Quinoa Tabbouleh Salad

Another healthy recipe that I tried and really enjoyed was a quinoa tabbouleh salad.  Vivek and I used to order tabbouleh salad from our favorite Mediterranean restaurant in Burlingame, CA called Taste In.  This dish originated in Lebanon and is traditionally made with tomatoes, finely chopped parsley, mint and onion and seasoned with olive oil, lemon juice and salt.  To increase the heartiness and protein content of this salad, I added quinoa and feta cheese.  It became a meal in itself!

Recipe for Quinoa Tabbouleh Salad

INGREDIENTS
1 cup dry quinoa
1 large bunch parsley, finely chopped (remove long stems)
1/3 cup mint leaves, chopped
1 cup of grape or cherry tomatoes, cut in half
1/2 of a yellow or white onion, finely diced
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tbsp olive oil
1 lemon, juiced
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cracked black pepper
1/2 cup feta cheese

INSTRUCTIONS
1. Cook quinoa with 1.5 cups of water.  Allow the water to boil then reduce the heat, cover and let cook for about 10 minutes.

2. While the quinoa is cooking, mix all of the other ingredients except for the feta cheese in a large bowl.

3. When the quinoa is finished cooking, combine it with the other ingredients in the bowl.  Allow it to cool.

4. When the salad has cooled, mix in the feta cheese and serve!