Prep and cook time: 1 hour Serves 4
1 cup quinoa (pre-soaked in water with juice from a half lemon for 20 minutes; rinsed and drained)
2 cups water or broth
1 cup fresh Italian parsley, finely minced
½ cup fresh mint, finely minced
1 bunch green scallions, sliced
1 cup cucumber, ½-inch cubes
¼ cup kalamata olives chopped
1 tomato (if in season), chopped
2 teaspoons sea salt
1-2 lemons, juiced
¼ cup olive oil
In a medium sauce pan, combine presoaked quinoa and water or broth. Bring to boil and reduce down to simmer for about 20 minutes. Once quinoa is cooked, spread on a sheet pan and separate quinoa to prevent sticking together. Cool in freezer for 10 minutes then remove quinoa to a bowl. Combine remaining ingredients, except for oil and lemon juice, with quinoa. Incrementally, add oil and lemon juice depending upon your taste.
This turned out to be pretty darn tasty. I’m used to making the traditional tabouli with bulgur wheat so I wasn’t sure how cooked quinoa would be. I thought it would be too mushy but it wasn’t that bad. I’m doing the gut thrive program so I left out the olives & tomatoes & it still had great flavor. This is a great potluck dish for the gluten free folks.