Tabbouleh is a Middle Eastern salad traditionally made of bulgar wheat, parsley and mint, tomatoes and spring onion, seasoned with lemon juice and olive oil. With the summer in full swing in many parts of the world there is an abundance of fresh vegetables. One healthy way is to have the vegetables raw and that is a highlight of this salad. Also, with the temperatures soaring to 100F it is always refreshing to have something cool and this is a cold salad making it perfect for the season.
I came across Tabbouleh while casually cruising through the recipe cards in the grocery store. After reading about the health benefits of quinoa, I am always on the lookout for ways by which I could use quinoa. So here I have substituted bulgar wheat with quinoa, used cilantro instead of parsley and omitted mint as I was out of it. The result was a refreshing and healthy salad with the goodness of quinoa and vegetables.
This is primarily a herb salad where heaps of parsley and mint are used. So feel free to alter the herbs or vegetables depending on what you have on hand. This is also a very simple recipe where the only thing that is cooked is quinoa and the rest of the stuff is raw. Can it get any easier? Let’s get started.
Ingredients
1/2 cup tomato chopped
1/2 cup cucumber chopped
1/4 cup green onions thinly sliced
1/4 cup of cilantro cleaned and chopped
1/2 cup quinoa
Salt to taste
2 tbsp lemon juice
1/2 tbsp olive oil
Around 15 almonds toasted and sliced (optional)
Handful of raisins (optional)
First let’s see how to cook quinoa. Rinse the quinoa. Take 1 cup of water in a pan and bring it to a boil. To it add the quinoa. Use 2 parts of water for 1 part quinoa.
Cook for 15 minutes until the germ separates from seed. You can see that the quinoa looks pearly with a white ring around it. Fluff it with a fork and leave aside to cool.
If I make this salad one day earlier and keep it in the fridge will it be ok for the party
Thank you
I personally have not tried it, but looking at the ingredients I am thinking it would be OK. May be you could add the nuts later.
Nice idea to use quinoa in tabbouleh. The final photo looks very inviting! Thank you for contributing to Healing Foods.
looks delicious and mouthwatering. Excellent preparation.
I am always on the lookout for quinoa recipes.. so gonna try this.. thanks for the idea…
http://krithiskitchen.blogspot.com
Event: Serve It – Grilled/Barbequed/Tandoored
Healthy & colourful..
http://www.easycookingforamateurs.com/
Delicious & colorful salad..love your pictorial
SIGNATURE RECIPES & A GIVEAWAY till july 31st 2011
Looks colourful and pleasing to eyes …
Nutritious salad, Vardhini. could you please let me know what they call quinoa in India.
Thanks for participating dear…colorful recipe…
Wonderful idea !! so delicious and simply suberb !!
Ongoing Event – CC-Roti Pachadi/Chutney
Love this~ Simple,flavorful n healthy!
US Masala
Great idea! And I like your inclusion of slivered almonds.
colorful ooking tempting i never tried bec i think we can not find in india i anyone know pl tell me
A very healthy recipe…I'll have to try this…
Healthy and easy recipe… Colorful one…
nice recipe..healthy one..very new..thanks for sharing..
Vow, it's colorful and delcious dear, mouthwatering!!
wow wat a colourful and fantastic recipe,luks eye catching…
wow colourful dear….i really love it.
Fantastic recipe; made someting similar but with parsley instead of cilantro because that is what I grow. Thank you for visiting me; I am also joinin you.
Rita
So colourful and healthy!!
Healthy recipe Vardhini….
This dish looks so colourful. This dish is new for me.
Was reading the tabbouleh recipe in Sanjeev Kapoor's cook book only yesterday…Was a little apprehensive about trying it…looking at your version has motivated me to try it….looks absolutely awesome…
This is an awesome dish..
Love tabbouleh…nice touch by using quinoa..:)
I tried tabbouleh using quinoa quite a long back,love this wonderful dish..looks wholesome..
I had never heard of this dish. Thanks for sharing the recipe. I am sharing some awards with you, if you wish please collect them from my blog.