Tabbouleh with Quinoa

*Enter on my blog to win a fabulous giveaway, including Bertolli frozen foods, St. Supery wine, and a KitchenAid Countertop Oven, thanks to Bertolli and Ogilvy PR.

Yesterday, our 4.5-year-old dribbled an invisible basketball across our wood floor. He refused to pass it, and so our 2.5-year-old sat down and cried.

“Here’s one for you,” I said to our 2.5-year-old, pretending to pass him a ball.

“That’s not an invisible basketball,” he cried, because, for him, an invisible basketball only exists if his brother says it does. Ah, the power of the first born.

“Please pass it to him,” I said, feeling a bit silly. But I was slowly losing it listening to the crying.

“But I had it first,” our 4.5-year-old said.

Really? It’s invisible, people! (Admittedly, at that point, even I could see the basketball.)

Things went downhill from there.

So for dinner I made Tabbouleh using quinoa. It’s a quick, easy recipe, that tastes a lot better than you’d expect, considering the minimal effort you put into it. And it’s a great way to use up the leftover veggies in your fridge. Plus, you can make it ahead and store it in your refrigerator.

Tabbouleh with quinoa, adapted from The Food Network:

• 2 cups water
• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
• 1 cup quinoa (or bulghur)
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup red onions
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 1 cup diced veggies (carrots, cucumber, broccoli, tomatoes, whatever!)
• 2 tablespoons fresh mint (optional)
• 1 tablespoon parsley
• 1/2 teaspoon allspice
• 1/4 cup pine nuts (optional)
• salt, to taste

Boil two cups of water, turn the heat to a simmer, and then pour the quinoa in.  Stir occasionally. When it absorbs the moisture, let it cool in a serving dish.

Then, add all of the rest of the ingredients, stir, and refrigerate.

This post is a part of Real Food Wednesday.

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