Tabouli is a fragrant Middle Eastern salad traditionally made with parsley, mint, tomatoes, green onions and bulgur wheat, and dressed with extra virgin olive oil, fresh lemon juice and salt. For those of you on a gluten-free diet, try making it with quinoa instead of bulgur wheat. I love eating tabouli with Romaine lettuce and diced cucumbers! It is also delicious with grilled or broiled wild caught salmon. Yum!
Here’s my recipe for Quinoa Tabouli. The quinoa should be soaked, rinsed and cooked ahead of time and allowed to cool before adding the other ingredients.
Quinoa Tabouli Ingredients:
- 2 cups organic quinoa
- 4 cups water
- 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
- 5 bunches organic parsley
- 1/4 cup fresh mint leaves
- 1 firm organic tomato (omit tomato if on a nightshade-free diet and add diced cucumber)
- 1 1/2 bunches organic green onions
- 1-1/2 cups extra virgin olive oil
- 3/4 cup fresh lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons sea salt
Directions:
Soak the quinoa overnight in a glass bowl making sure the quinoa is completely covered with water.
When you are ready to cook the quinoa, strain the quinoa in a fine sieve and rinse well, until the water runs clear. Make sure you thoroughly rinse the quinoa, otherwise it can be bitter.
Cook the quinoa according to package instructions. Allow to cool completely.
Pick the leaves off of the parsley stems. Discard stems. Finely chop the parsley, mint and green onions by hand or in a food processor. Chop the tomato into small pieces. Mix the parsley, mint, onions and tomato with the cold quinoa. Add the olive oil, lemon juice and salt.
Stir and chill in the fridge for a few hours before serving. Fluff the tabouli with a fork just before serving.
Enjoy!
Jenice