Fresh. That’s what this salad says. Crunchy bites of cucumber and onion paired with juicy tomatoes, pungent olives and salty feta provides a mouth watering and satisfying salad. This Mediterranean quinoa salad will be a perfect side dish at any summer potluck, but is plenty big enough to stand on it’s own as a main course.
Rinse quinoa thoroughly until water runs clear and no bubbles appear.
Cover with at least 2 inches of warm water and add acidic medium (whey, lemon juice, vinegar). Cover and allow to sit at room temperature for 8-24 hours*.
Drain. Add to sauce pan along with a scant 2 cups of water. Bring to a boil and skim off any scum that rises to the surface. Reduce heat and simmer about 15 minutes or until all liquid is absorbed.
Fluff with a fork and allow to cool.
Combine remaining ingredients, except lemon and oil, with cooked and cooled quinoa. Squeeze the juice of the lemon over the salad and drizzle the olive oil. Toss until ingredients are well-combined.
Refrigerate until serving. Can be made a day in advance and keeps for several days in the fridge, if it lasts that long.
*Read more about soaking grains, nuts and legumes for better nutrition in the book Nourishing Traditions.
Traditionally tabouli is made with bulghur. Use quinoa as a substitute and most folks will not even notice. In doing so, you will have increased the protein and lowered the gluten in this refreshing Middle Eastern salad. This recipe also makes use of prolific summer garden produce — a slight tweak on tradition.
Pile the quinoa in a large bowl and allow to cool almost to room temperature. If you put the fresh veggies into hot quinoa they will partially cook and you will loose some of the crunch that makes this salad memorable.
Add all the chopped vegetables and herbs and toss to mix.
Mix the lemon juice and olive oil in a cup then sprinkle the mixture over the salad.
Toss to coat all of the vegetables and the quinoa.
Salt to taste.
If the salad seems too dry, add another drizzle of olive oil and toss.
Put this salad together an hour before serving if you can. This gives the flavors a chance to blend.
Serve at room temperature.