Quinoa Tabbouleh

I love eating and making mediterranean food. I love the brightness, the freshness, and the spices. But I always do the same old, same old. So when I was making a batch of falafels a few weekends ago, I decided to change things up a bit and instead of making Israeli couscous, I decided to make tabbouleh.

Our pantry was not stocked with bulgur, which is the typical grain incorporated into tabbouleh, so instead, I went for the ever so trendy quinoa. The result was pretty delicious and worth sharing and honestly, one of the better quinoa preparations I've made.

Ingredients:
½ cup quinoa, rinsed and drained
1 tablespoon canola oil
½ cup water
½ cup chopped parsley
1 scallion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 baby cucumber, diced
handful grape tomatoes, chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
½ teaspoon lemon zest
2 tablespoons lemon juice

Start with rinsed quinoa. If you don't rinse quinoa, it can taste a bit bitter and acrid. Add it to a pot along with a good glug of oil. Stir it all together and pop over medium heat. Fry for a few minutes just to coat each grain in a bit of oil. Add in some water and reduce the heat to low. Cook for 10 to 12 minutes or until all of the water has been absorbed and the quinoa is fluffy and tender. Set the quinoa aside to cool.

Add all of the ingredients to a bowl and stir together. And that's it; done.

Set the tabbouleh aside for a bit to let the flavors develop and meld together.

While the tabbouleh was resting, I made pitas and falafel.

The tabbouleh is bright thanks to the lemon, hearty because of the quinoa, crisp and fresh from the cucumbers and tomato, and it's the perfect addition to a falafel pita.

Here's the recipe page: