Quinoa Tabbouleh

With the warmer weather finally here, sometimes its nice to have a cold, crisp, refreshing dinner. This quinoa tabbouleh is perfect for those that want a healthy light dinner without needing to slave over the stove top!

This is one of those recipes that the longer you are able to marinate it, the better! . We let it marinate for about 7 hours, but this is definitely something you can make the night before and pull out for dinner the next day!

We decided to serve our quinoa tabbouleh as a small appetizer last night, by cutting up some pita bread and putting some fresh feta on it.

Ingredients and Directions:

1 cup black or red quinoa, rinsed

2 cups water

1 pint cherry tomatoes

1 red pepper, chopped

1 cucumber, seeded and finely diced

1 bunch Italian parsley, chopped

10 mint leaves, finely chopped

1 small red onion, diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

juice of two lemons

¼ cup olive oil (more to taste)

½ teaspoon dried oregano

salt and pepper to taste

splash of white wine vinegar or red wine vinegar (optional, add if you think it needs a little extra kick)

To make the quinoa, first rinse one cup of quinoa in a mesh colander under running water. That washes away the bitter saponins on the surface.

Dump the rinsed quinoa into a medium sized pan on the stove. Add two cups of water and bring the mixture to a boil.

Cover and simmer for fifteen to twenty minutes, until the water is absorbed. Once it’s done, remove from heat and fluff the quinoa with a fork.

Let the quinoa cool, then toss in the rest of your ingredients.

Add more olive oil, salt or pepper, and/or vinegar to taste.

If you have time, cover and let the salad chill in the refrigerator for a few hours or overnight, to let the flavors blend together.

Enjoy!

-Liz