Quinoa Tabbouleh By Aarti Sequeira

Total Time: 1 hr Preparation Time: 45 mins Cook Time: 15 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 6
• 1/2 cup quinoa, rinsed (red or )
• 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg, i used less about 1/4 t
• 3 bunches fresh flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped (about 4 cups)
• 1/2 cup finely chopped fresh mint leaves
• 1 pint cherry tomatoes, quartered
• 1 english cucumber, diced
• 2 roasted red peppers, slices finely chopped

Recipe

• 1 *aarti's note: i chop the parsley and the mint by hand. you can use a food processor if you like, but i find it doesn't chop the leaves as uniformly, and has a tendency to turn them into a wet puree rather than tiny, crunchy little bites.
• 2 bring 1 cup of water to a boil in a small saucepan. meanwhile, in a small cast-iron skillet (if possible), toast the quinoa over moderately-high heat until the grains give off a nutty aroma and start to pop. i use quinoa-toasted.
• 3 after toasting, pour the quinoa into the boiling water, taking care that the pot doesn't boil over! turn it down to a simmer, cover, and cook until the water is absorbed and the quinoa is tender, 12 to 15 minutes. remove it from the heat and allow to cool.
• 4 whisk together the lemon juice, olive oil, 1/2 rounded teaspoon of salt, pepper and nutmeg.
• 5 combine the parsley, mint, cherry tomatoes, cucumber, peppadews and the cooled cooked quinoa in a large bowl. pour the dressing over the salad and toss to coat. taste for seasoning, and let sit for about 5 minutes before you serve. (this tastes even better the next day!).
• 6 another way to serve it is with the tabbouleh in the center of a platter encircled with endive or romaine leaves to scoop it up.