summer tabbouleh salad

When gluten's off the table, so is traditional tabbouleh, made with cracked wheat (bulgur) and a medley of gorgeous summer vegetables. Luckily, quinoa is a good understudy for bulgur, so this peppy salad ended up on our table. Jared liked it and I bet you will too. It makes great leftovers, and if you toss in some leftover grilled chicken, you've got a complete lunch.

And I still have too many grape tomatoes. They would make cute sundried tomatoes if I had a dehydrating setup. Maybe I should learn to can? Nah, too lazy. I'll just keep popping them like candy.

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Quinoa Tabbouleh Salad
(based on a recipe from The Way the Cookie Crumbles)

1 1/2 cups uncooked quinoa
1 3/4 cups chicken or vegetable broth
2 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 red onion, minced
1/2 large cucumber, peeled and diced
1 small green bell pepper, seeded and diced
2-3 cups halved cherry or grape tomatoes
1 small bunch parsley, roughly chopped
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese (more if desired)
3 tablespoons lemon juice
additional salt and pepper to taste

1) Pour quinoa into a bowl or large glass measuring cup and cover with water. Soak for 30 to 60 minutes; drain water. Rinse thoroughly until quinoa no longer tastes bitter.
2) Bring rinsed quinoa, chicken broth, water, olive oil, and salt to boil in small pot. Reduce heat to low and cover pot. Simmer for 20 minutes, then turn off heat and let quinoa sit for 10 minutes.
3) Remove pot lid and fluff quinoa with fork. Let cool for an hour.
4) In large mixing bowl stir together cooled quinoa, vegetables, parsley, and feta cheese. Add lemon juice and any additional seasonings, and stir to combine. Serve at room temperature.

Shared on Simple Lives Thursday