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My favorite part of this Quinoa Tabbouleh dish is how fun it is to say its name (keen-wah tah-boo-lee). My second favorite part is how amazingly healthy it is. Not only are all the ingredients good for you, when they are combined many of them are even better for you. Like tomatoes and olive oil. The antioxidant lycopene that is found in tomatoes is fat-soluble, so olive oil provides the perfect vessel for absorption by your body. My third favorite part of this dish is that it can be made plenty of time ahead and is the perfect to-go lunch or healthy snack. Doesn’t get much better than that.
Recipe Rundown
Taste: Unbelievably fresh. The lemon adds brightness, the parsley adds freshness, the olive oil provides richness while the spices provide heat and complexity.
Texture: Wonderfully complex texture-wise. The quinoa is light and fluffy yet slightly chewy while all the vegetables are crunchy and refreshing.
Ease: Very easy.
Appearance: All those beautiful colors plus the quinoa curlies are delightful.
Pros: Healthy, fresh, easy, stores well, transports well. Plus you can switch or add whatever veggies you have on hand.
Cons: None.
Would I make this again? Most definitely, might become a weekly staple.
Quinoa Tabbouleh
Ingredients
- 2 cups water
- 1 cup quinoa
- pinch salt
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- pinch cumin
- pinch ground cayenne pepper
- 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
- 3 to matoes, diced
- 1 cucumber, diced
- 2 green onions, sliced
- 2 carrots, grated
- 1 cup fresh flat-leaf Italian parsley, chopped
Instructions
- In a small saucepan bring the water to a boil. Thoroughly rinse quinoa under water then add to saucepan along with a pinch of salt. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool to room temperature; fluff with a fork.
- Meanwhile, combine olive oil, sea salt, lemon juice, tomatoes, cucumber, green onion, carrot, and parsley in a large bowl. Stir in the cooled quinoa.
I love quinoa though I never imagined to use it instead of couscous when I do tabbouleh. Thanks for this trick!
Love quinoa! Great recipe!
This sounds amazing Tessa! I love tabbouleh!
P.S. We are using the same napkin in our posts today! Lol World Market, FTW! 😉