I don’t know much about tabbouleh, except that it has several different spellings and lots of different ways that its made traditionally. It’s a middle eastern dish, and depending on where you’re from it may or may not have feta or any other ingredient. Some recipes call for mint, as well as parsley. I think that in most cases, the traditional grain used in tabbouleh is bulgar wheat. Unfortunately, I can’t eat that.
I first learned about tabbouleh in a cooking class that I attended. It was so delicious, even though I had tummy trouble after eating the bulgar. So, I created this version using quinoa instead. Quinoa is a great substitute because it has a similar texture, it’s equally easy to cook, and best of all it’s grain free, so people who can’t eat wheat or gluten can have it. Quinoa is also a complete protein, which really increases the health kick of this dish.
Read below to see how to make it, and enjoy some tabbouleh all summer long!!
Grain-Free Tabbouleh
Ingredients
- 1 cup quinoa
- 2 cups water
- 2 medium lemons, juiced
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 113 g fresh parsley, chopped very finely
- 3 g green onions, chopped finely
- 150 g tomato, chopped
- 150 g cucumber, chopped
- 114 g feta cheese, crumbled
- 1 pinch ground cayenne or paprika
- 4 tbsp olive oil
Instructions
- Rinse the quinoa in a fine mesh strainer, until water runs clear. Place in a saucepan with the water.
- Bring quinoa to a boil on high heat. Then lower heat to medium low and cook for 15 minutes with lid on.
- When time is up, remove from heat and let sit for 5 minutes. Keep lid on.
- Meanwhile, prepare all the other ingredients.
- When the quinoa is finished, add the lemon juice, salt, and pepper, and fluff up with a fork.
- Add quinoa to a bowl. Add in the tomatoes, cucumber, parsley, onion, and feta.
- Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with paprika, and mix together well.
