Quinoa Cauliflower Rice Tabbouleh

This Quinoa Cauliflower Rice Tabbouleh is far from traditional, but it’ll be your new favorite after one bite! Full of fresh herbs and bright, simple flavors, this tabbouleh is the perfect healthy summer side or meal. I love bringing a jar of it on long car-trips or to poolside picnics. This recipe is gluten-free.

Can we pause for half a second and think about the idea of a poolside picnic? Fantasy me loves this idea. It’s adorable, there’s charcuterie and sangria, big floppy hats and no kids splashing you…

Reality me knows the truth: you shouldn’t let food get anywhere near a pool because then you have a pool full of soggy Cheetos. And you always bring the awesome homemade tabbouleh and sangria but then everyone else brings boxes of Goldfish and napkins…totally not cool.

Not to mention, the heat index here is 108.

At 108, if my butt is not in the pool staying cool, it’s sitting in the car, blasting the air conditioning and Google mapping the nearest Starbucks. Truth.

But, it sounded like a cute idea, right?

So, we’ll discuss instead the idea of you packing a jar of Quinoa Cauliflower Rice Tabbouleh in a cute jar for a lunch on the go. Deal? Sounds more plausible. Even if “on the go” is just sitting in that Starbucks drive through line. Cough cough. 

This Quinoa Cauliflower Rice Tabbouleh was 100% inspired by the Tone It Up Bikini Series 8 week plan I just conquered. I made this salad many times, but my way. I love the idea of the quinoa and the cauliflower rice working together to create this traditional grain salad, but without the heavy grains! Full of proteins and vitamins, it’s now essentially a glorified chopped salad.

Let’s talk herbs. You could go for all parsley and a hint of mint. That’s cool. But I like to cut the parsley with fresh sweet basil. Honestly, the more herbs the better. I picked basil off of my plant out back (I’ve always wanted to say that…hashtag black thumb), but you can buy packs of all of these herbs at the grocery store.

Annnnnndddddd I think we need to talk about protein. You get protein from the quinoa, yes. And I added feta because feta is bettah and there’s a little protein there. But you can also add (and I highly recommend), a hefty handful of chickpeas, some sliced grilled chicken, some grilled or sautéed shrimp, flaky salmon…this salad is ready for anything!

Enough talk, let’s do this!

MY FAVORITE AMAZON KITCHEN TOOLS

Quinoa Cauliflower Rice Tabbouleh
Recipe by Melissa @ Treats With A Twist
Makes 3-5 servings (meal – side)

INGREDIENTS
1 cup cooked quinoa (measure after cooked)*
1 cup steamed cauliflower rice**
¼ cup finely chopped fresh parsley
¼ cup finely chopped fresh basil
2 Tbs. finely chopped fresh mint
½ of a bell pepper (orange or yellow is my favorite!), diced
½ cup finely diced white onion (or green spring onions)
¼ cup feta crumbles
1 lemon, juiced
3 Tbs extra virgin olive oil

*I meal prep batches of quinoa to use through the week. I combine 1c rinsed quinoa with 2c water; bring to a boil then immediately turn to low and let it steam with the lid on for 20min.
**I am uber lazy and buy the frozen bags of cauliflower rice. You can pop them in the microwave for a few minutes and it’s all done! Then I measure out my 1 cup. Throw the rest in the fridge for stir fry!

METHOD
In a large bowl, stir together all of the veggies and herbs, feta and grains. Add the juice of one lemon, your olive oil and stir. Liberally season with kosher salt, taste and add more if needed.
Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to let flavors develop. Serve!

I love adding chickpeas, grilled salmon or shredded chicken to make it a meal!

NOTE
You don’t have to let it refrigerate before serving, but it’s better if you do. Flavors develop more over time with this one! It even tastes great the next day. Keep this salad made in your fridge for up to 4 days.

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For tips on cauliflower rice, my girl Taylor lays it allllll out here. But like I said, I go lazy and buy the bag of organic riced cauliflower in the freezer section and pop it in the microwave. It’s also what I use (straight from the freezer) in smoothies to add more veggies!