Quinoa Tabbouleh

I grew up eating tabbouleh because my mother loved Middle Eastern food and would make it quite often. It has all the great summer ingredients, like fresh parsley, mint and lemon juice. Traditionally it has almost more of the herb mixture than grain. I've always loved tabbouleh, but didn't have the traditional barley, but I had a box of quinoa (say it...keen-wah) in my pantry and went with that instead. Quinoa has a bitter outer layer, so you have to rinse and lightly scrub the grain in a colander before preparing.

2 c water

1 c quinoa, rinsed

Heat quinoa and water in a sauce pan over med-high heat, until water is boiling. Cover, and reduce heat to med-low. Cook quinoa for about 10-15 minutes, or until all the water is absorbed. Allow to cool.

3 small tomatoes, diced

1/2 c cucumber, diced

3 tbsp fresh mint, chopped

1/2 c fresh parsley, chopped

1 lemon , juice and zest

1/3 c good quality olive oil

a pinch of allspice

Sea Salt to taste

Add all ingredients into a bowl and mix together. Add in quinoa and mix until well blended. Allow to sit in refrigerator about 30 minutes before serving!