Fast, Easy, Healthy Recipe For Quinoa Tabbouleh
A New Way to Eat Quinoa
Whether you're looking for a protein boost, have gone gluten-free, or just can't get enough quinoa, the Peruvian psuedograin can be used in place of bulgur wheat in tabbouleh, a common Middle Eastern parsley salad. The trick is rinsing then roasting the quinoa, so it puffs up and tastes as fluffy as cooked bulgur wheat.
This particular recipe hails from Brendan Brazier's cookbook, Thrive Energy ($23). Though it's a tad more involved than the traditional tabbouleh, the recipe packs a powerhouse of flavor. Spicy red pepper flakes, tart pomegranate molasses, and cooling mint separates this dish from the rest. Though the recipe is intended to eat cold or at room temperature, leftovers also taste wonderful heated up.
From Thrive Energy Cookbook by Brendan Brazier
Look for Mediterranean red pepper paste in Middle Eastern supermarkets or in the foreign food aisle at the grocery store. If you cannot find Mediterranean red pepper paste, simply leave out or substitute with harissa, a spicy sauce made with roasted red peppers and serrano peppers. If you do not have coconut and grapeseed oil, substitute with extra-virgin olive oil. This recipe is very spicy and oniony. (For a milder, more traditional take on tabbouleh, leave out the onion-spiced tomato paste mixture entirely. Make the quinoa and stir in the fresh herbs, lemon juice, pomegranate molasses, etc. and sprinkle in the green onion to taste. Quinoa Tabbouleh Salad
Notes
Ingredients
1 cup quinoa (any color), rinsed and drained
2 cups water
1 large sweet onion, finely chopped
2 tablespoons ground cumin
1 tablespoon ground coriander
1 tablespoon red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 tablespoon Mediterranean red pepper paste
2 medium tomatoes, seeded and diced
6 green onions, finely chopped
5 or 6 mint sprigs, leaves only
1 1/2 cups fresh Italian parsley, leaves only, chopped
2 tablespoons lemon juice, freshly squeezed
1 tablespoon pomegranate molasses
1 tablespoon grapeseed oil
Sea salt and black pepper, freshly ground, to taste
Lemon wedge, for garnishDirections
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