Healthy and Refreshing Tabouli Salad

Tabouli, a popular Levantine salad, is made mostly of finely chopped parsley, tomatoes, mint, onion, bulgur, and seasoned with olive oil, freshly squeezed lemon, salt, and pepper. Some variations add garlic or lettuce or use couscous instead of bulgur. I grew up eating Tabouli at many of our family dinners and it pairs perfectly with falafel and hummus as well as any protein.

Typically prepared with bulgur, or cracked wheat, you can take this recipe to another level using quinoa. Quinoa is technically a seed and is related to spinach, chard, and beets. It also happens to be a complete protein, which means that it contains all 9 essential amino acids. Additionally, each cup contains 8 grams of protein and 5 grams of fiber. Swapping quinoa for bulgur makes this Tabouli salad gluten-free as well. Enjoy this dish as a healthy refreshing snack or a side dish to complement your entrée.

Recipe Developer: Rania Batayneh, MPH, @raniabatayneh

Vegan Tabouli

Serves 4 

Ingredients:

• 2 cups quinoa, cooked (you can use red or white)
• 4 cups fresh parsley, chopped
• 1/2 cup chopped scallions
• 3 medium tomatoes, diced
• 5 cucumbers, diced (I like Persian cucumbers as they have more crunch)
• 1/4 cup olive oil or avocado oil
• 4 lettuce leaves, whole
• 1/2 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
• Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Place all ingredients except lettuce into a mixing bowl and toss together lightly.
2. Chill for 1 hour or more to allow flavors to blend.
3. Enjoy in a bowl or serve on lettuce leaves. You can also enjoy with warm pita.

Nutritional

Calories 522 | Total Fat 18.9g | Saturated Fat 2.7g | Sodium 634mg | Total Carbohydrate 77.2g | Dietary Fiber 11.3g | Total Sugars 10.3g | Protein 17.3g | Calcium 202mg | Iron 9mg | Potassium 1632mg |