Tabbouleh was one of my all time favorite foods before I was diagnosed with celiac disease. For awhile, I stayed away from it because I just did not know how easy it was to re-create a gluten-free version. Tabbouleh is a middle eastern dish traditionally made with bulgur wheat. The simplest way to make a gluten-free version of tabbouleh is to replace the bulgur wheat with quinoa – the texture is very, very similar. I happened to have some leftover red quinoa in the fridge so this recipe came together in about ten minutes. Delicious and easy – win, win!
Ingredients:
2 cups prepared quinoa (leftovers work great!)
1/2 red pepper, chopped
2 ramps (optional), chopped
2 scallions, chopped
small crown of broccoli, chopped
1/2 cup of queso fresco (or feta), crumbled
handful of parsley, chopped
juice of 1/2 lemon
1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil
kosher salt
Directions:
Combine the quinoa and veggies. Add crumbled queso fresco (or feta) and parsley. Gently toss with lemon juice and olive oil. Season with a little kosher sea salt.
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| Red Quinoa Tabbouleh – It IS This Easy … |
A few notes…
Preparing quinoa: Quinoa is pretty easy to prepare. Click here for a previous blog post about cooking quinoa. However, the quick and dirty version – 1 part quinoa to 2 parts liquid. Bring to boil, reduce to low and simmer 20 minutes. There are so many types of quinoa available. Red quinoa is one of my favorites. Tabbouleh works best with cooled quinoa. A great use for leftovers.
Ramps?? For a very brief time, ramps are available in areas near the Appalachian Mountains. They are simply wild onions. The smell is intoxicating and I try to put them in everything. Why not tabbouleh!?
What the heck is queso fresco? Queso fresco is a household favorite over here. It is literally Spanish for “fresh cheese.” How can you go wrong? I like it because it is soft and crumbly and a little bit salty. There are many, many varieties available and you can usually find one or two at your grocery store. If you have a latino market nearby, you will certainly see quite an array.
What else can you put in tabbouleh? I love to make tabbouleh and put in whatever I have on hand. Tomatoes, cucumber, red onion… Anything! Enjoy!
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