Roasted Cauliflower Salad with Creamy Avocado Dressing
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You won’t be able to put your fork down after trying one bite of this Roasted Cauliflower Salad with Creamy Basil Avocado Dressing! It’s loaded with delicious ingredients like raisins, kale, cashews & apples!
This salad is healthy, vegan & great for those on a low carb diet. It’s delicious as a side dish or entree and can be served at room temperature or cold.
Today’s post is sponsored by my friends at California Avocados.
Cauliflower is so hot right now. The trend that’s been going on for a few years now is not going away anytime soon! And I have to say, that makes me so happy!
Cauliflower is used a great low carb substitute for chips in this recipe for Cauliflower Nachos. It’s also a great vegetarian substitute for chicken wings in this Korean BBQ Fried Cauliflower recipe.
It can be turned into Cilantro Lime Cauliflower Rice and used as a healthy base for Vegan Burrito Bowls. It can also be tossed with buffalo sauce and turned into Buffalo Cauliflower Tacos.
The possibilities with cauliflower really are endless and it’s a great addition to a healthy diet. This nutrient rich vegetable is a good source of antioxidants, fiber and vitamins.
In this recipe, I’m tossing roasted cauliflower with a deliciously flavorful and healthy avocado basil dressing. I also added some of my favorite sweet and salty salad mix-ins, like raisins and cashews.
The creamy dressing is so easy to make, just toss everything in a blender and puree. You can easily whip it up while the cauliflower is roasting, then toss the entire salad together in under 30 minutes.
This is a BIG SALAD! It’s great for meal prepping to eat for lunch or dinner throughout the week. Because the cauliflower is rich in fiber, just eating this salad will easily fill you up.
Kurt loves this salad! I’ll make it once and we’ll eat it for lunch throughout the week or as a side dish with dinner.
This cauliflower salad is also the perfect side dish for a party or big family dinner. You can easily make it ahead of time and store it in the fridge until you’re ready to serve it.
The best part of this salad is that it’s so delicious and everyone can eat it! It’s vegan, gluten free, dairy free and low carb, making it a great fit for anyone, no matter their dietary needs.
How to make Cauliflower Salad
- Roast the cauliflower.
- Spread 6 cups of diced cauliflower evenly on a baking sheet.
- Drizzle olive oil over the cauliflower.
- Sprinkle Montreal steak seasoning on top.
- Note: If you don’t have Montreal steak seasoning, simply season with salt and pepper, dried garlic and dried onion. Place in a 400°F preheated oven for 15 minutes.
- Quick Tip! One cauliflower head will result in approximately 3 cups of diced cauliflower. I used two heads of cauliflower for this recipe.
- Prepare the basil avocado dressing.
- Add avocado, fresh basil, white balsamic vinegar and fresh lemon juice to a blender or food processor.
- Add salt, pepper and olive oil.
- Blend until smooth and creamy.
- Note: If you don’t have a blender or food processor, you can whisk the ingredients together to make the dressing. Lightly mash the avocado, then add it to a bowl with the other dressing ingredients and whisk them all together.
- Quick Tip! Traditional balsamic vinegar can be used instead of white balsamic vinegar. I simply use white balsamic to maintain the beautiful green color of the dressing. White balsamic vinegar can be found in most grocery stores next to the other vinegars.
- Prepare the salad.
- Once the cauliflower has been removed from the oven, add the cauliflower to a large bowl. Allow to cool for at least 10 minutes.
- Add raisins, diced apple and cashews to the bowl.
- Pour the avocado dressing into the bowl and toss gently until everything is coated.
- Top the salad with diced avocado and fresh cracked black pepper.
Is Cauliflower Salad low carb?
Cauliflower salad is a great low carb substitute for potato salad or pasta salad. This salad is 25 net carbs per serving. Omit the raisins and this salad is 11 net carbs per serving.
How many calories are in this salad?
This cauliflower salad is 332 calories per serving. It’s a great low calorie addition to a healthy diet. Each serving of the salad is approximately 1 3/4 cups.
Can you make this cauliflower salad ahead of time?
