Quinoa Tabbouleh Salad

Growing up my brother and I did NOT have the cool-kid lunches. There were nut and twig-covered slices brown bread, there was liverwurst (don't google that.) Occasionally there were those generic Oreos that are so totally not Oreos and they were generally ditched out of embarrassment. My brother and I still give my mom a hard time about the scarring that these lunches caused. Thankfully, there was a lot of tabbouleh. While it wasn't really cool back then, it was deliciously redeeming. (I love you, mama!) My mom used to make this with couscous and I've switched over to quinoa for a complete protein and a nice rich flavor. Make what you like! Did you know the largest tabbouleh salad ever made weighed 9,532 lb 12 oz? True story. 

Tabbouleh Salad - adapted from my mom 
Serves 4 as a side salad

1 cup uncooked quinoa
1 1/2 cups water
1 packed cup chopped parsley (the crinkly kind)
1 1/2 cups chopped cucumber
1 1/2 cups chopped tomatoes
2 tablespoons chopped red onion
1/4 cup olive oil
1 lemon - juiced and zested

 
Quinoa cooks just like rice. Rinse and drain grains. Bring grains and water to a boil, cover and reduce to very low. Cook on low about 30 minutes, or until grains are tender and a little "tail" has separated from the nut. I check the quinoa at about 20 minutes - I've found packages take really different cook times.

Chop parsley, cucumber, tomatoes and onions and add to a large bowl. Juice and zest the lemon and combine with olive oil in a smaller bowl.

Add the lemon and olive oil dressing to the quinoa and let the dressed grains cool for a while before combining with the veggies. 

Most recently we ate this with some baked chicken, hummus and feta cheese. We also like this with naan or some whole wheat tortillas and a dollop of tzatziki sauce. It's a delicious salad!

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