This recipe for Falafel & Cauliflower Tabbouleh bowl is a tasty, flavorful and fresh dish. It does require some preparation, but all steps are really easy and most parts can be prepared in advance. This dish is great to make for a weekend dinner, a big sharing dinner when having a big group of people over but also prepare in advance for meal prep purpose and eat for lunch or dinner throughout the week. The recipe is easy to adapt and vary depending on allergies, food preferences and what you have at home. It is vegetarian, gluten, grain free and low carb. It can easily be made vegan just by swapping one simple ingredients.
A mix of flavorful, creamy and tasty dips, crunchy yet tender and soft falafel, fresh cauliflower tabbouleh, grilled vegetables and crunchy pomegranate seeds. Now this is what I call a festive and happy meal. You get a mix of everything, both in terms of flavor, texture and color. It is a dish that suits most food preferences and allergies, and is at the same time easy to adapt and vary. Most parts can be prepared in advance to minimize the preparation time before serving. Make it for a weekday meal, cozy weekend dinner, bring it along on a picknick or serve it for a festive dinner. This dish is vegetarian, gluten, grain free and low carb and can easily be made vegan.
A few tips:
- I used this recipe for the falafel. I would recommend you to use uncooked chickpeas and soak them the day before making them.
- The falafel can be prepared in advance, either by making the batter then storing it in the fridge. Or by baking/frying them and then reheating just before serving.
- I used this recipe for my cauliflower tabbouleh. It is grain, gluten free and low carb by replacing couscous with cauliflower. If you prefer to use couscous you can just replace the cauliflower with couscous in the recipe.
- The dips can be prepared in advance and stored in the fridge until serving.
- I used eggplant and bell pepper for the grilled vegetables, but you can easily just mix it up by using your favorite vegetables or the ones you have at home.
Ingredients for this Falafel Cauliflower Tabbouleh Bowl:
- Eggplant
- Olive oil
- Garlic
- Tahini
- Lemon
- Cumin
- Sea salt
- Fresh parsley
- Cooked chickpeas
- Paprika powder
- Aquafaba (water from the chickpeas)
- Water
- Greek or Turkish yougrt
- Fresh mint
- Healthy Falafel – Oven or Air Fryer Baked
- Cauliflower Tabbouleh (Vegan, Gluten, Grain & Oil Free)
- Bell pepper
- Pomegranate
Other recipes you might like:
- Hummus Bowl Three Ways with Chicken Halloumi & Vegetables (Gluten Free)
- Miso Hummus with Seed Crackers (Vegan, Gluten, Grain & Oil Free)
- Beetroot Falafel with White Bean Hummus (Oven Baked, Vegan & Gluten Free)
- White Bean Hummus with Fried Vegetables (Vegan, Gluten, Grain & Oil Free)
- Red Bell Pepper Hummus with Cauliflower Steak & Mediterranean Topping (Vegetarian, Gluten & Grain Free)
- Cauliflower Tabbouleh (Vegan, Gluten, Grain & Oil Free)
- Healthy Falafel – Oven or Air Fryer Baked
Falafel Cauliflower Tabbouleh Bowl (Vegetarian, Gluten, Grain Free & Low Carb)
Ingredients
For the baba ganoush
- 3-4 Eggplants (depending on their size)
- Olive oil, to brush the eggplants
- 2 Garlic cloves
- 4 tbsp Tahini
- 1-2 tbsp Lemon juice
- 1/2 tsp Cumin
- Salt, to taste
- 1 tbsp Fresh parsley (optional) chopped
For the hummus
- 1 (230) can (grams) Cooked chickpeas drained and rinsed (save about 1-2 tbsp of the aquafaba/chickpea water)
- 1-2 Garlic cloves
- 1/2 Lemon (optional) zested
- 1/2 Lemon juiced
- 1/2-1 tsp Cumin
- 1 tbsp Tahini (optional, but recommended)
- 1/2 tsp Paprika powder (optional)
- Sea salt, to taste
- 1-2 tbsp Aquafaba (makes the hummus fluffier)
- Water, to thin as needed
Mint yogurt
- 3 dl Greek or Turkish yogurt
- 1/2 dl Fresh mint finely chopped
- 2-3 Garlic cloves minced
- 1/2 Lemon zested
- 1/2 Lemon juiced
- Sea salt, to taste
For the salad bowl
- Falafel (see note 1 for recipe)
- Cauliflower tabbouleh (see note 2 for recipe)
- 1 Eggplant sliced
- 1 Bell pepper cored and sliced
- Olive oil, for frying/grilling
- 1/2 Pomegranate seeded
Instructions
- Start by making the falafel according to the recipe in note 1.
- Preheat the oven to 230 degrees Celsius.
- Cut the eggplants in half and brush with olive oil. Place in a oven safe pan or dish with the cut side facing down. Roast the eggplant until the interior is very tender and the skins have collapsed, about 35 to 40 minutes.
- Place in a colander over a bowl, let the eggplants cool and drain excess water. Once the eggplants have cooled, peel the charred skin off. Discard the skins and stems. Transfer to a clean bowl, break the eggplants up using a fork, until you have small pieces. Add minced garlic, tahini, lemon juice, cumin, sea salt and fresh parsley (if using). Stir well until fully combined.
- Next make the hummus by adding tahini and lemon juice to a high speed blender and mix for a 20-30 seconds. Scrape the sides as needed. This will make the tahini smooth, creamy and a bit fluffy.
- Add the drained chickpeas, garlic, cumin, paprika powder (if using) and sea salt. Mix until it's almost smooth. Scrape the sides a few times as needed. The hummus will be quite thick now.
- Add a little bit of aquafaba and mix again. Add some water and more aquafaba until it reaches the right consistency. Taste to check if more seasoning is needed.
- Prepare the cauliflower tabbouleh according to recipe in note 2.
- Preheat a grill pan over medium heat with some olive oil.
- Slice the eggplant and red bell pepper, add to the hot grill pan. Fry until softened and grill marks have appeared.
- Arrange everything in bowls, by adding tabbouleh, falafel, baba ganoush, hummus, mint yogurt and grilled vegetables in bowls. Top with pomegranate seeds and serve with bread of your choice (optional). Or just place everything on a table and let everyone make their own bowls.