352. Quinoa tabbouleh salad

a huge bunch of flat parsley!

   There are loads of recipes all tried and tasted but need to be blogged. I got really busy with shopping, wedding preparations, Lionism and recuperating. 3 more months to go for the wedding day. I have loads of things to do and very little time.
   During our visit to Montreal, one fine day, I got really busy in the kitchen and Ajay my hubby dear volunteered to help with the shopping. So I handed in the list and continued with my work. I was eagerly waiting for fresh coriander or cilantro as its called in that part of the world and he comes smiling into the house with a huge bunch of some leafy greens and tells me how fresh the dhania are in the supermarkets in Montreal. I remove the leafy bunch from the bag and it turns out that its not exactly coriander but the cousin, flat parsley! Flat parsley with normal Indian vegetables ummmm…. not really as it does have a strong taste. So the bunch goes into the fridge for later use.
   Next day, the bunch only reminded me of tabbouleh or nice parsley butter. Made both but had to make a version of the tabbouleh using quinoa. Yes, Neel’s pantry was filled with quinoa. Parsley butter was used up in cooking continental types of dishes but the quinoa tabbouleh salad was refreshing and filling. I want to make it again, here in Mombasa, but first need to look for flat parsley. If i don’t find any, I may just have to settle for fresh coriander.Till then you can enjoy this recipe.

QUINOA TABBOULEH SALAD
For 4 as an accompaniment or for 2 as a light meal

For the quinoa:
½ cup quinoa
1 cup water
½ tsp salt
1 tbsp olive oil

For the salad:
1 cup finely chopped flat parsley
½ cup finely chopped red or white onion or spring onion
¼ cup finely chopped olives
½ cup finely chopped tomatoes (remove the seeds)
¼ cup roasted pistachios

For the dressing:
2 tbsp olive oil
1 to 2 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp pepper powder
¼ tsp salt
½ tsp crushed garlic
½ tsp grated lemon rind or zest

Preparation of the quinoa:

1. Put the quinoa in a sieve and wash it under a running tap, rubbing the quinoa gently in your palm. 
2. Let the extra water drain out.
3. Heat olive in a medium pan over medium heat.
4. Add the quinoa and cook for 1 minute or so till it becomes dry.
5. Add the water and salt and bring it to a boil.
6. Cover the pan and lower the heat. Cook the quinoa for 15 minutes. 
7. After 15 minutes take the pan off the heat and leave the quinoa in the pan for 5 minutes with the cover on.
8. Remove the quinoa and fluff it up gently using a fork.

Serve immediately or cover with a cling film and let it cool in the fridge before serving.

Tips:

• Add finely chopped cucumber if you like.
• Add some chopped fresh mint along with the parsley.
• For a slightly chilli version, add a bit of green chilli paste to the dressing.
• Use a small jar to mix the dressing really well. Just cover the jar with the lid and give it a good shake.

You may want to check out the following:

 

bean sprout salad

grapefruit avocado salad

 

quinoa tangerine salad

 

Sending this recipe for the following events:

Kachuss Delight

Cooks Joy


foodelicious

http://www.simplysensationalfood.com/2013/12/announcing-event-lets-cook-with-green.html

http://sweettoothraf.blogspot.ae/2014/02/healthy-diet-soups-and-salads-event.html

http://priyaeasyntastyrecipes.blogspot.ae/p/health-diet-host-lineup.html