Gluten-Free Twist on Tabouleh

Swap in quinoa for a gluten-free twist on tabouleh

Growing up, my family lived in Saudi Arabia. We were there for 10 years, which was a pretty life-changing experience for all of us. One of the best ways it influenced my brother, sister and me was through our early exposure to an entirely different food culture. Middle Eastern cuisine is wonderfully complex and flavourful – well-spiced but not spicy. I love the balance of earthy, sweet and sour flavours, with spices such as cumin, turmeric, allspice and sumac and the frequent use of lemons, dried fruit and yogurt or labneh.

One of the recipes I make most frequently from those days is also one of the simplest: tabouleh or parsley and bulgar wheat salad. There was something about the tabouleh I had in Saudi that is never the same here – there are regional differences in the parsley to bulgar wheat ratios and in Saudi the tabouleh was more parsley-centric. I follow a recipe from an old book by Tess Mallos, first published in the late '70s, called "The Complete Middle East Cook Book," which offers both options. It's a comprehensive and fascinating book – she covers regional cuisine ranging from Greece, Cyprus and Turkey to Lebanon, Jordan and Iraq to the Gulf States, Afghanistan and Armenia. While some dishes are a tad too authentic for my taste, such as lamb brains (I'm an adventurous eater, but, no) many are more approachable, like chick peas with spinach, barbecued fish with dates and saffron rice. 

Now here comes my twist: quinoa. When I floated the idea to my husband (who also grew up in Saudi) about trying tabouleh with quinoa instead of bulgar, he was pretty skeptical – as in don't mess with my tabouleh skeptical. Like any good wife, I ignored him and tried it anyway. I really enjoyed the nuttiness it added, plus, while bulgar or cracked wheat is a whole grain, quinoa offers more protein and it's a great gluten-free option. If you want to opt for the traditional tabouleh, go for it, I've included the directions for bulgar also. And let me know if you'd like more Middle Eastern recipes!

Quinoa Tabouleh

adapted from "The Complete Middle East Cookbook" by Tess Mallos

Prep Time: 15 min. | Total Time: 20 min. | Serves: 4 

3 to 4 cups chopped flat leaf parsley (washed, dried and stems removed)

1/2 cup sliced green onions

1/4 cup chopped mint

2 tomatoes seeded and chopped or 1/2 cup grape tomatoes, quartered

1 cup cooked quinoa or 1/4 cup fine bulgar wheat, soaked

1/4 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil

2 tbsp lemon juice

1/2 tsp kosher salt

1/2 tsp pepper

Add first five ingredients to a large mixing bowl. Whisk together olive oil, lemon juice and salt and pepper. Pour dressing over ingredients and stir to mix.  

How to cook quinoa: Place 1/2 cup quinoa in a fine mesh sieve and rinse with cold water to remove bitterness; drain. Place in a medium pot and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil and then reduce to medium-low, simmering for approx. 20 min., until quinoa has almost doubled in size, kernels have burst and it is softened but still chewy. Spread onto a paper-towel lined baking sheet to cool and dry. 

How to soak bulgar: Place 1/4 cup fine bulgar wheat in a bowl and cover with cold water. Allow to sit for 30 min.; drain. Spread onto a paper-towl lined baking sheet to dry.

A note on the salt in this recipe. The original calls for a whopping 1-1/2 tsp of salt, which is just way too salty to be enjoyable. For this recipe, I've reduced to 1/2 tsp, but of course check the flavour of the dressing and adjust according to your taste buds.