My Adventures in Quinoa -- Tales of Hot and Cold Grain-like Love

From Feb 2009 Recipes and Product Reviews

A few weeks ago, like I've done countless times, I bought a tub of Cedars' tabouli and ate most of it with a pita. And, like countless times before, I thought, "I could make this and save myself lots of $$$."

I was right.

However, I decided to try something different. Lately, I've been (ehem) noodling around with quinoa. The first time I tried making something with it, I sauteed some fresh shallots in a little olive oil in my large Dutch oven until they were golden brown. Then, I added some summer squash (lovely gold squash fresh from the co-op) chopped into tiny bits to the mix. Finally, I added dry quinoa to the pot, sauteed it with the other ingredients for a couple of minutes, then added twice the amount of water to the pot. Right before I put the top on, I added some Herbes de Provence, salt, and pepper. It was wonderful, and only took 10 minutes to cook. I've been living on it for a week. So tasty!

So, what does that have to do with the loveliness above? Well, very little except that the grain (or rather not-quite grain) in common is quinoa.

From Feb 2009 Recipes and Product Reviews

Suffice to say, I'm never buying tabouli again. Once I found out how simple and delicious it is this way, I vowed to always make my own. I've already tried it on another quinoa newbie who declared her love for it immediately. Both she and I agreed that it would be a great, colorful dish to bring to a gathering.

Here's my own recipe. Give it a try and let me know how you like it!

Deb's Quinoa Tabouli

Ingredients:

2 cups cooked cold quinoa
1 large bunch of parsley, cut in a chiffonade-like fashion
1/2 small red onion, minced
4 tablespoons olive oil (you want the best-tasting stuff here, not just your cooking oil)
3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar (you could use just white vinegar, too)
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Mix all the ingredients together well. You really want to coat all the quinoa with the oil and vinegar.
2. Serve with pitas, chips, or crackers.
3. Enjoy!