Quinoa Tabouleh

The summer program has come and gone. On the Friday when the last of the boxing up and surveys were being done I was a little relieved as the 6 weeks were really busy, but driving into my final meeting the following Monday, I found myself a little sad. Last year was quite tumultuous and when the first weekend of August arrived I was so relieved, along with numerous colleagues who felt the same. But this year was quite the contrast. Many of us returned knowing that we had a new director, and also knowing how well she would do. She didn’t disappoint and not only was she a great person in general, but she made a wonderful colleague and boss. I have made a decision not to return to the program next summer which makes it a little sadder to be finished this year, but new ventures are calling me. I’ve mentioned before that I’d like to leave teaching, and that unfortunately includes the summer program.

For our last day we had one last hurrah. Being one of the few with a backyard I hosted a potluck for the staff. It was a chance to talk about the program without getting an evil eye from a supervisor, laugh about things that went wrong (thankfully not many) or inside jokes, sigh a bit because the time just flew by, and enjoy the company of those you have gotten to know in the last month or so.

While thinking about what I would make (something easy and light for the hot weather) I came across a recipe for quinoa tabouleh on the back of a quinoa bag. Gogo Quinoa is a great line of products and often there is a recipe on the back of the bag. Normally they don’t really interest me, but this one jumped out. I loved tabouleh and used to buy it all the time in university. A shop across the street used to bring in the best one, but then it disappeared and I couldn’t find another one that I liked as much. This recipe was perfect for the potluck.

It is a delicious tabouleh and the quinoa works perfectly in place of the couscous. If you have a food processor, the job of chopping everything is made so much easier. The parsley in my garden is now at a manageable stage. In making this I left out the cilantro; only because the two packages I bought were both gross (forgetting that you can usually buy it next to the onions and radishes in the produce section). While it tasted great without, I can’t wait to try it again with the cilantro.

Quinoa Tabouleh

1 ½ cups quinoa

2 ½ cups water

1 big tomato, diced small

2 cups fresh chopped parsley

1 cup fresh chopped cilantro

1 cup fresh chopped mint

½ small red onion, thinly chopped

¼ cup olive oil

¼ cup lemon juice

¼ tsp salt

1 pressed garlic clove

Cook quinoa according to package directions. When cooked put into a large bowl. Mix together lemon juice, olive oil, salt and garlic and toss with the quinoa. Let cool. When cool add parsley, cilantro, mint, tomato and onion.