Traditional Middle Eastern tabbouleh gets a modern upgrade when “superfood” quinoa replaces the usual cracked bulgur wheat. Serve it with grilled kebabs, hummus and pitas, or alone as a salad. Fresh and delish!

Lemony quinoa tabbouleh salad

Ingredients:

• 1 cup uncooked quinoa (white, red or a combination of both; see tip)
• 1-3/4 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
• ½ tsp ground cumin
• 1 cup peeled, seeded and finely diced English cucumber
• 1 cup quartered grape tomatoes
• ½ cup each finely grated carrots and chopped green onions
• ½ cup finely chopped fresh parsley (see tip)
• 1/3 cup finely chopped fresh mint
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1 tsp grated lemon zest
• 1 tsp minced garlic
• ½ tsp each sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method:

Place quinoa in a medium pot and add vegetable broth and cumin. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer for 12 to 15 minutes, until liquid is absorbed. Remove from heat. Let stand, covered, for 10 minutes.  Cool completely. (Spread cooked quinoa on a baking sheet to speed up the cooling process.)

Transfer quinoa to a mixing bowl. Add cucumber, tomatoes, carrots, green onions, parsley and mint. Mix well. Whisk together olive oil, lemon juice, lemon zest and garlic in a small bowl. Pour over salad. Mix well. Add salt and pepper and mix again. Cover and refrigerate overnight for the best flavour.

Makes 4 lunch-size servings or 6 side-dish servings
Per serving (based on 4 servings): 220 calories, 9.5 g total fat (1 g saturated fat), 6 g protein, 31 g carbohydrate, 4.3 g fibre, 0 mg cholesterol, 357 mg sodium

Courtesy Janet and Greta Podleski

http://janetandgreta.com

@janetpodleski

@gretapodleski