Super Caterpillar Salad (Tabouli)

Serves 4-6

Ingredients:

½ cup quinoa

1 bunch of curly parsley, washed thoroughly

3 Roma tomatoes

2 green onions

1 Tablespoon of fresh mint leaves (or 2 teaspoons dried mint)

2-3 large lemons, juiced

¼ cup cold pressed olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

  1. Prepare the quinoa according to package directions, and let cool completely. 
  2. Slice up the parsley leaves and remove stems.
  3. Dice the tomatoes, and place both the tomatoes and parsley  in a medium sized bowl or container. 
  4. Next thinly slice or snip your green onions and mint leaves, sprinkling on top of the parsley and tomatoes. 
  5. Juice the lemons, and then mix the lemon juice with the olive oil. Pour this dressing over the tabouli. 
  6. Once the quinoa is cool, add it to the salad, mixing all the ingredients well. Sprinkle salt and pepper to taste. 
  7. Refrigerate several hours and serve cold.

Recipe notes:

I always double this recipe so that we have an easy ready-made salad for another meal. It keeps in the fridge for about 2-4 days without getting as soggy as a lettuce salad with dressing. To save time, I usually prepare and refrigerate the quinoa a day ahead. To make this recipe a little quicker, substitute ½ cup bottled lemon juice and dried mint although fresh ingredients make it more tasty. The tomatoes can be any slicing type (or even grape tomatoes). Many times, I make the tabouli the day before we plan to eat it because it tastes even better after marinating in the fridge overnight.

Did you know?

My Super Caterpillar Salad is based on tabouli, also known as Tabbouleh, which is a traditional Middle Eastern salad typically made with bulgur wheat. Of course in this recipe, I substitute the superfood quinoa to eliminate the gluten and add protein. Quinoa (pronouncedˈkēnˌwä) is a seed that is used like a grain. Interestingly, the main star of this salad isn’t lettuce, but parsley, which is also a superfood that provides many antioxidants and essential vitamins. The tangy, delicious flavor and texture are much different from an ordinary salad, but it hosts a lot of nutritional value and keeps well under refrigeration. Super Caterpillar Salad makes a great, healthy side dish to add to any meal, any time of day.