Summertime means invitations to plenty of backyard BBQ potlucks. It’s one of the many things I love about this season! I also love brainstorming a healthy and delicious dish to bring along that will both impress my friends and family and also make them a little healthier while I’m at it. That’s why my Quinoa Tabbouleh Salad is a perfect fit. Its bright and fresh flavours are a welcome addition to any potluck plate. Plus, it’s absolutely loaded with nutrients. Every single ingredient in this colourful medley is packed with vitamins and minerals and once you add some cold-pressed organic olive oil, you’ve got the healthy fats covered.
This quinoa tabbouleh recipe is a bit of a twist on the classic Mediterranean crowd-pleaser. I used quinoa instead of the traditional bulgur wheat and also replaced the tomatoes with red peppers for an extra crunchy hit of vitamin C. You can use any colour quinoa you like; red, black or white. Quinoa is a highly nutritious seed that contains all the essential amino acids, making it a complete protein.
Use organic ingredients whenever possible
- - 1 cup uncooked quinoa (cook according to directions)
- - 1 red pepper, finely chopped
- - 1 cucumber, seeded and diced
- - 1 or 2 bunches of fresh parsley, finely chopped. (Will be about ½ - 1 cup)
- - 15 fresh mint leaves, finely chopped
- - small red onion, finely diced
- - 4 garlic cloves, finely diced
- - ½ cup lemon juice: 2 lemons squeezed
- - ¼ cup olive oil
- - 1 tsp sea salt
- - pepper to taste
- - Rinse and cook quinoa according to directions. (Generally, 1 cup uncooked quinoa to 2 cups water plus
dash of salt. Bring to a boil and cover for 12-15 minutes. Let sit covered at least 10 minutes. When ready, fluff with fork and transfer to large bowl to allow to cool before mixing the rest of the ingredients. - - Once quinoa is room temp, toss in all the other ingredients and mix thoroughly.
- - Taste (add more lemon, salt/pepper, onion, or herbs to suit your taste).
- - Either enjoy immediately or cover and refrigerate for a few hours or overnight to allow all the delicious flavours to mingle and intensify.
NOTE: For fluffy quinoa, make sure to let the pot of cooked quinoa sit on the stove covered for as long as you can. Patience is the key to allowing the little seeds to soak up as much of that water as possible. You only need to leave it covered for 10 minutes, but I’ve let mine sit for up to an hour when time allows. Makes a big difference.
Have you made tabbouleh before? I’d love to know what your favourite additions or substitutions are. Or, if this is your first time, how did it go? Please let me know in the comments below. Look forward to hearing from you.
Long live quinoa tabbouleh! …or tabouleh or tabbouli or tabouli…
KD
