Minty Quinoa Tabbouleh

After four days in a row of working nights, I admit to not having cooked much last week. Actually, I don't think I cooked at all.  Of course this meant that I had plenty of "free time" to plan the next meal when I eventually had the opportunity to provide for my family. So in perusing through the pages of Fine Cooking in Season: Your Guide to Choosing and Preparing the Season's Best, I came across a recipe for Minty Quinoa Tabbouleh.  Mind you that I already enjoy tabbouleh, however, I normally make it with bulgur and not quinoa.  Having a friend that absolutely adores cooking/eating quinoa, I figured I should give this one a whirl. 

Luckily, the only two ingredients that I didn't have on hand were a cucumber (not ready from the garden yet) and the fresh mint so I can easily classify this recipe as a garden/pantry meal.  I plucked the first tomato from the garden for this dish and was able to get some fresh mint from my neighbor.  The cucumber, unfortunately, was from the grocery store.  No matter though, this was a great summer tasty treat.  The quinoa cooks in less than 15 minutes and you can finish all your chopping during that time.  After the quinoa cools, throw it all together and stick it in the fridge to let the flavors meld and tah dah! A great summer side dish.  I served this along side of Grilled Chickpea Burgers with Creamy Lemon Tahini Sauce and they were well matched (also perfect for a vegetarian evening). And yes, there is a third item on the plate that I have not yet described, but I will get to that in my next post...

Minty Quinoa Tabbouleh
Adapted from Fine Cooking in Season: Your Guide to Choosing and Preparing the Season's Best
Serves 6 to 8

1 1/2cups quinoa
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, plus more to taste
1 1/2cups finely diced tomatoes (canned is okay)
1 cup finely chopped fresh parsley (flat-leaf)
1 cup peeled, seeded, finely diced cucumber
1/2 cup thinly sliced scallions
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil, plus more to taste
6 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, plus extra to taste
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup finely chopped fresh mint (cannot use dried)

Rinse the quinoa well in a bowl of cool water and drain.  Bring the quinoa and 1/2 teaspoon of salt to a boil in 3 cups of water in a medium saucepan over high heat.  Cover, reduce the heat to medium low, and simmer until the water is absorbed and the quinoa is translucent and tender, about 10 to 15 minutes.  (The outer germ rings of the grain will remain chewy and white. Some germ rings may separate from the grains and will look like white squiggles.)  Immediately fluff the quinoa with a fork and turn out onto a baking sheet to cool.

When cool, fluff the quinoa again and transfer to a large bowl. Add the tomato, parsley, cucumber, scallion, oil, lemon juice, cumin, cinnamon, and 1 teaspoon salt.  Toss well. Cover and refrigerate to let the flavors mingle, at least 2 hours or overnight.

**The recipe states that this should be served at room temperature, however, served chilled on a hot summer day was also very nice.

Before serving, stir in the mint. Taste and add more oil and lemon juice and salt as needed.