Photo by Scott Phillips

Quinoa (pronounced “KEEN-wah”) is my newest food obsession. Like couscous, it’s light and fluffy when cooked and packed with fiber and protein. It also cooks up in no time, so I made this recipe for quinoa tabbouleh (which is basically a Lebanese-inspired salad made with, among other things, parsley, tomato, mint, and lemon juice) last night before I went to bed and had my lunch for today (and probably tomorrow) already out of the way when I woke up this morning.

What's for lunch today, Nesties? Share in the comments!

Makes 8 cups

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups quinoa
Kosher salt
3 cups water
1 1/2 cups tomato, seeded and finely diced
1 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
1 cup peeled, seeded, and finely diced cucumber
1/2 cup scallion greens, thinly sliced
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil; more to taste
6 tablespoons fresh lemon juice; more to taste
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup fresh mint, finely chopped

Directions
1. Rinse the quinoa well in a bowl of cool water and drain. Bring the quinoa, 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, and water to a boil in a medium saucepan over high heat. Cover, reduce the heat to medium-low, and simmer until the water is absorbed and the quinoa translucent and tender, 10 to 15 minutes. (The outer germ rings of the grain will remain chewy and white. Some germ rings may separate from the grains and will look like white squiggles.) Immediately fluff the quinoa with a fork and turn out onto a baking sheet to cool.
2. When cool, fluff the quinoa again and transfer to a large bowl. Add the tomato, parsley, cucumber, scallion, oil, lemon juice, cumin, cinnamon, and 1 teaspoon kosher salt. Toss well. Cover and refrigerate to let the flavors mingle, at least 2 hours or overnight.
3. Before serving, let sit at room temperature for 20 to 30 minutes. Stir in the mint. Taste and add more oil and lemon juice (you’ll probably need at least 1 tablespoon of each), and more salt as needed.

Reprinted from Fine Cooking Annual by the Editors of Fine Cooking with permission from The Taunton Press. Photography by Scott Phillips.

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-- Sara Hennessey

Sep 30, 2009

See More: WFL , Recipes , Food & Recipes , Dinner