We’re always looking for good quinoa recipes. We love it’s fine texture and the delightful change from rice. This Quinoa Tabbouleh with Feta by Ina Garten is simple and keeps in the fridge for a couple days, making it an ideal make-ahead option. It makes for a colorful side dish or a substantial meal with the addition of some grilled meat or fish. Ina instructs adding lemon juice and olive oil to the hot quinoa, which encourages each grain to absorb these vibrant, fruity flavors on a deeper level. Tomatoes, cucumber, mint, scallions, and parsley lend fresh and herbal components, and feta contributes tang. Make this the day before a get-together or as lunch meal-prep and enjoy some piece of mind thereafter.
Tips (unsponsored): You can certainly cook your quinoa in water, or consider using vegetable or chicken stock (we love Kitchen Basics brand, Walmart) instead for even more flavor. Also, we love the multi-colored heirloom cherry tomatoes that we find at Trader Joe’s or Sprouts.
Have your kids help you pluck mint leaves and dump ingredients. As you prepare and enjoy this dish with the ones you love, teach them a few things about some of the ingredients:
- Quinoa provides you with more and better protein than other grains.
- Lemons have tons of vitamin C, which may make it harder to develop asthma.
- Fresh tomatoes are high in beta-carotene, which helps keep your immune system healthy.
Since variations of tabbouleh are enjoyed in Turkey, let’s learn a few things about this country:
- Even though the country of Turkey is only a little bigger than Texas, about 80 million people live in Turkey while about 27 million live in Texas!
- Istanbul is commonly thought to be the capital of Turkey because SO many people live there, but Ankara is actually the capital.
- Turkey is warm and crops grow well there.
From: Quinoa Tabbouleh with Feta
- 1 cup quinoa
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- ¼ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (2 lemons)
- ¼ cup good olive oil
- 1 cup thinly sliced scallions, white and green parts (5 scallions)
- 1 cup chopped fresh mint leaves (2 bunches)
- 1 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
- 1 hothouse cucumber, unpeeled, seeded and medium-diced
- 2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved through the stem
- 2 cups medium-diced feta (8 ounces)
- Pour 2 cups of water into a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Add the quinoa and 1 teaspoon of salt, lower the heat and simmer, covered, for 15 minutes, until the grains are tender and open (they'll have little curly tails). Drain, place in a bowl and immediately add the lemon juice, olive oil and ¾ or 1 teaspoons of salt, to taste.
- In a large bowl, combine the scallions, mint, parsley, cucumber, tomatoes, 1 to 2 teaspoons of salt* and 1 teaspoon of pepper. Add the quinoa and mix well. Carefully fold in the feta and taste for seasonings. Serve at room temperature or refrigerate and serve cold.
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