the comforts of home
Happy Thursday! Wow…where has this week gone? I guess when taking a vacation in the middle of the week it really throws off your sense of time. At least it does for me. One of the things I miss most when being gone is cooking my own food in my own kitchen. Don’t get me wrong I love to eat out and try new things but towards the end of any time away I find myself missing the comforts of home and for me that means food.
One of mine and Keith’s favorite things to make is tabbouleh. Keith’s mom used to make it all the time growing up and it was one of the recipes she graciously passed to me. I changed up a few things to make it my own and we eat it all the time. It was actually the first thing Keith requested I make once I got back home.
One of the things I did differently was to substitute quinoa into the recipe versus the cracked wheat in my mother-in-law’s recipe. I love quinoa. It is actually a seed (not a grain) that has a fluffy texture when cooked. Not only is quinoa high in protein, but the protein it supplies is a complete protein, meaning that it includes all nine essential amino acids. This appeals to both me and Keith as we are protein lovers!
Quinoa Tabbouleh
1 cup uncooked quinoa, soaked
2 full bunches of parsley
1 cup tomatoes, diced
1/4 – 1/3 cup olive oil
5 lemons, juiced
salt and pepper, to taste
First, you must soak your quinoa for about 15 minutes prior to cooking. To soak: pour 1 cup of dry quinoa into a bowl and fill it so the water covers the quinoa. Let is soak for 15 minutes and then drain it in a mesh strainer. Bring 1-3/4 cups of water to a boil, then add the 1 cup of quinoa. Simmer uncovered for 12 minutes. All of the liquid should be absorbed. Cool completely.
While the quinoa is cooking, use a food processor to finely chop all the parsley. Place into a bowl. Chop the tomatoes (you can use more or less than 1 cup. I use less because Keith isn’t really a tomato guy…but feel free to add more according to your tastes) Add the tomatoes to the parsley.
Once the quinoa is cooled add it to the parsley and tomato mixture. Stir to combine. Next squeeze the juice of the lemons into the bowl. (again you can use more or less here depending on your tastes). And finally add the olive oil. Stir well to combine everything.
Let chill for several hours. I usually let it sit overnight for all the flavors to blend.
This is such a light and refreshing meal. It tastes so fresh. I love to pair with my roasted red pepper hummus and some grilled chicken and we a winner! It is good to be home.
What Kelly Said 
Looks great Kelly! I just made quinoa tabouli this weekend too for a BBQ! I loved it!
Ooh…I would LOVE to see your recipe! Everything you make is amazing!!
What a great substitute! I usually add more tomato, less parsley… Its weird, but too much parsley makes my mouth feel weird (not in a good way).
Yay for the joys of home and cooking at home!
I hear you on not knowing where the week went! I love quick workweeks like this though.
Quinoa is something I make all the time for weeks on end and then I stop for some reason. I need to start making it more because it is such a fun ingredient!
I love quinoa – you can use it for EVERYTHING. I’ll definitely have to try this.
I definitely understand about enjoying going out for vacation, but also being comfortable in your home and familiar food too 🙂
Thank you for this recipe, I have been wanting to have my mom try quinoa and this will be a great recipe to introduce her to this healthy grain
Can you do without the tomatoes?
I don’t see why not! Keith hates tomatoes but tolerates them in this. It has a strong parsely taste…not sure how you and Brent feel about that.
mmmm! I just wrote down your recipe! I cannot wait to try this! It looks SO fresh and delicious! I LOVE tabbouleh paired with hummus too! Garlic or roasted red pepper are my favs!
Oh yum. Easy quinoa dish and yes, with that hummus, WINNER. I don’t think I’d be able to stop eating it… and I wish I were joking. Hummus is crack. 😉
Hummus IS crack…especially that hummus from Pita Junge…heaven!!!
I always miss the comforts of home too. Especially cooking for myself! I can only do restaurant meals for a couple days.
I need to try this one! I bet red quinoa or millet would be tasty too. And I hear ya, sometimes its just good to be home in your kitchen.
🙂
I have tried it with red quinoa before and it works really well…it makes it really pretty!!