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This salad was so deliciously crunchy and flavorful. I just made it and am already planning to make it again this week.
Anne
Okay, here’s the deal.
Cheese and pasta and Greek pork pitas are all so super delicious and – I do not say this lightly – they have been exactly what my body and soul have needed throughout the last three months. I see them, I acknowledge their place, and I thank them for helping me heal my broken heart.
But now it’s April, and my body and soul are asking for some new things.
Mostly: Vegetables. Fruits. Healthy proteins. And more vegetables and more fruits.
And if that could happen in a way that does not make me hate my life, that would be awesome k thanks.
How To Make Our Cauliflower Salad:
So it works out pretty nicely then that a few days ago, when I was deep in a Google rabbit hole, I came across THIS SALAD from the ultra-inspiring-plant-based-goals blog known as The First Mess.
It’s old. Like, 2014 old. Which is only fitting for Google rabbit holes, right? Where else can you expect to find such hidden gems? But it’s still as crunchy, tangy, nutritious, and buttery (s/o to the perfect avocados) as it must have been in 2014 when it was a newbie to the internet.
When this detoxy cauliflower salad materialized for lunch at the studio, we crunched in blissful silence and all agreed: it’s strange, maybe even unpredictable, but ridiculously delicious. Here’s what we’ve got in this unicorn of a cauliflower salad:
- RAW cauliflower rice. RAW, thank you very much.
- Apples.
- Mint and parsley.
- Shallots. Super thinly sliced, like paper.
- Roasted chickpeas.
- Big chunks of buttery avocado.
- A two-second honey-olive oil-mustard dressing.
- Lime juice and zest. because WHY NOT.
It feels kitchen-sinky in the best possible way.
Raise your hand if you need some spring detox in your life?
Right there with you, girlfriend. Cauliflower Salad to our delicious rescue.
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Spring Detox Cauliflower Salad
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 4 1x
Description
An herby, fresh vegan power salad featuring cauliflower, apples, shallots, roasted spiced chickpeas, and a quick grainy mustard dressing.
Ingredients
Cauli Salad:
- 1 14-ounce can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- chili powder, salt, and pepper
- 1 head cauliflower, cut into florets
- 1 apple, sliced thin
- 1 shallot, sliced thin
- a handful of parsley and mint, chopped
- 2 firm avocados, cut into chunks
Jar Dressing:
- 2 tablespoons grainy mustard
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1/4 cup water
- juice and zest of one lime
- salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Chickpeas: Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place chickpeas on a baking sheet lined with parchment. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with chili powder, salt, and pepper to taste. Roast for 20-30 minutes until crispy and browned.
- Cauliflower Prep: Working in batches, run the cauliflower florets through a food processor until you get “rice” – it should take about 20-30 pulses.
- Dressing: Shake up all the ingredients in a jar, or whisk together. Taste and adjust.
- Assembly: Toss everything together. That’s it!
Notes
If going sugar free is important to you, make sure to look for a mustard without sugar.
I like to reserve a few chickpeas and herbs to top the salad, just to make it pretty.
This salad doesn’t last long once tossed together, so if you’re prepping in advance, keep everything separate.
Maple syrup or agave would be a perfect sub to make this recipe vegan.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Lunch
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: cauliflower salad, spring salad, vegan salad
One More Thing!
This recipe is part of our best healthy summer salads page. Check it out!
Yum! š because itās still cold in Aus (even though the start of spring) I made this but with roasted cauliflower florets and cubes of roasted sweet potato. Delicious and full of flavour.
Left overs for dinner tonight with added lettuce and bacon was just as good.
Iāll put this on repeat. šš»
Hi! First time ricing my own cauliflower and I used the Vitamix however, its pretty wet. Do you press out the water from the riced cauliflower after?
Thanks! and super excited for this dish š
This salad is actual perfection. I’ve made it twice so far and plan to make it throughout the summer (forever, honestly). I had no idea cauliflower, avocado, and apple would taste so good together. Also so happy for leafless salads!!
