Quinoa Tabbouleh

Lebanese tabbouleh is a lemony herb salad that traditionally contains fine bulgur, parsley and mint. I decided to make a little twist and replace the bulgur with quinoa. It’s fresh, slightly acidic and perfect for summer!

Ingredients

1cup quinoa

2 cups of water

1/2 teaspoon salt plus more for seasoning

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1 garlic clove

1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Freshly ground black pepper

1 large cucumber

3 medium sized tomatoes

2/3 cup parsley

1/2 cup fresh mint

2 scallions

To serve

Pita bread

Lettuce leaves

Method

1. Using a colander, rinse the quinoa.

2. In a medium pot, add the quinoa, salt and water and bring to a boil over high heat.

3. Once it starts boiling, reduce the heat to medium-low, then cover and let simmer until the quinoa is fully cooked.

4. Remove from the heat and let it rest (covered) for 5 minutes.

5. Fluff it with a fork.

6. Mince the garlic clove, finely chop mint and parsley and thinly slice the scallions.

7. Slice the tomatoes vertically into four quarters, remove the seeds and dice them into small cubes.

8. Cut the cucumber in equally small cubes.

9. For the dressing, mix the lemon juice and the garlic in a small bowl and gradually whisk in the olive oil.

10. Add the quinoa, the vegetables and the herbs to a bowl and mix them.

11. Stir in the dressing, season with salt and pepper to taste.

12. Serve with pita bread and lettuce leaves and enjoy!