When I was thinking of recipes to make for Saint Patrick’s Day, I immediately thought of this Quinoa Tabbouleh Salad. Made with tons of fresh parsley and fresh mint, the salad is as green as it can get! Plus, the salad is delicious and a much healthier way to celebrate this famous Irish holiday.
The Power of Fresh Herbs
I’ve recently been on a bit of a health kick since we have our wedding coming up this fall. I’ve turned to cooking a lot of Mediterranean and Middle Eastern foods since they are very flavorful and nutritious. Typically, these types of cuisines are nutritious and are assembled quickly with just a few ingredients as well making them perfect for weekday dinners.
I think parsley is one of the more underrated herbs used in the kitchen. You often see parsley used as a garnish that is often tossed away after a meal. However, parsley has many health benefits and is full of vitamin K, potassium, and magnesium. Parsley also has antibacterial properties and can really give your breath lots of freshness.
Mint is another herb that I think is super underrated in the kitchen but is used heavily in Mediterranean and Middle Eastern dishes. Not only does this herb help to freshen your breath and make things taste bright and fresh, it also has many vitamins and nutrients and can even help improve digestion.
Adding Quinoa as Protein — and Making it Taste Good!
The salad gets a bit of a protein boost from freshly cooked quinoa. I have found that many people do not like quinoa due to its bitter taste, however quinoa should not taste bitter at all and this can be fixed by the way you prepare it.
Whenever I make quinoa I always make sure to rinse it under cold water for at least one minute to get rid of that bitter taste. Once it’s rinsed, you can go ahead and cook it with some water just as you would cook rice (1 cup quinoa to 2 cups water) and you will have delicious non-bitter quinoa every time!
I love adding quinoa to the salad because it makes it a lot more filling and tones down the freshness of the herbs a bit. If you eat meat, you can also consider adding some grilled chicken on top of this salad as well– that is a great addition!
I hope you enjoy this recipe for my Quinoa Tabbouleh Salad and I hope you have a very happy Saint Patrick’s Day! Get the recipe down below!
Enjoy!
Get the Recipe!
Quinoa Tabbouleh Salad
Ingredients
- 1 cup quinoa
- 2 cups water
- 3 bunches Italian parsley finely chopped (about 2.5 cups)
- 1 bunch mint finely chopped (about 1/2 cup)
- 4 roma tomatoes finely chopped
- 1/3 cup lemon juice fresh
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
Instructions
- Rinse the quinoa in a colander under running water for one minute. Add the rinsed quinoa to a pot with 2 cups of water. Bring the contents to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to low and cook for 15 minutes. Once cooked, fluff the quinoa with a fork and set aside to cool completely.
- Add the chopped parsley, mint, tomatoes, lemon juice, olive oil, salt, pepper, and the cooked quinoa into a large mixing bowl and mix to combine.
- Serve at room temperature or chilled from the fridge. Be sure to eat this within 2 days of making it. Enjoy!
