Quinoa Tabouli

Quinoifik

This one is hardly original, but it meets a couple of demands made by my diet. Because I assiduously avoid meat products before six, I have a hard time meeting my protein needs. Or, at least, I am pretty sure that I have a hard time meeting my protein needs. One cannot be sure given the shifting sands of dietary wisdom precisely how much protein one needs in a given day, but a day of vegetables and fruit eating certainly makes protein difficult to locate. Obviously I could turn to soy, but I don't really like tofu that much and have heard some nasty things about too much soy in the diet.

Grains are a good, but not great, source of protein. My farro salads and steel-cut oats in the morning provide some--typically close to 5 g. of protein for each serving I have. Quinoa, however, is a better source, providing 8 g for the same serving.

My Quinoa Tabouli is simple. I chop up a garlic clove, or green garlic (came in my basket from Vegetable Husband this week), a couple handfuls of parsley, and a finger full of chives. The latter herbs all are produced in abundance in my garden.

The Quinoa cooks on a 2-1 ratio. Boil the water, 1 tbsp. of butter and salt, add quinoa, reduce to simmer, cover, and cook for 12 minutes. Pop the lid--you'll know if it's ready. Please don't overcook it. Even five more minutes will turn it into an usable mush.

Drain Quinoa, but leave in the pan. Then add 1 tbsp of olive oil. Allow the Quinoa then to sit and relax for the next four or five minutes. I then add the herbs and begin mixing. I squeeze a quarter lemon on the tabouli, add some salt and pepper, and continue stirring. Let it relax another few minutes, then try it. Adjust seasoning.

One cup of Quinoa is giving me four salads, parsed out in individual containers. They are a nice supplement to my farro salads for a daily lunch. My only complaint is the garlic, as I don't seem to do well with raw onions or garlic anymore. Alas! old age is upon me.

Tabouli--spelling or not

Bulgur wheat is one of the healthiest of the whole grains. No chemicals or additives are needed during processing, it is high in dietary fiber, easy on the system, and immensely filling. I've been experimenting with Tabouli recipes for a stock lunch dish--something to keep in the fridge and carry with me during the week. Over the summer, this can be a simple dish to take up extra cukes, tomatoes, and peppers--whatever is around.

So here is the first recipe that I have tried twice now and seem to be getting good results with.

For the wheat: 3 cups of Turkish bulgur wheat covered with 3 cups boiling water, pot covered, and allowed to sit for 10-15 minutes.

Add 1 cup of oil to the bulgur wheat. I prefer to add the oil first, as it loosens up the bulgur. I most often have to drizzle more oil over the salad later.

1 1/2 cups chopped parsley (one bunch of parsley predictably turns out this much chopped)
1 1/2 cups chopped mint
1/2-3/4 of a red onion, chopped
2 tomatoes, seeded, cut into small dice
1/2 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
3-4 pinches of kosher salt (to taste)

This is the base salad. I will be adding kalamata olives once I chop them, and feta cheese before serving.

As with the chickpea salad I frequently make, this tastes better after several days. If made up on Sunday, it provides food for nearly a whole week for two. To be frank, the only painful part of this salad is pulling all the parsley off of its stems. By the time one arrives at the tomato part of this dish, it has become tedious enough that the whole project is in danger of abandonment. So this week I made it up on Saturday, and will likely chop up more tomatoes and olives tonight to round out the salad.