Herby and Nutritious!
Herby, lemony and filled with juicy tomatoes, the crunch of peppers, cucumbers, and squash paired with nutritious quinoa, this tabbouleh salad is a perfect balance of grain to produce.
Quinoa lends itself to lemony dressings and is a great gluten free alternative to the traditional bulgur wheat used in tabbouleh salads. The secret to a great tabbouleh is finding the right proportion of grain to crisp, juicy vegetables and vibrant herbs. Here you can BE BRAVE and also add a cup of diced feta if you aren’t trying to keep this vegan – it makes a great addition to this salad.
Serve this alongside grilled meats or simply with warm pita pockets. For a little added protein, you can stuff the pita pockets with a combination of this tabbouleh salad and some Lemon Hummus.
Enjoy this easy, delicious Middle Eastern salad that is so very good for you too!
Quinoa Tabbouleh
Ingredients
(* indicates my preferred ingredients – see notes for alternatives)
1 cup quinoa (white, red, black or a mixture of all)
1 cup finely diced cucumber (seeds removed first)
2 spring onions, finely chopped (both white and green parts)
1 yellow squash, deseeded and finely chopped
1/3 cup finely minced fresh mint
1 cup finely minced parsley
1 orange pepper, finely diced
6 ripe tomatoes, deseeded and diced
Grated Lemon zest from one lemon
¼ cup O&V Lemon EVOO *
¼ cup O&V Marc de Champagne vinegar *
¼ cup lemon juice
½ teaspoon cumin powder (more to taste)
Salt and freshly cracked pepper to taste
Romaine lettuce boats for serving or small romaine leaves to garnish
Preparation
Rinse the quinoa thoroughly and then place in a pan with 3 cups of water and ¼ teaspoon salt. Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer for 15 minutes until tender (the quinoa will display a little white spiral as it gets cooked, that will be very apparent).
Drain (removing all excess water) and return to the pot. Place a dish towel over the pot and let sit for 15 minutes. Then, fluff with a fork.
In a large serving bowl, combine the diced cucumber, peppers, tomatoes, chopped spring onions, squash, minced mint and parsley and the grated zest of the lemon. Add the cooked quinoa.
In a separate small bowl whisk together the EVOO, vinegar, lemon juice, cumin, salt and pepper to taste to make the dressing for the salad.
Pour the dressing over the quinoa and veggie mixture and toss gently to combine. Taste and adjust salt, pepper and cumin amounts to taste.
Serve at room temperature in romaine lettuce boats or in the big bowl garnishing with romaine lettuce leaves
Serves 4-6
Active time: 45 minutes Total Time: 45 minutes
Notes
* My preference is to use our fused flavored Lemon EVOO with the Marc de Champagne vinegar (or Garden herb vinegar) and lemon juice combination to dress this salad.
You can substitute with an Unflavored EVOO and just lemon juice (replace the champagne vinegar with additional lemon juice) but the flavors will certainly be less vibrant.
All highlighted products are available at Oil & Vinegar stores.
Categories: Entrée, Appetizer, Soups & Salads, Easy Lunch, Quinoa Tabbouleh, Tabouli, Gluten-Free, Dairy Free, Middle Eastern Salad, Lemon EVOO, Marc de Champagne Vinegar, Unflavored EVOO, Garden Herb Vinegar, Pita bread, Snacks & Sides