This is so good. The only thing I felt was lacking was saltiness? Maybe I need to salt the dressing more but I think when I make this for lunch tomorrow Iām going to season the cauliflower with salt before dressing it with everything else! Otherwise loved how quickly this came together and how delicious all the flavors were!
I am feeling stuck in cooking. I want clean eating for the family.
I’m not usually a commenter but I had to comment and say how amazingly delicious this salad was. I was a skeptic of a salad without lettuce and raw cauliflower but I couldn’t get enough of this. So crunchy and spicy and sweet all at once. The best bites were the end where the cauliflower had been marinating in the dressing just a tiny bit. So good!
We appreciate the comment, Afton! So glad you enjoyed the salad!
Any suggestions about what spice/ spices would be a good substitute for chili powder in your Spring Detox Cauliflower Salad? Itās one of the few spices my spouse doesnāt like. The salad looks fantastic !!
Paprika or smoked paprika might be a good substitute!
This was delicious!!! Canāt say itās too kid friendly, but my oldest son and I really enjoyed it
This salad was recommended a few times by a friend, but the ingredient list definitely threw me off. I made it this week and absolutely fell in love. I need more cruciferous vegetables in my life and this was an easy way to get them in that tastes great. I cooked my chickpeas in the airfryer which got them super crispy and didn’t heat the house. Highly recomend!
Cruciferous veggies for the win! So glad you enjoyed the salad, Charity!
I made spring detox salad. So good. How can I reduce calories?. My husband would eat all of it for lunch!
Hi Sarah! You could reduce the amount of avocado, or reduce the amount of olive oil in the dressing.
The recipe looks delicious, but I really wish you wouldn’t use such pseudo science and diet culture buzz words as “detox”. There is no such a thing as a detox when you have a healthy liver, kidneys and lungs (and if you don’t, eating a salad won’t help). However, it does contribute to restriction and disordered eating.
I was a bit apprehensive about this. Raw cauliflower? But the tangy sweet lime dressing paired with the herbs, avocado and apples? Delish. It was like a tabouli from bizarroland, and I loved it.
So glad you enjoyed this, Nan! š
The salad was so unexpectedly delicious! I couldnāt find limes so I used lemon for the dressing and substituted chives for shallots, and it was still so good. I also added paprika to the chickpeas because why not? This will definitely go into my spring/summer rotation. Thanks you!
Sounds delicious, Amy!
This Cauliflower Salad. This salad will be my willpower and distraction. It will be perfect for meals at work because I find myself constantly getting burritos from the taco truck that sits outside.
YES! The perfect yummy salad to bring to work!
This salad sounds amazing š except not a great fan of chickpeas. Would butter beans work just as well do you think?
Hi, Simone! We haven’t tried this with butter beans yet, but we think it should work as a replacement. Enjoy!
Delicious! New favorite go to lunch! I leave out the shallot and it still tastes great.
Just made this for lunch, it was very good. Really fresh and summer-y! And easy to make which is always a bonus.
There are lots of leftovers – I ate just one serving – so I hope it lasts until tomorrow (I am keeping the apples and avocados separate).
This is a great raw salad, vegan. Low carb, I think.
Loved it.
Have been making this salad on repeat for weeks! It’s so fabulous and fresh. And healthy!!! The parsley & mint taste like summer. The dressing is so zesty and good. I’ve been using a Whole Foods brand course ground dijon mustard and it tastes amazing. Love it!!!
Glad you’ve enjoyed it, Julia!
Love this salad! Next time I would put in 2 shallots but that is all I would change!
This salad was so deliciously crunchy and flavorful. I just made it and am already planning to make it again this week.
Made this tonight and it was amazing! I cut calories by using 1 avocado, 1 tbs honey and bought pre-made cauliflower rice, so easy! Will make this again and again this spring and summer!
Is there anything I can use as a substitution for the Avacado?
Im wondering gow long does this salad last in the fridge?? My daughter is a huge fan of cauliflower and I woyld love to make this for her lunch! Thanks a head
So good! I told my family and friends too. Brought some to a work function and it was a huge hit! Leaving the apple in bite size bunchs worked better for me though and adding more salt.