marinated cauliflower salad
This recipe is 1 of 5 cauliflower recipes Laurie Gauguin did for Vegetarian Times. This method of preparing cauliflower is new to me and I absolutely love it. The lemon and olive oil break down the cauliflower just enough to take the raw edge off leaving you with tender yet crunchy florets. It tastes like the halfway point between raw and pickled cauliflower. This tenderizing technique seems to work for cabbage and kale too. The original recipe calls for bell peppers but I used tomatoes. If you don’t have a hard cheese like Parmesan, try adding capers for a salty kick. How would you customize this salad?
tender cauliflower florets in a lemony vinaigrette
marinated cauliflower salad
(adapted from Vegetarian Times)
serves 2-4
3 tablespoons lemon juice (about 1-1/2 lemons)
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 clove garlic, minced
1 teaspoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups bite-sized cauliflower florets
1 cup halved grape tomatoes
1/4 cup chopped parsley
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Cracked black pepper to taste
In a small bowl, whisk together lemon juice, mustard, garlic, olive oil and salt. In a large bowl, combine cauliflower, tomatoes, parsley and cheese. Pour lemon vinaigrette over mixture, toss gently. Season with cracked pepper. Refrigerate until tender, about 4 to 8 hours. Serve over greens or as a side salad.
Top of the Apple 
I’m so glad you all enjoyed this salad. I adore crunchy vegetables and think this marinating technique is a great way to retain crunch while tenderizing the florets just enough to make them enjoyable in a salad. Plus, eating cauliflower raw helps to retain its vitamin B content. Thank you for sharing my recipe! Laurie Gauguin, via Vegetarian Times
I made this recipe and I love it! I’m going to make it again and again. In my opinion, fresh, not sundried, tomatoes would be the only type that would work with this salad. Fresh and juicy. Anything else would ruin it!
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I would use sundried tomatoes in the winter
Well to be honest, you look like you’ve hit the flavour jackpot already! Lemon mustard…AND garlic? Mmm.
If I were to use red bell peppers I’d try roasting them until they get that gorgeous smoky flavour, and add them that way, as this already seems like it’s got loads of crunch going for it.
Wow! This looks beautiful – and it sounds delicious. I don’t usually like cauliflower however I think this would be great. Perfect for a summer BBQ potluck!