Quinoa Tabbouleh – Vegan, Gluten Free
So. Quinoa Tabbouleh.
Have you heard of it?
For us, tabbouleh is a totally normal thing to say. It’s a Lebanese parsley based salad. No, I’m not Lebanese. Neither is Joe, but he grew up in a very culturally diverse city and was exposed to all kinds of different cuisines and one of them in particular was Lebanese.
We used to pick up takeout all the time from a Lebanese restaurant that was in our area, until they closed up shop. I was so bummed when they closed. There are so few restaurants that have menu based on fresh vegetables, fresh herbs, grilled proteins. Pretty healthy stuff for takeout, right?
Similar to the Mediterranean style of eating, the foods are centered on fresh, light, lemony, crisp … all those good things. The traditional tabbouleh doesn’t have quinoa, it’s very much parsley focused. I just like to add in some grains for added texture and fibre. I used my favourite tri-coloured quinoa that I buy in the organic section at my grocery store. The three types gives you different little pops and it’s total perfection in cold salads.
Another must, is the mint. Mint. If you’ve ever grown mint, you know how much you had, right? Mint grows like gangbusters and this is just the salad for that.
Tons of mint, tons of parsley, crisp cucumber and a vinegary, lemony dressing. Yum. 🙂
Pair it up with some grilled chicken or veggie skewers. It’s a great side to put out at a BBQ, and it tastes even better the next day, so plan leftovers! Tailor made to tote with you to work for lunch.
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Quinoa Tabbouleh - Vegan, Gluten Free
Ingredients
- FOR THE DRESSING:
- 1/3 cup white vinegar
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 lemon juiced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tsp maple syrup
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
- 1/4 tsp sumac optional
- FOR THE SALAD:
- 1 cup dry quinoa I used a tri-colour variety
- 1 cup chopped parsley
- 1 cup chopped mint
- 1/2 large cucumber diced
- 1/2 onion diced
- 2 to matoes seeded and diced
- 2 tbsp. hemp seeds
Instructions
- Place all of the dressing ingredients in a small glass jar with a lid and give it a good shake. Set aside while you prepare the salad ingredients
- Rinse your quinoa really well under cold water
- Place in a small saucepan and cover with 1 1/2 cups of water or broth. Bring to boil, lower to a simmer and cover. cook for 10-12 minutes, until the water is absorbed. Remove from the heat and let sit for 5 minutes covered. Fluff with a fork, transfer to a large bowl and set aside to cool
- Chop your parsley, mint, cucumber, tomatoes and onions
- Toss them with your quinoa and pour on the dressing (shake it again before adding it) and then sprinkle in the hemp seeds
- Store, covered in the fridge. This tastes even better the next day and will last for up to week
Nutrition