greek, cauliflower salad, low carb, healthy, cauliflower, gluten free, grain free,

I kinda think bowl food should be the trend “diet” of 2019. Agreed? Ha, or maybe just real food that tastes good. Then end!

What’s your favorite Mediterranean dish? Ever tried grape leaves in a salad? DO IT!

Cheers,

LC