The Food Matters Project: Quinoa Tabbouleh

A holiday weekend always provides extra opportunities to cook and prepare more lavish meals. On Sunday, I paired this side with grass-fed rosemary skirt steak and grilled zucchini, peaches, and Manchego cheese. It felt like a feast, but other than the steak, everything was prepared ahead of time and served at room temperature, just the way I like to eat during the summer.

I've never quite warmed up to bulgur, so I appreciated using the same flavors in classic tabbouleh but using quinoa as the grain instead. One cup of quinoa (simmered with 2 cups of water for 10-12 minutes) was fluffed, then tossed with 8 small Roma tomatoes, 1 small cucumber, some extra-virgin olive oil, and lots of parsley. It will easily feed a crowd, too (6-8 as a side), or provide generous leftovers for a simple lunch salad the next day. Like most of Mark Bittman's recipes, they're mere suggestions. More tomatoes, less cucumber, or whatever suits you will work here, so don't feel confined to specific measurements.

For the original recipe, visit Sara's blog.

Comments

[Jen]

I did not have any quinoa at home so I used sprouted beans instead. I found a brown bulgur that is quite tasty.