How to Make Easy Vegan Quinoa Tabbouleh Salad without Mint
Healthy vegan quinoa tabbouleh salad is a refreshing version of a classic Tabbouleh. Light full of parsley and refreshing lemon dressing but no mint. Packed with veggies, light and low calorie vegan salad is the perfect summer side dish for any get together.
If you are looking for a vegetarian or vegan recipe to start introducing your family to healthy eating this quinoa tabbouleh salad is a good place to start. It is beautiful with lots of green yellow and red colors. It is refreshing with lemon and parsley.
The entire salad side dish is loaded with refreshing ingredients. Serve right away or let it chill in the fridge for an hour.
Traditional tabbouleh adds mint for the main flavor. Tabbouleh is a middle eastern dish and mint is a classic ingredient. But parsley is more of a flavor that is common in most families. So add lots of parsley and remove the mint. Parsley is a good substitute when you are trying to get kids to try a new dish.
We come from a family with lots of traditional recipes but not all are what we now know are healthy for us to eat to reduce the risk of disease. I can tell you it has taken time to get my family to embrace more vegetarian and vegan recipes. This Quinoa Tabbouleh salad was a hit even with our youngest. My husband almost ate half of the tabbouleh recipe and he is one of my hardest to try new recipes.
What Main Dish Recipe Goes with Vegan Quinoa Tabbouleh without Mint
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How Long Does Vegan Quinoa Tabbouleh Salad Last?
For the best freshes tasting side dish, it is best to serve the same day. You can keep the Tabbouleh in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. In order to make sure you are not serving food that is starting to spoil do not keep more than 4 days. But I am sure this will not be a problem as it tastes even better the next day with a little added lemon.
Is Quinoa a Seed or a Grain?
You may be wondering if Quinoa is a seed or a grain as some of your family may eat gluten-free. Quinoa is a seed. It is a seed from a Chenopodium or Goosefoot plant. The plant is tall and leafy. Quinoa is related to spinach, beets, or chard. Quinoa is gluten-free and fat-free. It has 8 grams of protein per cup of cooked quinoa.
Quinoa is known as one of the power foods that is filling and much better to feed your family. It looks like little pasta and is a good new food to introduce to kids. As it can be called baby pasta and only you will know that you are serving a special protein packed superfood.
How to Cook Quinoa?
There are two ways that are super easy to cook Quinoa. With both recipes, it is best to rinse off the quinoa seeds in a fine strainer before you start. Quinoa has a very thin outer shell that can be bitter if not washed first. Put the seed in the strainer and take the back of a spatula and rub the seeds around to get the shell off. Make sure the strainer has very small holes or you will lose your quinoa it is very small.
- Super simple but requires you to stay by the stove is to cook the quinoa in a pot with water a little olive oil and salt. The proportions are 1 part quinoa to 1 and a half parts of water. Very similar to brown rice. Bring the quinoa to a boil and then reduce to simmer for about 15 minutes until all the water is absorbed and it looks like the seeds have opened up.
- The second super-easy way to cook quinoa is in an Instant Pot. You will love the results you get from an Instant pot mini but you can just as easily make quinoa in your big Instant Pot. Your proportions are 1 cup of quinoa to 1 cup of water. Secure the lid and set the timer to 1 minute. Do a quick release so it is not overcooked.
How to Make Easy Vegan Quinoa Tabbouleh without Mint
- Make the Quinoa ahead of the time you want to serve the salad. This way it will be cooked and cooled. Do not combine the salad with the quinoa is hot or you will start to cook the fresh veggies and lose the crispness.
- While the quinoa is cooking or even the day ahead cut up the veggies. As Quinoa is a small seed it is best for the texture and look of the salad to cut the veggies small.
- Use a food chopper like the Vidalia Chop Wizard. I use it for all my dishes where you want the veggies to be a uniform shape. Use the chopper to get a small uniform chop of cucumber.
- Cut the radishes and carrots into small sticks.
- Cut the tomatoes if you are using them into fourths.
- Wash and remove the big stems from the parsley, and chop very fine.
- Chop the green/purple onions very thin.
- When all the veggies are chopped it is time to make the dressing. Mix together with a whisk the olive oil, fresh lemon juice, and salt and pepper.
Easy Vegan Quinoa Tabbouleh without Mint
Healthy quinoa vegan salad is a refreshing version of a classic Tabbouleh. Light full of parsley and refreshing lemon dressing. Packed with fresh veggies just no mint. Light and low calorie vegan salad is the perfect summer side dish for any get-together.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 15
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
- Category: side dish
- Method: stove top
- Cuisine: Mid Eastern
- Diet: Vegan
Ingredients
For cooked Quinoa
- 1 cup of uncooked quinoa rinsed
- 1–1/2 cups of water
- 1/2 teaspoon olive oil
- pinch of salt
For the Salad:
- 2 cups of cucumber dice
- 1 cup of grape tomatoes cut in half (optional)
- 1 cup of finely chopped parsley
- 1/2 cup of carrot sticks
- 1/2 cup of thinly sliced radish sticks
- 1/2 cup thinly sliced purple green onion (regular green onion works but the purple adds to the color)
- the juice of 2 lemons
- 3 tablespoons of olive oil
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- First cook the quinoa by placing 1 cup of uncooked quinoa in 1 and 1/2 cup of cold water in a pot on the stove. Bring to a boil and then reduce the heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes. Keep an eye as when all the water evaporates the quinoa is done. Remove and fluff with a fork.
- While the quinoa is cooking chop all the veggies, cucumber, grape tomatoes, parsley carrots, radishes, and green onion.
- In a small bowl whisk together the juice of 2 lemons, 3 tablespoons of olive oil, and salt and pepper.
- When the quinoa is cool, add the veggies and the lemon olive oil mixture. Mix lightly but well. Add a few sprigs o parsley or slices of purple-green onion for decoration.
Keywords: Healthy Vegan Quinoa Salad
If you are trying to add new tastes to your family try to add a side dish or salad with a family favorite main dish. I know it will put a smile on your face when you see your family embracing new power foods. Please leave a comment as I would love to know how you and your family love Quinoa Tabbouleh.
