Quinoa Tabbouleh
This is not your classic tabbouleh, which I love by the way, just can’t do the gluten so I developed a gluten-free version. Traditional tabbouleh is made with bulgar (cracked whole grain wheat, containing gluten), tomatoes, onions, garlic, fresh parsley and mint with olive oil, salt pepper and sweet chili powder. This version shies away from gluten and tomatoes (which as much as I love them can be inflammatory for me). I keep the mint and parsley and substitute scallions for the onions to give it a bit more mild taste. I chose to skip the fresh garlic because sometimes I don’t feel like the aftertaste of fresh garlic in my mouth but feel free to add it. I also add some chopped dates for sweetness, apple for crunch, some pine and hemp seeds as well. I love to lay on the olive oil and lemon and skip the sweet chili powder. Often cucumbers are added but I skipped those too. This dish is refreshing and uplifting, and perfect for a summer barbecue. I love going heavy handed on the fresh herbs. Authentic tabbouleh uses a ton of parsley. Parsley is packed with minerals, high in vitamin C and K and can be detoxifying (I juice a lot of it when I cleanse). Mint is a known remedy to relieve indigestion and has been found to reduce cancer cells in the body as well as benefit the brain. You can make the tabbouleh a day or two ahead, the ingredients get nice and marinated the longer it sits. Play around with amounts, add more herbs, apple if you choose. I encourage everyone to personalize recipes they like to make. I like mine chilled and slathered in Creamy Miso Tahini Sauce.
Serves 6-8/ preparation time 20 minutes/ cook time 15 minutes/ total time 35 minutes
Gather
1 cup / 85 grams quinoa, rinsed
1 and 3/4 cup / 414.029 ml water
4 scallions, chopped white parts and 1/2 of the green part
4 large radishes cut into small cubes
1 Fuji or Granny Smith Apple cut into small cubes
3-4 Medjool dates, roughly chopped
2/3 cup / 40 grams fresh flat leaf parsley, minced
1/3 cup / 10 grams fresh mint, minced
Juice of 1-2 lemons about 1/4 cup / 59.15 ml
1/2 cup / 118.3 ml olive oil
Flaky sea salt to taste
1/2 cup / 69.8 grams pine nuts
1/2 cup / 160 grams hemp seeds
Make
Place the quinoa and water in a small pot over medium heat and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer until the water is absorbed, about 15-20 minutes. While the quinoa is cooking prepare the rest of the ingredients.
Remove the quinoa from the heat and transfer to a large metal or glass mixing bowl. Let cool for 5-10 minutes.
Then add the scallions, radishes, apple, dates, parsley, and mint and toss until combined. Pour the lemon juice and olive oil over the mixture and stir until incorporated. Salt and pepper to taste and then stir in the pine nuts and hemp seeds.
Developed by Anna Getty and Katherine Howell
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