• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
flourishingkitchen.com
menu icon
go to homepage
  • Recipes
  • Articles
  • About
  • Shop
    • Facebook
    • Pinterest
  • subscribe
    search icon
    Homepage link
    • Recipes
    • Articles
    • About
    • Shop
    • Facebook
    • Pinterest
  • ×

    Home » Recipes » Main Dishes

    Raw Cauliflower Couscous Salad with Orange and Fennel

    Published: Sep 8, 2020 by Juliette

    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    Raw cauliflower couscous makes an easy fast alternative to rice. Team it up with fresh herbs, a delicious citrus orange and fennel salad for lunch or dinner. Ready in 10 minutes and fabulously DELICIOUS!

    Orange slices with a fresh herb cauliflower couscous, olives and leafy greens. this recipe
    Jump to:
    • What is raw cauliflower couscous?
    • What else is in this recipe?
    • How to make a herb cauliflower couscous.
    • How to slice an orange into rounds.
    • How to prepare the salad.
    • Recipe

    What is raw cauliflower couscous?

    Cauliflower couscous is also known as cauliflower rice. It’s makes a great alternative to rice dishes, made with just raw cauliflower. This is my go to raw vegan alternative to cooked rice. 

    If you haven’t tried it before I recommend giving it a go. It was a game changer for me trying to find a good reliable rice alternative. 

    What else is in this recipe?

    • Orange - fresh, sweet, tart and deliciously juicy citrus.
    • Pea shoots and mixed baby greens - fresh, delicate, tender, crisp and earthy.
    • Fennel - aromatic with a light, sweet and slightly anise flavour.
    • Mixed whole olives - green and black olives marinated in a little oil provide a wonderful saltiness, softness and their slight bitterness we all love.
    • Lemon - adds a tangy, sharp, citrus flavour to the cauliflower rice.
    • Fresh parsley and mint - earthy fresh herb flavours to elevate your dish.
    • Spring onions - crisp, and lightly pungent onion flavour.

    How to make a herb cauliflower couscous.

    Simply breakup the raw cauliflower into florets and pop them into your food mixer.

    Pulse them slowly until you can see the cauliflower starts to resemble grains of couscous. Try not to over pulse the cauliflower or it will result in a mush.

    Remove the couscous from the food mixer and add to a bowl. Scatter with finely chopped fresh herbs of your choice and spring onions.

    Pour over the juice of half a lemon and stir it all together so it becomes light and airy and the herbs and onion are evenly distributed throughout.

    Season with salt and freshly ground pepper to taste.

    If you enjoy cauliflower you may like to try my recipes Cauliflower Rice and Cauliflower "Fried" Rice.

    Cauliflower couscous and chopped fresh herbs.

    How to slice an orange into rounds.

    The best way I know of to slice the orange into rounds is to start by slicing off a little peel from the top and bottom first.

    This way the orange will sit on your chopping board without rolling around.

    It’s easier to slice if you use a small serrated paring knife. 

    Holding the orange firmly just slice the peel from the top of the orange around and down to the bottom. Try to keeping the oranges natural shape as much as possible working with the knife carefully and working around the pith.

    Take as much of the pith as you can without cutting into the orange itself.

    Once you've removed the orange peel and pith, slice the orange into rounds. Try not to slice the rounds too thinly as you might find the orange collapses and the slices won’t keep their beautiful shape.

    How to prepare the salad.

    The orange fennel and olive salad couldn’t be simpler to prepare.

    To begin with there’s no dressing as the orange adds both citrus and sweetness and it’s own juice.

    For this recipe the base of the salad is a selection of baby leafy greens. I chose pea shoots, baby red chard and spinach.

    I feel baby greens work particularly well with this dish. Of course, please feel free to choose your own mix.

    Cut out the hard centre from the fennel and discard. Slice the fennel into matchstick style pieces so they’re nice and thin. The finely sliced fennel adds just a hint of liquorice flavour. 

    Don’t be put off by the fennel if you’ve not tried it in a salad before. I avoided fennel for years then was blown away when I recently discovered it!

    Peel and slice the orange into rounds. Olives add that wonderful saltiness and their own natural fat to the salad.

    All that’s left is to serve up the entire dish.

    Add the leafy greens to your plate. Then follow with your orange slices on top.

    Scatter the fennel across the salad and pop a few pieces in amongst the salad leaves and the orange so that it’s well distributed.

    Add the olives around the plate. Garnish with fennel fronds if you have them and season with sea salt and freshly ground pepper if you’d like to.

    To complete the whole dish spoon the herby raw cauliflower couscous over one side of the plate and tucked a little under the salad.

    Your gorgeous raw cauliflower salad is ready to enjoy. Yum!

    Recipe

    Cauliflower couscous with a green salad and slices of orange.

    Raw cauliflower couscous with orange fennel salad

    Juliette | Flourishing Kitchen
    Raw cauliflower couscous makes an easy fast alternative to rice. Team it up with fresh herbs, a delicious citrus orange and fennel salad for lunch or dinner.
    5 from 8 votes
    Leave a review
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time :10 mins
    Total Time :10 mins
    Course :Main Course, Salad
    Cuisine :Vegan
    Servings :1

    Equipment

    • Food processor with an s-blade.
    • Chopping board.
    • Paring knife, serrated if possible.
    • Spoon.
    • Bowl.
    • Plate to serve.
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Ingredients
      

    • ½-1 pack of baby leaf salad with pea shoots (approx. 40g).
    • 1 ½ cups cauliflower florets (about 2 handfuls).
    • 1 medium orange.
    • ½ small fennel.
    • ½ cup mixed whole olives.
    • juice of ½ lemon.
    • A small handful in total of fresh mint and parsley leaves.
    • 2 spring onions.
    • salt and freshly ground pepper to taste.

