Man I live for the summer! We’ve been away camping and usually before we go I premake a bunch of cold salads, dips etc to get us through the first few days of traveling, lunches etc. Well I don’t know what’s happened but I am suddenly really loving and kind of addicted to quinoa.
I remember having my first quinoa salad (that someone else had made) a few short years ago and truthfully feeling rather disappointed by it. It was bland and boring and I wasn’t all that excited to take another bite let alone finish what was on my plate. That dish and my introduction to quinoa didn’t really have me all that eager to add this super pseudo grain to my diet until I made this Quinoa Soup with Squash and Pesto and realized that this stuff was actually really, really good. Now I absolutely love quinoa in soups, salads, burgers and fritters.
So now that it’s summer and I’m favouring cold, easy dishes, I’ve been making this Black Bean and Quinoa Salad a little too often. Of course I made a huge bowl for camping and we enthusiastically ate it for days. It’s great, full of flavour and keeps really well in the fridge but upon our return I decided that it was definitely time to mix things up a little.
Enter this exotic Quinoa Tabbouleh Salad inspired by Lebanese spices, garlic, mint and lemon with a hint of maple syrup because..well..I’m Canadian;) Delicious. We’ll keep this quinoa thing going for a little bit longer..
Add your quinoa and water to a pot and bring it a boil. Cover and reduce the heat to low and cook for about 15 minutes until all of the water has been absorbed. Do not lift the lid. Remove it from the heat and allow it to sit for about 5 minutes more. Remove the lid and fluff it with a fork. Set it aside to cool. Meanwhile in a large bowl add your olive oil, lemon juice, maple syrup, pressed garlic, salt, allspice, black pepper, cinnamon, ground cloves, nutmeg and dried ginger. Stir to combine. Add your finely chopped parsley, finely chopped mint and green onions. Stir. Add your chopped red onion, chopped tomatoes, chopped cucumber and cooked quinoa. Toss and refrigerate allowing time for the flavours to blend.
Serve cold or at room temperature as a side dish or as a hassle free, light summer meal.
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- 1 cup of prewashed quinoa (or rinse and drain it yourself)
- 2 cups of water
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 3 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1 tbsp maple syrup
- 2 cloves of garlic, pressed
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp allspice
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- ¼ tsp cinnamon
- ¼ tsp ground cloves
- ¼ tsp nutmeg
- ¼ tsp ground dried ginger
- 2 cups chopped flat leaf parsley, finely chopped
- ½ cup mint, finely chopped
- 2 green onions, chopped
- 1- 1¼ cup red onion finely chopped (about 1 red onion)
- 3 roma tomatoes chopped
- 2 mini cucumbers chopped
- Add your quinoa and water to a pot and bring it a boil. Cover and reduce the heat to low and cook for about 15 minutes. Do not lift the lid.
- Remove from heat and allow it to sit for about 5 minutes more. Remove the lid and fluff with a fork. Set it aside.
- In a large bowl, add your olive oil, lemon juice, maple syrup, pressed garlic, salt, allspice, black pepper, cinnamon, ground cloves, nutmeg and dried ginger. Stir to combine.
- Add your finely chopped parsley, mint and green onions. Stir.
- Add your chopped red onion, chopped tomatoes, chopped cucumber and cooked quinoa.
- Toss and refrigerate allowing time for the flavours to blend.
This is absolutely delicious and so refreshing on a hot day. Love it…..thanks for another wonderful flavorful recipe.