Tabbouleh is a popular Middle Eastern dish often served as an appetizer along with hummus, eggplant, and spicy salads.  Traditionally tabbouleh is prepared with bulgur, which is made from wheat .

I substitute quinoa for bulgur, so the recipe is much friendlier to my blood sugar.  It’s also gluten-free.

The secret to this salad is finely chopping the ingredients without turning it in to paste – the finer the chopping the better.

Ingredients:

1 cup quinoa, prepared and refrigerated (see below)

4 cucumbers, finely chopped

1/2 purple onion, finely chopped

½ cup fresh parsley leaves, finely chopped

¼ cup fresh mint leaves, finely chopped

Juice of two lemons

¼ cup extra virgin olive oil

Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Preparation:

Combine the ingredients in a bowl and mix.

Serve cold.

Advance Preparation: to make 1 cup of prepared quinoa, cook ½ cup of rinsed quinoa with 1 cup of water until water is absorbed. Set aside for 5 minutes before removing from pot. This will make the quinoa fluffier. Refrigerate quinoa for 1-2 hours.

Variations: Add a small minced tomato for color and flavor.

Serves: 4

Carbohydrate per Serving: 11g

Quinoa quick facts: High in lysine, an amino acid important for tissue growth and repair, a good source of folate, magnesium and phosphorus, and a very good source of manganese.