Kale and Quinoa Tabouleh

This recipe was born when I went to the grocery store with the intention to procure ingredients for a classic tabouleh, and of course the store had neither parsley nor bulgar. Beautiful green fronds of curly leaf kale were on sale though, so I put them in my basket and followed the yellow brick road to the land of recipe inspiration.

I usually serve this dish as a salad either as a side dish or a light meal on it’s own. However, growing up my mom loved to make tabouleh and serve it with hummus and whole wheat pita quarters for a hearty and vegan make-your-own-pita-pocket dish. The quinoa in this iteration is gluten free and provides ample protein to stand alone as a nourishing, satisfying, and budget friendly entree. Because the greens are chopped so fine, the salad keeps well in the refrigerator for several days, making it a great dish to prepare in advance for company of work week lunches. However you serve it, kale and quinoa tabouleh is an excellent way to get a ton of nutrients into your diet.

Equipment:

• Food processor

Ingredients:

• 1 large bunch curly leaf kale, washed, dried, and removed from stocks

• 1/2 cup uncooked white quinoa

• 1 medium cucumber, peeled, seeded and diced

• 2 large tomato, cored and diced

• 1/2 cup fresh mint leaves, removed from stem

• 1/2 cup sliced green onions

• 1/3 cup olive oil

• Juice and zest of one large lemon

• 1 large clove garlic, minced

• 1 tsp. kosher salt + more to taste

• Pepper to taste

Method:

1. Make the quinoa. Combine the quinoa with 1 cup of water in a pan and bring to a rolling boil. Reduce the temperature to medium low, cover the pan, and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove the pan from heat and allow the quinoa to sit for 5-10 minutes more. Pour the quinoa into a large bowl and fluff with a fork.

2. While the quinoa is cooking, combine the tomatoes and cucumbers in a medium bowl with 1/2 tsp of salt. Leave to sit for ten minutes or more while you prepare the other ingredients.

3. Finely chop the kale and mint together in the bowl of a food processor. Pour these along with the green onions into the large bowl with the cooked quinoa.

4. Strain the excess water from the cucumbers and tomatoes using a fine mesh sieve. Add these to the bowl with the other ingredients.

5. Whisk together the olive oil, lemon zest and juice, garlic, and remaining 1/2 tsp. of salt. Pour this over the salad and mix well. Add pepper and adjust seasoning as desired. The flavors will come together as they marinate, so wait fifteen minutes or more before serving. Enjoy on its own or as the filling for a vegan pita pocket.

Recipe adapted from Cookie and Kate