I was never a fan of Tabboulehย when I was growing up. ย My Dad always tried to convince me to eat it whenever he bought us kebabs but I was having none of it. ย Just plain iceberg lettuce for this little duck, thank you very much! ย And you can keep that strange hummus stuff, too!

Thankfully, things change. ย Now that I’m a daredevilย hummus-and-herbal-tea-loving vegan, I decided to live a little and give it another try.

I steered clear of the dreaded curly-leaf parsley used to garnish every plate until the 1990s and opted instead for flat-leaf, continental parsley. ย I also switched bulgur wheat to healthier and gluten-free quinoa.

And the verdict? ย Oh my WOW, why did I wait so long? ย So simple, refreshing and delicious,ย I made it on Tuesday and haven’t stopped eating (and talking about) it all week!

Enjoy it as a Mezze Platter dinner with toasted pita bread triangles, or pack it up in a lunchbox. ย I did both! ย Together with fresh hummus and falafel, it makes an amazingly simple and tasty meal.

Don’t you hate it when Dads are right?

 

ย 

 

Quinoa Tabbouleh

Rebecca Weller - Vegan Sparkles
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes
Servings 4

Ingredients
  

  • 1/2 cup quinoa rinsed
  • 1 cup water
  • 1 1/2 cup parsley leaves chopped
  • 2 tbsp mint leaves chopped
  • 4 spring onions chopped
  • 1 small Lebanese cucumber chopped
  • 1 small punnet cherry tomatoes quartered

Dressing

  • 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
  • 2 lemons juiced
  • 1 tbsp tamari
  • Dash of cayenne pepper
  • Pinch of sea salt & cracked black pepper

Instructions
 

  • In a small saucepan, simmer quinoa and water until the quinoa absorbs all the water.
  • In a large bowl, combine parsley, mint, spring onion, cucumber and tomatoes.
  • Allow quinoa to cool a little and then add it to the salad bowl. Mix well.
  • In a small bowl, combine dressing ingredients. Dress salad immediately before serving.

 

 

Hummus

Rebecca Weller - Vegan Sparkles
Prep Time 5 minutes
Total Time 5 minutes
Servings 4

Ingredients
  

  • 400 g tin organic chickpeas drained and rinsed
  • 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 tbsp tahini
  • 2 tbsp water
  • 6 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • 1/4 tsp sea salt
  • Pinch of cumin
  • Pinch of cayenne pepper
  • 1 clove garlic crushed

Instructions
 

  • Combine all ingredients in a food processor or high-speed blender and blend until smooth and creamy.
  • Transfer to a bowl, sprinkle with ground paprika or dukkah (optional) and serve.

 

15 Comments on Egyptian Mezze Platter – Hummus and Quinoa Tabbouleh

  1. Gabby @ the veggie nook
    November 9, 2012 at 7:50 pm (11 years ago)

    Beautiful dinner Bex! Want to come over here and cook for me? ๐Ÿ˜‰

    • * Vegan Sparkles *
      November 12, 2012 at 4:45 pm (11 years ago)

      hehe, sure thing, Gabby! ๐Ÿ™‚

  2. Sophie
    November 10, 2012 at 3:00 am (11 years ago)

    I love very bite & everydish in this lovely mezze platter! I love quinoa tabbouleh but my hubby doesn’t! So, I will eat this mezze platter when he is out! MMM!

    • * Vegan Sparkles *
      November 12, 2012 at 4:46 pm (11 years ago)

      haha, perfect! More for you. ๐Ÿ˜‰

  3. InTolerant Chef
    November 13, 2012 at 6:26 pm (11 years ago)

    What a lovely meal indeed! I actually much prefer flat leaf parsley too, even though my Dad grew curly leaf parsley commercially for years ๐Ÿ™‚ Home made hummus is always better than shop bought too, isn’t it? Yummo!

    • * Vegan Sparkles *
      November 14, 2012 at 11:23 am (11 years ago)

      Absolutely! I can’t stop eating it! Somebody STOP ME, aaarrrggggggg ๐Ÿ™‚

  4. Shruti Nargundkar
    November 14, 2012 at 3:11 pm (11 years ago)

    Lovely! I have been toying with the idea of a quinoa tabbouleh for a while and you did it! ๐Ÿ™‚

    • * Vegan Sparkles *
      November 15, 2012 at 11:16 am (11 years ago)

      Oooh, great minds think alike! ๐Ÿ™‚ It’s incredible!

  5. Somer
    November 15, 2012 at 1:57 am (11 years ago)

    Dads are totally right ๐Ÿ˜‰ I make a quinoa tabbouleh on my site too, but my quinoa ratio is much higher! I love yours with more green Yummy stuff Bex!

    • * Vegan Sparkles *
      November 15, 2012 at 11:17 am (11 years ago)

      Ohhh great minds think alike, Somer! ๐Ÿ™‚

  6. LindsayisVegan
    November 17, 2012 at 1:21 am (11 years ago)

    Yummy! I want to make some of that right now!

    • * Vegan Sparkles *
      December 11, 2012 at 4:47 pm (11 years ago)

      Get some, get some! ๐Ÿ™‚

  7. Ilena
    December 11, 2012 at 1:03 am (11 years ago)

    Hey Rebecca,

    Just found you through VBU. This looks amazing, and it seems as though we have similar tastes. I just made quinoa tabbouleh not long ago!

    Growing up I hated mushrooms, now I’m obsessed with them. Funny how things change, isn’t it?

    • * Vegan Sparkles *
      December 11, 2012 at 4:28 pm (11 years ago)

      Welcome, Ilena. ๐Ÿ™‚ And yes, it is SO funny, isn’t it? I never liked tea before either and now I get grumpy if I don’t have at least two herbal cups per day.

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