A few years ago when I started getting into the whole food-blogging thing, my mom had found a knitting blog that had the occasional recipe on there.  She told me to check it out and so I did.  The photography was stunning (which always makes every type of food look absolutely delicious – even if I’m not a fan of the dish itself) so I decided to try something I never had before – quinoa tabbouleh.  I had never had quinoa and I had never had tabbouleh.  So I figured it was either going to be a win-win or a lose-lose.  I took my chances.

The verdict?  It was incredible.  The combination of grains, cucumbers and tomatoes with a lemony dressing and a few crumbles of feta.  I devoured it in no time… and then for some reason, it took me for-ev-er to go back to the website to make the dish again but when I did… it was gone!  The site was removed by the original author.  I tried e-mailing her, requesting for the recipe, but there was no such luck.  Ever since then I have made numerous recipes from websites such as  foodgawker and pinterest… and yet each one doesn’t have that amazing taste.  I mean, don’t get me wrong – they are a good… but they are nothing like that recipe I had years ago. (I’ve always taught myself to write the recipes down when I enjoy them!)

I’m still on my search for the perfect tabbouleh, and I hope after trying numerous different recipes, I’ll find one that resembles the very first one I had… but meanwhile, here’s a very tasty one to enjoy!

Quinoa Tabbouleh

{recipe from nutritious eats}

• 1 c dry quinoa
• 2 c water
• 2 c chopped tomatoes
• 1 1/2 c chopped cucumber
• 1/2 c chopped onion
• 1/2 c fresh mint, chopped
• 1 c fresh parsley, chopped
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• about 1/3 c lemon juice (or 3 lemons)
• 1 garlic clove, grated
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 1/4 c feta cheese (optional)

Combine quinoa and water in a sauce pan and cook according to packet’s directions (or allow to boil then reduce heat, cover and simmer for 25 minutes).  Transfer to large bowl to cool and chop the remaining ingredients (up to the olive oil).  Add all chopped ingredients with the quinoa.  In a smaller bowl, combine olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, cumin, salt & pepper and whisk until combined.  Pour over top of tabbouleh mixture and mix together.  Sprinkle with feta cheese if you’d like (I always enjoy this part) and refrigerate until you’re ready to serve.  Enjoy!