Tabbouleh Recipe with Quinoa

Quinoa Tabbouleh

Serves 6

Ingredients:

1 cup red quinoa 

2 cups water

¼ teaspoon salt   

2 cups cubed tomatoes  

3 cups chopped parsley or kale

1 cup chopped mint if available

3 green onions (scallions)

The zest from ½ lemon

Dressing

1 tablespoon of toasted sesame oil (olive oil will do)

1/3 cup of lemon juice

• Rinse quinoa with cold water in a fine mesh strainer until the water runs clear.
• Add water to medium saucepan and bring to boil.
• Add quinoa then cover and reduce heat to medium low and simmer approximately 15 minutes.
• Taste test quinoa at this point it should be andante with a little bit of firmness to it. For the purpose of this dish the quinoa should be just under done. This salad is best with that texture. If it’s too firm put the lid on it and let rest for 5 minutes.
• When quinoa reaches the desired texture put the entire pan in a container with cold water. Be careful not to get any of the water in the quinoa. The cold water bath will prevent it from cooking further. You could also spread the cooked quinoa out on a cookie sheet and it will cool faster.
• Once the quinoa is cool place in large bowl and add tomatoes, parsley or kale, green onions, mint, cucumber and dressing. 
• Add Dressing and the Zest of ½ lemon rind and mix well.

Discussion

Tabbouleh is a middle eastern salad. A traditional Tabbouleh is made with bulgur, which is a wheat product. I started making it with red quinoa for it’s nutritional value and it’s the flavor and texture works great in this salad.

Quinoa (ki-nwa) is a fairly new grain in the American kitchen, but other cultures have been enjoying the benefits of this high protein grain product for literally thousands of years. Quinoa is considered a complete protein and is high in phosphorus, magnesium and iron. It’s a good source of dietary fiber and is gluten free.

I’ve grown it and it’s a fairly hardy plant. I used the leaves and soft stems for smoothies, as they have excellent nutritional value. They also have a nice flavor and can be used in salads. The seeds have a bitter coating, which is taken off during processing, so I didn’t use the seeds.