What’s tabbouleh, you ask?

It’s a middle eastern salad, traditionally consisting of some combination of bulgar wheat, parsley and mint, usually onions and garlic, and seasoned with olive oil, lemon juice, and salt.

Taboulleh is awesome and simple to make. But since bulgar wheat does contain gluten, and I tend to veer away from gluten where possible, I have found quinoa is an excellent substitution.

Here is my little version of tabbouleh. I throw some cucumber in there, and omit the mint, onions and garlic (but feel free to add those in if you want!). It’s one of my favourite foods to make at home:

Quinoa Tabbouleh Love Vitamin Style:

Ingredients:

  • 1 – 2 cups dry quinoa (soaked and rinsed preferably)
  • 2 large tomatoes
  • 1/2 cucumber 
  • 1 or 2 whole bunches parsley
  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • Juice of 1/2 a lemon
  • 1/2 teaspoon paprika
  • 1/2 teaspoon cumin
  • Sea salt to taste

Instructions:

  • Place quinoa in a saucepan and cover with filtered water. Turn to high with lid off. When it begins to boil, turn down to low and cover. Cook until water has evaporated and quinoa is soft. About 15 to 20 minutes.
  • In the meantime, chop your tomatoes, cucumber, and parsley as fine as possible. If you have a food processor,  it makes this step a breeze.
  • When quinoa is done, wait for it to cool slightly and then combine it in a large bowl with your chopped ingredients. Add olive oil, spices, lemon juice, and salt, and mix it all up.
  • Traditionally tabbouleh is a cold dish, so you can put it in the fridge for later, but being impatient, I’ve enjoyed many a warm tabbouleh salad.

Things that I have found go very well with tabbouleh, as they match the middle eastern theme: hummus, fried mushrooms, black beans, olives, feta cheese. See what combinations you can make!

Enjoy 🙂

photo by cyclone bill