    Instructions
     

    • Top and tail the spring onions then finely slice. Cut the middle from the fennel and discard. Slice remaining fennel into matchsticks sized pieces and reserve for later with fronds. Peel the orange then slice into rounds. Finely chop the fresh herbs.
    • To make the couscous add the cauliflower florets to a food processor with an s-blade and pulse for a few seconds each time until the cauliflower resembles couscous or rice.
    • Into a medium sized bowl add the couscous and top with the finely sliced fresh herbs and spring onions. Pour over the juice of half a small lemon then stir together so that it's light and airy in consistency all the way through. Add salt and pepper to taste.
    • To serve, put some of the cauliflower couscous onto a plate. Add salad leaves slightly to one side, then top the leaves with orange slices. Sprinkle the whole plate with fennel and lacy fennel fronds. Scatter over a few olives. Season to taste.

    Notes

    I keep a little of the orange juice from my chopping board to pour over the salad before serving. I don't feel like it needs a salad dressing. What do you think?
    Keep back a few freshly chopped herbs to sprinkle over the greens just before serving.
    The olives in this recipe are Italian mixed olives marinated in Sicilian lemon oil as they compliments the couscous perfectly. I prefer to use whole olives rather than the pitted ones for this recipe. Please choose whichever olives you prefer. 
    For slightly spicier lemon flavour you could add a pinch of sumac to the couscous. I also like to add salt and pepper to the salad to taste.
    This dish keeps well when covered and stored in the fridge for 1-2 days. 
    Keyword cauliflower couscous, cauliflower rice, raw vegan
    Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

    Hey, did you like this recipe? If so it would mean the world to me if you would please Pin this to your Pinterest boards or even share it on social media so others can find it too.

    I’m off for some tea.

    LOVE RAW FOOD

    XOXO

    Juliette

    mum, dog owner, lover of raw food

    More Raw Vegan Dinner Recipes

    • A salad bowl filled with pear, rocket, olives, cucumber and seeds fill a white salad bowl. A small jar containing salad dressing and a kitchen towel sit next to the bowl.
      Pear and Rocket Salad
    • Two raw veggie wraps sit on a pretty blue and white floral plate.
      Raw Veggie Wraps
    • A plate of sprouted quinoa, tomatoes, olives, cucumber, topped with little pieces of cheese.
      Sprouted Quinoa Summer Salad
    • A plate of quinoa salad next to a glass containing dressing.
      Broad Bean & Sprouted Quinoa Salad
    • Facebook
    • Twitter

    Reader Interactions

    Leave a comment. Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    Primary Sidebar

    I’m Juliette, welcome to my blog where I share my love for plant based whole foods & raw vegan recipes.

    Here you’ll find simple, fun ways to prepare delicious, nutrient rich meals (without always having to cook).

    More about me →

    Get my recipe ebook

    Ebook mockup.

    Latest Recipes

    • An opened mason jar filled with red onion pickles.
      Quick Pickled Red Onions (No Cook)
    • A bowl of sprouted buckwheat sits on a wooden surface next to a piece of cheesecloth.
      Sprouting Buckwheat
    • A bowl of porridge topped with raspberries, sliced pear and sprinkled with flaked almonds and mint leaves.
      Raw Buckwheat Porridge
    • Three blackberry parfaits topped with fresh mint and daisies.
      Blackberry Parfait

    Seasonal

    • A bowl of butternut squash noodles with pesto and pomegranate seeds.
      Squash Noodles w/Pesto and Pomegranate (raw, vegan)
    • Two raw veggie wraps sit on a pretty blue and white floral plate.
      Raw Veggie Wraps
    • Pomegranate and rocket salad with hummus
      Pomegranate Rocket Salad with Chickpeas and Hummus
    • A small jar of sprouted quinoa seeds.
      How to Sprout Quinoa (Quick and Easy)

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    • About
    • Privacy Policy
    • Cookies
    • Terms & Conditions

    Subscribe

    Sign up for emails and updates

    Contact

    Contact

    copyright © 2023 flourishing kitchen - all rights reserved.

    We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept All”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. However, you may visit "Cookie Settings" to provide a controlled consent. Read More
    Cookie SettingsAccept All Reject All
    Manage consent

    Privacy Overview

    This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
    Necessary
    Always Enabled
    Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
    CookieDurationDescription
    cookielawinfo-checkbox-advertisement1 yearSet by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin, this cookie is used to record the user consent for the cookies in the "Advertisement" category .
    cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
    cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional11 monthsThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
    cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
    cookielawinfo-checkbox-others11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
    cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
    CookieLawInfoConsent1 yearRecords the default button state of the corresponding category & the status of CCPA. It works only in coordination with the primary cookie.
    viewed_cookie_policy11 monthsThe cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
    Functional
    Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
    CookieDurationDescription
    __cf_bm30 minutesThis cookie, set by Cloudflare, is used to support Cloudflare Bot Management.
    Performance
    Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
    Analytics
    Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
    Advertisement
    Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
    Others
    Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
    SAVE & ACCEPT
    Powered by CookieYes Logo