Quinoa tabouleh

This is a great recipe, and a nice twist on traditional bulgar tabbouleh. The quinoa gives it a very nice texture.

INGREDIENTS

• 2 cups water
• 1 cup quinoa
• 1 pinch salt
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 3 tomatoes, diced
• 1 cucumber, diced
• 2 bunches green onions, diced
• 1 cup fresh parsley, chopped

METHOD 

       1 Rinse the quinoa well using a strainer or sieve. Place in a pot with the salt and 2 cups or 500mls of water. Cover and bring to the boil, then lower the heat as far as you can and cook slowly for 15 minutes until all of the liquid has been absorbed.

       2 Now turn off the heat, remove the lid and place a clean towel over the quinoa. Cover again with the lid and leave the quinoa  for another 10 minutes. Allow to cool, then fluff up with a fork and season with a little freshly ground black pepper. The cooked quinoa should be fluffy and the curl-like germ will separate slightly from the seed.

       3 While the quinoa is cooking, chop the herbs, and thinly slice the onions, diced cucumber and tomatoes. Add these to the cooled quinoa with the lemon juice and olive oil. Stir well to combine everything and serve fresh.  

You could make this, as it is a great dish to bring to picnics or potlucks where there will be a vegetarian.