Thai Cauliflower Rice Salad
Okay, there’s an admittedly long list of ingredients in the Thai-ish Cauliflower Rice Salad from Sprouted Kitchen but I cross my heart that it is worth the effort. This beautiful dish will have you at “hello,” with its bright colors and even brighter flavor profile. It’s packed with vitamins but somehow feels indulgent. Thai Cauliflower Rice Salad is an obvious side dish but I added some tofu (that I pressed, cubed and baked until golden) for a complete meal. You can really top it with anything that you like, shredded chicken and grilled shrimp being two obvious choices.
While the chopping for this salad is somewhat significant, it is also mindless. As a matter of fact, I actually find the chopping portion of recipe preparation to be a form of meditation. Maybe we should call it “mindful chopping.” I approach each ingredient with the goal of achieving that perfectly uniform small dice. And the peanut sauce…well, whisking together those components, that’s just flat out satisfying. A measure of this, a squeeze of that, a dash and a pinch and you are rewarded with a jar of liquid gold that will finish this healthy salad and just about everything else that touches your lips over the course of the week. I once said that peanut sauce on cardboard would taste good and I stand firmly by that claim.
So head to the produce section of your grocery store and pick up the ingredients that you need…today! I promise that you will thank me later. Enjoy!
Thai Cauliflower Rice Salad
- THE SALAD
- 1 red bell pepper, small dice
- 1 jalapeno, seeded and diced
- 1/2 red onion, small dice
- 2 Persian cucumbers, small dice
- 1 mango, small dice
- 1/2 small head of purple cabbage, finely shredded (or half a bag of pre-shredded purple cabbage)
- 1 small bunch cilantro, chopped
- 1 small bunch mint, chopped
- 1 large lime
- sea salt and pepper
- CAULIFLOWER RICE
- nub of coconut oil
- 1 medium head of cauliflower, riced (about 1 1/2 cups prepared)--I used a bag of frozen cauliflower rice
- 1/2 cup canned coconut milk
- PEANUT SAUCE
- 1/2 c creamy peanut butter
- 1/3 c water
- 1/4 c rice vinegar
- juice of two large limes
- 2 inch nub of ginger, grated (or 2 Tbls)
- 1 clove of garlic, grated or minced
- dash of fish sauce, optional
- 1 Tbls honey or agave nectar
- 2 tsp tamari or soy sauce
- sea salt and pepper
- OPTIONAL GARNISH
- 2 avocados, diced
- toasted cashews, chopped
- Put all the prepared produce and herbs in a large mixing bowl.
- Squeeze the lime over everything, add a pinch of salt and pepper and toss to mix. Set aside at room temperature or in the fridge.
- Heat the coconut oil over medium heat in a large skillet.
- Add the riced cauliflower, pinch of salt and pepper and saute until it begins to soften.
- Add the coconut milk and saute another 2-3 minutes until softened. Set aside to cool down.
- Which the cauliflower cools, make your sauce.
- In a bowl, combine the peanut butter, water, rice vinegar, juice of both limes, grated ginger, garlic, fish sauce if using, honey or agave and tamari. Add a pinch of salt and pepper and whisk everything together until smooth.
- Taste for seasoning, if you like some heat, add a dash of sriracha or cayenne.
- Add water or lime juice to thin if needed. Keep it mind it will firm up in the fridge.
- Add the cooled cauliflower to the bowl of vegetables and toss everything together. Season with salt and pepper as needed.
- Serve the salad with the peanut sauce, avocado and toasted cashews on top.
- This salad can be topped with anything that you like...tofu, chicken, shrimp, salmon...the list goes on. Or enjoyed on its own.