1 small Persian or pickling cucumber, cut in small dice (no need to peel)
1/4 cup Kalamata olives, chopped
1/4 cup stuffed green olives, halved or chopped
1/4 cup minced red onion
1/4 cup small cherry tomatoes, chopped or halved
1/4 cup chopped marinated sun dried tomatoes
1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese (omit for vegan)
1/4 cup chopped marinated roasted red peppers
1/4 cup toasted pine nuts
1/4 cup chopped fresh mint (substitute fresh basil)
1 pinch red pepper flakes
salt and fresh cracked black pepper to taste
Lemon Basil Dressing:
1/4 cup basil oil (If you don't have basil oil you can add very finely minced fresh basil to olive oil)
3-4 Tbsp Meyer lemon juice (or regular lemon juice)
1 clove garlic, finely minced
Whisk together the dressing ingredients and set aside. Rinse and remove the stalk and leaves from the head of cauliflower. Break apart the cauliflower into rough chunks. Add to the bowl of a food processor and pulse until the cauliflower breaks down into a grainy texture. This won't take long, less than 30 seconds is usually sufficient. Be sure to pulse the machine, don't run it continuously. Turn the cauliflower into a salad bowl. Note: if the cauliflower seems very wet, you can drain it on paper towels to remove some of the excess moisture. Add the rest of the salad ingredients to the bowl. Toss with just enough dressing to moisten the salad, and save any extra for adding later if needed. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Keep refrigerated until ready to serve, and give it a toss right before serving.