Meat Free Monday

 

Today’s delicious recipe has been submitted by Lisa Grey of Pink Kitchen.  Lisa is a breast cancer survivor with a passion for healthy cooking and provides nutrional recipes and tips on her blog  www.pinkkitchen.info.

This recipe is a twist on traditional tabouleh (sometimes spelled ‘tabouli’).While I’ve honored traditional tabouleh by using lots of parsley and traditional seasonings, I’ve also changed it up a bit.I decided to try using quinoa (pronounced keen wah) instead of the traditional bulgar. Quinoa is not actually a grain, but rather, a seed. It is high in manganese, which fights off cancer and other diseases. Quinoa is also gluten-free.

Also, the veggies are not chopped as finely as they are in traditional tabouleh. There is actually a nutritional reason for this. The more you chop foods, the more quickly they lose nutrients.

Finally, I’ve included asparagus to add crunch. I’ve also used golden tomatoes instead of the traditional red tomatoes. But any color tomato will do.

TWISTED TABOULEH
(for a U.S. to metric conversion chart, click here.)

1 large bunch ( about 2 cups) fresh parsley
1 small bunch (about 1/2 cup) fresh mint
8 asparagus spears (thin = better)
1 large golden tomato
1 red (purple) onion
1 cucumber, chopped
1/2 teaspoon allspice
juice of 1 whole, LARGE lemon
1 cup quinoa, rinsed
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
sea salt and pepper to taste
Cook quinoa according to package directions. (Generally, you boil 2 cups water for 1 cup quinoa, then add quinoa until water is absorbed – about 15 minutes).
Meanwhile, chop parsley, mint, and vegetables.
Once quinoa has cooked, allow to cool about 10 minutes.
Toss quinoa with vegetable mixture, lemon juice, olive oil, allspice, salt and pepper. DONE!