Tabouleh Salad with Quinoa

I regularly  make my version of the classic middle-eastern salad tabouleh.  I say "my version" because I make it with quinoa instead of bulgar wheat and I add more ingredients than tradition dictates.  This isn't only because my partner has a gluten allergy but because I recently learned that quinoa [pronouned keen-wah] is considered a super-food.

In recent times not a week goes by when some fruit or grain isn't declared to possess super powers.    However, this little grain was declared as valuable as gold by the Incas.  Some provenance huh?

Wikipedia says the following about it's nutritional value:

"Quinoa was of great nutritional importance to pre-Colombian Andean civilizations. In contemporary times, this crop has become highly appreciated for it's nutritional value, as it's protein content is very high (12-18%), making it a healthy choice for vegetarians, vegans and athletes.  Unlike wheat or rice (which are low in lysine), quinoa contains a balanced set of essential amino acids for humans, making it an unusually complete protein source.  It is a good source of dietary fiber and phosphorous and is high in magnesium and iron.  Quinoa is gluten-free and considered easy to digest".

For more info and pictures of the plant click here


True tabouleh doesn't include vegetables like celery, carrots, courgette etc.  However, I try and eat as much raw vege as possible, so I add whatever I have to hand.  I guess my nod towards the pukka salad is my use of copious amounts of parsley and mint.   If you're thinking you don't really like the idea of so much mint and parsley, think again.  There is a lot of it but it simply MAKES the salad.  The combination of parsley, mint, lemon juice and olive oil create magic when blended together.  A taste explosion that leaves you feeling instantly refreshed and sanctimoniously healthy.

Tabouleh keeps for at least four days in an airtight container in the fridge.  I love nothing more than having this ready to dish up into my lunchbox - add some tuna, hard boiled eggs or cubed chicken breast - and wallah - a colourful, light and super-healthy meal.

Heavenly Taboulleh Salad [serves 4-6]

All the vege should be diced into very small pieces.  I use my trusty Nicer Dicer which ensures small, uniform pieces and saves loads of time.

2 large carrots - peel and dice
1 large courgette diced [skin on - spongy middle with seeds removed]
1-2 bunches of spring onions [to taste]
3 medium size tomatoes [deseeded]
1 large bunch of flat leaf parsley finely diced [curly will also do]
1 large bunch of mint finely diced [leaves taken off stalks]
1-2 cloves of crushed garlic [to taste] - I cut mine in half and leave them to infuse the salad, as I can't digest raw garlic
100g quinoa or bulgar wheat
125ml of freshly squeezed lemon juice
125ml olive oil - I don't use extra virgin as the taste is too overpowering, I tend to use light olive oil
1 tsp of salt

• Cook the quinoa or bulgar wheat according to packet instructions and cool
• Dice up all the vegetables and mix together in a bowl
• Sprinkle over the salt
• Pour over the olive oil and mix well
• Pour over the lemon juice and mix well
• Add the cooked and cool quinoa or bulgar wheat and mix well

Pretty as a picture!

I added some diced green and black olives to last weeks salad and it worked very well.



And on a totally unrelated note - I spotted this lovely bloom in my garden this morning:

Date and Banana Loaf

Who needs dainty, cupcakey, frippery and frou-frou?  This is a solid, gulag-style old-fashioned loaf that demands you cut off a great big hulking slab, slather it with butter and eat it accompanied by builders tea.

It's not all hulk and bulk though.  The bananas make it lovely and moist, the dates are sticky and gooey, it's low in fat, big on taste and only takes 15 minutes to make.

Recently I've been making a real effort to clear the kitchen counter before starting to bake and to get out all my ingredients and utensils beforehand.  This may be elementary to many but typically, when I bake, it's chaos and not organised chaos just chaos, chaos.  I used to use the excuse that creative geniuses are never organised but then I began to realise I was just being plain stupid.

So now, as you can see above, all is pristine and calm.  Even the bananas look calm.

Recipe:

300g self-raising flour - I used Doves Gluten-Free Self Raising Flour

1 tsp bicarbonate of soda

125g chopped dates

half a cup [125ml] caster sugar

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp of ground nutmeg
2 large or 3 medium bananas - about a cup full of whipped banana but no matter if it's slightly more

1 cup [250ml] milk - I used semi-skimmed

2 large eggs

2lb capacity or 21.5x10.5cm loaf tin

Method:

• 
  
  Sift the self-raising flour, bicarbonate of soda, cinnamon and nutmeg into a large mixing bowl.
• 
  
  Stir through the dates and sugar
• 
  
  Make a well in the middle of the dry ingredients
• 
  
  In another medium size mixing bowl chop up the banana into slices
• 
  
  Whisk the banana slices until smooth-ish
• 
  
  Add the eggs and milk and whisk briefly together until combined
• 
  
  Pour half the banana mixture into the dry ingredients and combine at a low speed until blended
• 
  
  Add remaining banana mixture and combine until just blended [don't over-mix]
• 
  
  Pour mixture into a greased or lined loaf tin
• 
  
  Bake for 50 mins at 180 degrees [as I use a fan oven I bake it for 40 minutes -turning the tin around half way through]

The very yummy result:

This is the view out my kitchen window.  I'm in lambikins heaven at the moment.