Quinoa Tabbouleh

My last recipe was Easy Hummus with Cavender's which can't be made without Tabbouleh in my opinion.  I love layering a pita chip with a little hummus and a scoop of tabbouleh to top it off.  This can also be made as a fresh summer side dish.  This specific recipe is made quinoa, an ancient power grain.  If you want to check out another quinoa recipe look at my Light Mexican Quinoa with Tomatoes and Black Beans. 

Ingredients

-2 cups quinoa
-2-3 garlic cloves, minced
-zest of 1 lemon
-juice of 1 lemon
-1/4 cup olive oil
-1 pkg grape or cherry tomatoes, halved
-1 smal bunch green onions, chopped
-1 large handful of cilantro, chopped
-1 large cucumber, diced
-salt and pepper




First, boil 2 cups quinoa in salted water according to package directions.

While the quinoa is cooking, finely mince the garlic, halve the tomatoes, chop the green onions, chop cilantro and cucumbers.  The best way to cube the cucumber is to peel with a potato peeler, halve, and scoop out the seeds.  Slice into sticks and then dice.

Use a zester to finely grate the rind of the lemon, half the lemon and squeeze over the rind in a small bowl.  Once the quinoa is cooked, strain if need be and let cool in a bowl.  Add the lemon, lemon zest, 1/4 cup olive oil, tomatoes, green onions, cilantro, cucumbers and garlic to the quinoa.  Toss everything together and salt and pepper to taste.

You can eat this as a salad for lunch just by itself or even plopped on some lettuce to add to your green salad.  It can also be served as a side dish or enjoyed as an appetizer next to the Easy Hummus with Cavender's.  I think it would be great served with fish as well.  Check out my fish recipes.