Italian Tabouli

One of my favorite things to snack on or for a light lunch is tabouli. It’s a Mediterranean dish that’s typically made with a few simple ingredients, parsley, tomato, cucumber, onion, lemon juice, bulger wheat and olive oil. Here I’ve switched it up a bit because it’s what I had on hand at home, and it turned out delicious! I’ve used quinoa instead of the bulgur wheat because it’s more nutritionally dense, and full plant protein! I also subbed in some fresh Italian ingredients to keep the crunch and flavor!

1 bunch fresh parsley chopped

2 cups cooked quinoa

2 tomatoes diced

1 small zucchini diced

½ fennel bulb diced

¼ sweet onion diced

Juice of one lemon

Olive oil

Salt to taste

This recipe is SO easy to make! While the quinoa is cooking I chop up all the ingredients and put them into a bowl big enough to include the quinoa. Then I had the juice of a lemon, a hefty drizzle of olive oil and a few turns of the salt shaker to taste. I let that sit refrigerated while the quinoa is cooking. Once the quinoa is cooked, I alsp put that in the refrigerator to completely cool before adding to the veg mixture. Once it is completely cooled, at it, stir, and taste. Add more olive oil or salt if needed. There should be a perfect balance between the acid from the lemon juice, and the smooth coating of the oil. This is great on salads, as a salad, or a condiment on sandwiches, or in your favorite gyro too!