Yes. If serving this salad the same day, it can be prepared up to 12 hours in advance. Cover and place it in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
If meal prepping the salad to eat throughout the week, wait to toss it with the avocado dressing until right before serving. Also, hold off on adding the diced avocado on top until ready to eat. The avocado dressing can be prepared ahead of time and stored in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
The dressing can be stored in an airtight plastic container or mason jar. I like to press a piece of plastic wrap on top of the dressing before placing the lid on the container. This prevents air from getting in and turning the avocado brown.
You can easily double or quadruple the dressing recipe and store the extra dressing in the freezer. This is a great idea while California Avocados are in their peak season. Keep the avocado dressing goodness going all year long!
This avocado dressing is great on this Butternut Squash Spinach Kale Salad. And can also be served with this scrumptious Quinoa Corn Salad or Bacon Tomato Avocado Pasta Salad.
Should this salad be served hot or cold?
This salad can be served cold or at room temperature. Allowing the cauliflower to cool before tossing it with the salad will result in a room temperature salad. Placing the salad in the refrigerator to chill before serving it, will result in a cold salad.
I ate this salad both at room temperature immediately after it was made and cold for several days after. It was delicious both ways!
Fellow avocado lover? Check out these other delicious recipes, made with fresh California Avocados!
- Avocado Egg Salad Toast – this delicious spin on avocado toast is perfect for breakfast or an afternoon snack!
- Vegetarian Enchiladas with Creamy Avocado Sauce – seriously THE BEST vegetarian enchiladas ever! Creamy corn, avocado sauce and lots of cheese fill these delicious enchiladas!
- Avocado Bruschetta – the perfect party appetizer for avocado lovers!
- Vegan Avocado Smoothie Bowls – a delicious and healthy breakfast idea that can be customized with your choice of yummy toppings!
Made this Cauliflower Salad recipe and loved it? Be sure to rate it 5 stars in the recipe card below! ↓
Roasted Cauliflower Salad with Avocado Dressing
Ingredients
Cauliflower Salad
- 6 cups cauliflower, diced
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 2 tbsp Montreal steak seasoning
- 4 cups kale, stems removed & chopped
- 1 cup raisins
- 1 apple, cored & diced
- ½ cup cashews
- 1 avocado, diced
- ½ tsp black pepper, fresh cracked
Creamy Basil Avocado Dressing
- ½ avocado , skin & pit removed
- ¼ cup fresh basil
- 2 tbsp white balsamic vinegar
- 1 ½ tbsp fresh lemon juice
- ¼ tsp kosher salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- ¼ cup olive oil
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F.
- Toss the cauliflower with the olive oil and steak seasoning.
- Spread in an even layer on a baking sheet.
- Place in the oven for 15 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and place in a large mixing bowl. Allow to cool for at least 10 minutes.
- Add the chopped kale, raisins, diced apple and cashews to the bowl.
- Prepare the avocado dressing by adding all of the ingredients to a blender or food processor. Blend until smooth.
- Add the avocado dressing to the salad and toss to coat.
- Top the salad with the remaining diced avocado and fresh cracked black pepper.
Notes
- Montreal steak seasoning can be found near the salt and pepper at the grocery store. If you don’t have Montreal steak seasoning, simply season the cauliflower with 1 tbsp coarse salt, 1/2 tbsp coarse ground black pepper, 1 tsp dried garlic and 1 tsp dried onion.
- One head of cauliflower will result in approximately 3 cups of diced cauliflower. I used two heads of cauliflower for this recipe.
- If you don’t have a blender or food processor, you can whisk the ingredients together to make the dressing. Lightly mash the avocado in a small bowl, add the other dressing ingredients, then whisk them all together.
- Traditional balsamic vinegar can be used instead of white balsamic vinegar. I simply use white balsamic to maintain the beautiful green color of the dressing. White balsamic vinegar can be found in most grocery stores next to the other vinegars.
- This salad is low carb at 31 carbs per serving, but can be reduced to 17 carbs per serving by omitting the raisins. Each serving of this salad is approximately 1 3/4 cups.
Nutrition Facts
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2 Comments on “Roasted Cauliflower Salad with Creamy Avocado Dressing”
Right! I tasted it before putting it in the fridge and I couldn’t put the fork down! Company for dinner.
So glad you enjoyed it Karen! Thanks for sharing!