Raw Cauliflower and Kale Tabbouleh with Creamy Roasted Garlic Cashew Dressing

Raw Cauliflower and Kale Tabbouleh with Creamy Roasted Garlic Cashew Dressing is a refreshing and healthy raw salad that is deliciously addicting! Jump to Recipe

Raw Cauliflower and Kale Tabbouleh

This Raw Cauliflower and Kale Tabbouleh with Creamy Roasted Garlic Cashew Dressing is my raw food triumph.

The pulsed cauliflower approaches the texture of couscous and the pulsed kale adds a pretty green glow. While the garlic is roasting, I give torn kale a massage with some olive oil and salt and then season it with a very light dressing of maple syrup, sherry vinegar, and lemon juice. Massaging the kale helps break it down some, making it softer, less bitter, and easier to digest.

I pulse the cauliflower and seasoned kale together in batches and then toss in the tangerine sections and pomegranates, mixing it all together in a large bowl. The pomegranates and citrus fruit bring bright, sweet, and sharp notes that help emphasize the dressing on the kale. Use whatever type of citrus you have on hand, they’re all amazing right now. The oranges from my tree might as well be candy.

Creamy Roasted Garlic Cashew Dressing

One batch of Creamy Roasted Garlic Cashew Dressing only makes ¼ cup but that’s all that’s needed if you are going to make a full batch of this salad. One cauliflower head and one bunch of kale make a big salad. The dressing adds a subtle flavor that doesn’t overpower the vegetables and fruit.

It’s really easy to scale down this recipe and then add the amount of dressing you want. Use the extra dressing as a sandwich spread, in rice bowls, or in other salads. I want to make a double batch of the dressing alone and use it in everything.

Tabbouleh Toast is a Thing

For a more filling meal, I like to pile this Raw Cauliflower and Kale Tabbouleh on top of some toasted whole grain bread and sprinkle hemp hearts on top. I still can’t eat too much of it. I have to keep the serving size fairly small and not snack on it all day, which is really hard. But otherwise, it’s a successful way for me to get some raw veggies into my diet without overwhelming my colon-free body.

What I love most about this salad is that it feels fresh, bright, shiny, and light. A lot like how I’ve felt this month.

Reflections on Change

I know it’s been a while since my last post, a whole month in fact. That hasn’t happened in a while. But I felt it was necessary for some serious reflection, goal setting, and talking me out of my dark “I’m useless” corner. I’ve come to some big decisions and that means things are going to change.

My blog is no longer going to be my sole focus. I’m searching and applying to jobs, hustling really hard to find something. I began blogging because I needed something constructive to help me battle my ulcerative colitis and connect me with the outside world. But because of my surgery, I’m now a healthy person. I no longer have to worry about my disease being a disability.

There’s no way I’m giving up my blog. Blogging is almost as important as eating for me. It’s my food journal and keeps me accountable to my body. I’ll still be creating recipes, taking pictures, and posting. But it probably won’t be as often.

I just want to say thank you for being with me on my journey, for listening to me, and for making me feel like I’m getting a hug every time I share a post with you.

More Salads and Healthy Stuff

If you are trying to eat a little more healthy at the start of 2018, here’s some other stuff you can munch on:

Raw Cauliflower and Kale Tabbouleh with Creamy Roasted Garlic Cashew Dressing

Raw Cauliflower and Kale Tabbouleh with Creamy Roasted Garlic Cashew Dressing is a refreshing and healthy raw salad that is deliciously addicting! 

Servings 8 to 10

Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 35 minutes mins

Total Time 50 minutes mins

Ingredients

Creamy Roasted Garlic Cashew Dressing

• 1 head garlic
• drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons raw cashew butter
• 2 tablespoons water
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1/4 teaspoon Morton Kosher Salt
• 1/4 teaspoon mustard powder
• 1/4 teaspoon nutritional yeast
• 1 teaspoon capers

Raw Cauliflower and Kale Tabbouleh

• 1 bunch kale, torn into bite-sized pieces about 11 to 12 cups
• 1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon Morton Kosher Salt, or to taste
• 1 tablespoon maple syrup
• 1 tablespoon sherry vinegar*
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 head cauliflower, cut into florets about 6 to 7 cups
• 1 and 1/2 cups pomegranates
• 1 and 1/2 cups tangerine, cutie, clementine, or orange sections, cut into bite-sized pieces

Instructions

Creamy Roasted Garlic Cashew Dressing

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.  
• Peel and discard the outer papery layers of the head of garlic. Cut off a 1/2 inch from the top, exposing the tops of the garlic cloves.
• Place the garlic head on a piece of foil. Drizzle extra-virgin olive oil over it, rubbing the oil into the exposed garlic cloves. Wrap the foil around the garlic, making sure it’s completely covered. 
• Bake for 30 to 35 minutes until the garlic cloves feel soft to the touch. While the garlic is roasting, prepare the kale (see steps 1 and 2 of the Raw Cauliflower and Kale Tabouli section). 
• Allow the garlic to cool inside the foil for 10 minutes or until it’s cool enough to touch. 
• Squeeze the roasted garlic cloves out of their skins and into the bowl of a food processor. 
• Add the cashew butter, water, and lemon juice and pulse until it’s completely smooth. 
• Add the salt, mustard powder, and nutritional yeast. Pulse until smooth and incorporated. 
• Toss in the capers and pulse until they are finely chopped. Set aside. 

Raw Cauliflower and Kale Tabbouleh

• Add the torn kale to a large bowl. Drizzle the olive oil and salt over the leaves. Massage the oil and salt into the leaves until they start to look a little glossy. 
• Mix together the maple syrup, sherry vinegar, and lemon juice. Pour over the kale leaves and massage the dressing into the leaves until evenly distributed. Set aside while you prepare and roast the garlic for the dressing. 
• After you’ve made the dressing, give the food processor bowl a quick rinse and pat it dry. Add a handful of cauliflower and kale and pulse until it’s the texture of couscous. Transfer it to a big mixing bowl. Repeat until all the cauliflower and kale is processed. 
• If there is any dressing leftover in the bowl the kale marinated in, pour it into the big mixing bowl with the processed cauliflower and kale. 
• Add the pomegranates and citrus sections and mix well. 
• Pour the dressing over the salad and mix until incorporated. Add salt to taste if needed and serve. 

Notes

I like to eat this salad by itself, in wraps, or on top of toasted whole grain bread. I'll also sprinkle a little raw shelled hemp seeds on top.

*Sherry vinegar is a Spanish gourmet wine vinegar made from Sherry and it can sometimes be hard to find. It's not as sharp and acidic as red wine or white vinegar but it's not as sweet as balsamic vinegar. It has a lot of nutty notes and is more complex than the other kinds of vinegar. There really is no good substitute but I'd say to use rice vinegar if you can't find any. Read this Serious Eats article on it if you want to know more.

This makes a large salad. It’s really easy to scale down this recipe to half or even single portions and then add the amount of dressing you want. Use the extra dressing as a sandwich spread, in rice bowls, or in other salads.

Author: Megan Wells

Course: Sides and Snacks