I came up with this little beauty in a time of need. I NEEDED Tabbouleh. Now, not later. The problem was that I had no tomatoes. Or cucumbers. My Bulgar jar was on the low side too. I wasn’t looking good for the Tabbouleh, I can tell you that. Happily, I did possess the necessary main ingredient. Fresh parsley, and lots of it. So I replaced Bulgar with Quinoa, fresh tomatoes with their dry counterparts and threw in some cranberries to make life more interesting. Sadly for Tabbouleh, our relationship may never be the same again. I have found better and I am going to stick with it. This salad is really, really good.

Lovely Quinoa Salad

Ingredients:

3 cups chopped parsley leafs
1 cup Quinoa, uncooked
1/2 cup dried Cranberries
5 large sun-dried tomatoes in oil, chopped to match Cranberry size
2 green onions, finely chopped
1/4 cup lemon juice (lime is good too)
2 Tbsp good extra virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp salt

Preperation:

1. Cook your Quinoa like you would pasta, in a pot full of boiling salted water, for about 7-8 minutes or until the Quinoa is cooked but still firm to bite on. Drain and set aside to cool a bit.
2. Place your parsley  in a bowl together with the cranberries, chopped sun-dried tomatoes and green onions. Add Quinoa to the bowl.
3. In a separate bowl, mix together oil, lemon juice, salt and minced garlic to a yummy smelling dressing.
4. Pour dressing over the salad and mix well. Enjoy immediately or put in the fridge for later. This salad keeps well in the fridge and can be prepared in advance.

Yields 4-5 portions