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

Thankfully, things change.  Now that I’m a daredevil 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.  I also switched bulgur wheat to healthier and gluten-free quinoa.

And the verdict?  Oh my WOW, why did I wait so long?  So simple, refreshing and delicious, 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.  I did both!  Together with fresh hummus and falafel, it makes an amazingly simple and tasty meal.

Don’t you hate it when Dads are right?

 

 

 

Quinoa Tabbouleh

Rebecca Weller - Vegan Sparkles
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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
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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 (13 years ago)

    Beautiful dinner Bex! Want to come over here and cook for me? 😉

    • * Vegan Sparkles *
      November 12, 2012 at 4:45 pm (13 years ago)

      hehe, sure thing, Gabby! 🙂

  2. Sophie
    November 10, 2012 at 3:00 am (13 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 (13 years ago)

      haha, perfect! More for you. 😉

  3. InTolerant Chef
    November 13, 2012 at 6:26 pm (13 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 🙂 Home made hummus is always better than shop bought too, isn’t it? Yummo!

    • * Vegan Sparkles *
      November 14, 2012 at 11:23 am (13 years ago)

      Absolutely! I can’t stop eating it! Somebody STOP ME, aaarrrggggggg 🙂

  4. Shruti Nargundkar
    November 14, 2012 at 3:11 pm (13 years ago)

    Lovely! I have been toying with the idea of a quinoa tabbouleh for a while and you did it! 🙂

    • * Vegan Sparkles *
      November 15, 2012 at 11:16 am (13 years ago)

      Oooh, great minds think alike! 🙂 It’s incredible!

  5. Somer
    November 15, 2012 at 1:57 am (13 years ago)

    Dads are totally right 😉 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 (13 years ago)

      Ohhh great minds think alike, Somer! 🙂

  6. LindsayisVegan
    November 17, 2012 at 1:21 am (13 years ago)

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

  7. Ilena
    December 11, 2012 at 1:03 am (12 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 (12 years ago)

      Welcome, Ilena. 🙂 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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