Cauliflower Salad Recipe 🥗

Ingredient Substitutions

Don't have everything on hand? No worries! Here are some delicious alternatives you can use in place of the original cauliflower salad ingredients:

• Cherry tomatoes: Use regular tomatoes that have been diced.
• Cucumber: I have used celery in the past, but about ¾ cup rather than 1 cup.
• Green bell pepper: I like the flavor of the green bell pepper with this recipe, but feel free to use red, orange, or yellow bell peppers. You can even add Anaheim or poblano peppers if you’d like.
• Olive oil: Use avocado oil or coconut oil.
• Pickled red onions: You can use the same amount of raw red onion that has been diced. My suggestion is to soak the raw red onion in a bowl of water for 10 minutes to remove some of the bite and not overpower the salad. After 10 minutes, drain the red onion and add it to the salad.
• Black olives: You could use Kalamata olives or dry-cured black olives.
• Feta cheese: If you have access to goat cheese crumbles, this works well. Cotija also works well. Finely chopped semi-hard mozzarella works, too, but you will need to add just a touch more salt to the cauliflower salad.
• Chives: Replace with scallions (green onions), but just the green part.
• Basil: You can use dried basil, but just 1 teaspoon should do the trick. Otherwise, you can add chopped fresh parsley.
• Lemon juice: This recipe works well with fresh lemon juice. Bottled lemon juice has a higher and more concentrated acidity, so only use it if necessary. Reduce the quantity to 1 tablespoon to start. Taste and adjust.
• Red wine vinegar: Feel free to use apple cider vinegar, white wine vinegar, champagne vinegar, or even rice wine vinegar.

Additional Ingredients

If you want to enhance the flavors of this wonderful side dish, here are some optional Mediterranean ingredients: 

• Artichoke hearts: Find artichoke hearts that have been marinated in olive oil and some herbs. Roughly chop some up and add to the salad for a really nice contrasting flavor.
• Sun-dried tomatoes: I am a HUGE fan of sun-dried tomatoes, particularly those packed in olive oil. Drain them first, and then chop finely before adding to the salad. Remember, these have a strong flavor, so a little goes a long way.
• Roasted red peppers: The sweetness of this ingredient really adds a nice note to this cauliflower salad. It is one of my favorite ingredients to add. I like to cut them into strips so they really stand out on the salad.
• Parmesan cheese: Freshly grated Parmesan cheese is great to top the salad with—just a tablespoon or two is enough for a creamy dressing.
• Proteins: If you want to take this from a side dish to a main dish, feel free to add some proteins like grilled chicken or sautéed shrimp. I’ve tried this with steak in the past, and as a side dish, it is really good, but for some reason when combined, I’m not sold on the idea.
• Toasted pine nuts: Yes on all fronts. I love to toast pine nuts and add them to salads like this. Toasting pine nuts is simple (my easy toasting pine nuts tutorial is coming soon) or take out a pan and place it over medium heat. Add the pine nuts to the pan, and when they become fragrant, shut off the heat. Continue to shake the pan and toast the pine nuts until they are golden brown. Yum.
• Hard-boiled eggs: Not only do these add a nice bit of protein to the dish, but they also really tend to tie in all the high flavor notes that are prevalent in Mediterranean-style cooking. Take two or three hard-boiled eggs, quarter them, or smash them in a bowl with a potato smasher, and layer them on the salad.

NOTE: These ingredients are not part of the original recipe- use them to enhance or customize the recipe to your liking.