Fork and Beans

Making food fun for the family

BBQ Cauliflower Salad

by

Bare with me for one moment in contemplation. I promise I will get to this drool-worthy BBQ Cauliflower Salad in a second but before then, I have a few things on my mind.

We are so accustomed to believing that it is our circumstances that predetermine our state of being. “If only I had __”, “Once I do __ then I will be happy.” Ifs, shoulds, would-bes, If onlys…

BBQ Cauliflower Salad (gluten-free vegan) - Fork and Beans

 

The funny thing about those thoughts are that they are a complete waste of time, despite how they actually make you feel like you are accomplishing something. They take you away from the present and rob you from attaining what you truly have: this moment. The more time you daydream about how other people keep you from happiness or how the “seemingly” mistakes you have made have kept you from where you thought you should be, the more time you waste in enjoying the moment. After all, the present is all that we are guaranteed anyway, right?

The moment you find yourself thinking these futile thoughts, stop and think about the fact that you already have everything you need to be happy in the moment. It’s all at your fingertips. You have the choice. Always.

BBQ Cauliflower Salad - Fork & Beans

So as you decide what to make for lunch today, give this BBQ Cauliflower Salad a try. It’s incredible! Don’t believe me? This salad is taking over Pinterest! I have heard so many great reviews about it so it’s not just my word you are believing. Plus, the cashew-based vegan Ranch Dressing alone is worth giving a try so Go. Make forth BBQ Salads frometh cauliflower. 

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BBQ Cauliflower Salad (gluten-free vegan) - Fork and Beans

BBQ Cauliflower Salad

★★★★★ 5 from 2 reviews
  • Author: Fork & Beans
  • Prep Time: 10 mins
  • Cook Time: 10 mins
  • Total Time: 20 mins
  • Yield: 2 Salads 1x
Print Recipe

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1/2 head cauliflower, cut into florets
  • 1/2 c. BBQ sauce
  • 1/2 c. black beans
  • 1 avocado, sliced
  • 1 ear of corn, cooked and sliced
  • 1/4 of a red onion, diced
  • shredded carrots
  • 3 c. lettuce
  • Cashew-based Ranch Dressing
  • crushed tortilla chips

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with foil.
  2. Place cauliflower florets on the sheet and bake 5-7 minutes.
  3. Brush the BBQ sauce onto the cauliflower. Bake another 2-3 minutes.
  4. Assemble all of the ingredients together for the salad.

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1 Salad (without dressing)
  • Calories: 486
  • Sugar: 14g
  • Sodium: 393mg
  • Fat: 20g
  • Carbohydrates: 65g
  • Fiber: 18g
  • Protein: 16g

 

Namastasty

 

 

About Cara

Based in Chicago with her husband and son, Cara is the creator behind the site Fork and Beans: A place where kids can have fun with their food.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Kimi Copeland

    Cara, I am so proud of You!! what an exciting adventure you have been on with this blog, your cookbooks etc. I am trying whole foods this month and googling recipes and hello your BBQ cauliflower salad was on another person’s blog. I bet that is a normal thing but it was so cool to see “forkandbeans”and like “i know her!!;)”. love what you are doing. I was just telling someone that you were an amazing roommate.
    I love seeing you using your amazing creative, artsy skills.
    Have you tried any other store bought milk with this like cashew etc? Im too lazy to make my own hemp milk

    ★★★★★

    • Cara

      Oh you, Kimi! I just heart you so much and am forever grateful for your friendship. Thank you for all the sweet words–they mean so much to me <3 To answer your question, you can use any nondairy milk (or dairy, if that is your thing too). Just make sure that you use an unsweetened and original dairy free milk (ie not vanilla, etc). Hope that helps!

  3. Whitney D.

    Eating this right now. Seriously, the best thing ever. BBQ CAULIFLOWER?!?! You are a genius.

  5. Julie

    I inhaled this. It was that good. Will definitely be making it again, its so filling. No one in my house was convinced that cauliflower and black beans could go together, until they tasted this and were immediately won over. I omitted the ranch and used extra bbq sauce-it was delicious. I used gluten free crispy corn chips and I think its really important to use the chips or tortillas or what you prefer-it gives the salad a crunchy texture that makes it a million times better. Thanks a ton for the recipe!

  6. Ashley

    I had this for lunch today and wow…I wasn’t expecting it to be as tasty as it was! It’s a delightful caucphony of flavors and textures that literally left me saying ‘MMMMMMMM’ aloud! I made my own homemade ranch and BBQ, and it was truly a treat. I had been getting tired of boring salad and this definitely hit the spot! Thanks!

    • Cara

      It depends on your preference. I like having the cauliflower cooled down a little while still warm. Kinda like the same as having grilled chicken on a salad, does that make sense?

  10. Abbie

    My non-vegan husband actually said, and I quote, “This is one of the best things I’ve ever tasted!” Thank you for such a DELICIOUS recipe!

  15. Michelle

    This was a hit! Thanks for the new favorite recipe.

    My only changes were that I added some blanched sweet potato that I roasted with the cauliflower. Before roasting I sprinkled both with turmeric and cumin (and then drizzled with bbq sauce when out of the oven like you did). At the end I squeezed some lime over the salad and it tasted perfect!

  16. Martha Courtney

    Made this last night and my Mom and best friend devoured it! It is really scrumptious! The only change I made is that I have my own vegan ranch recipe. Very similar taste probably. Thanks for posting these great recipes!

    • trish

      It was SO good that we had the salad again for lunch and then wrapped it in tortillas for dinner! Huge hit! We used baby kale so it was still good the next day!

  21. Terri Cole

    This looks amazing! And to those who don’t like ranch dressing, I never liked it until I started making my own. Somer’s recipe at VedgedOut.com is the one I use.

    And Cara, thanks for the words of wisdom. I needed to hear that today!

  28. Eileen

    Roasted cauliflower in a hearty salad with bean and avocado sounds like a perfect lunch! Plus, there’s nothing like a good excuse to eat more barbecue sauce. 🙂

  29. Bethany

    I know I’m weird, but I really, really hate ranch dressing! Do you have any suggestions for other dressings/flavors that might complement this salad? It looks wonderful!

    • Anna

      I agree with the Ranch dressing. (I think it tastes like chemicals. I’m weird.) I was thinking of a cool Greek yogurt based dressing with some citrus and garlic pepper…

    • Trish

      Try the Simply Organic ranch dressing packet made with vegenaise and a splash of almond milk. I added a bunch of dry dill to it and it was amazing in this salad. Not like normal ranch!

Trackbacks

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