Monday. The constant that is every week. During the pandemic, I have to admit that the idea of cooking and meal planning has gotten a little less exciting. Is it shopping for 2-3 meals a day? Is it missing restaurants? I don’t know. All I have to say is thank goodness for takeout!
Lunch can be the meal that is the hardest for me. While I am used to cooking for myself (usually leftovers), making sure there is food that the rest of the family likes to eat can be challenging since they are not quite as leftover happy as I am. This Quinoa Tabbouleh Salad is a light dinner or side dish that is great for the next few days as leftovers. You can eat it plain or with falafel or gilled meat, add feta cheese instead of halloumi, stuff it in a pita to make a sandwich or even eat it for breakfast with an egg, which I personally do quite often.
There is a fair bit of chopping with this, but the flavor you get from the fresh herbs is really worth it. And the only cooking you need to do is making the quinoa (which is pretty hands off), grilling the halloumi and toasting the pita if you choose to serve it with that.
The halloumi is best eaten fresh so we usually finish that the first night, but no one will stop you if you want to make a fresh batch for the leftovers! Crumbled or cubed feta is also an excellent addition as well.
This is one of those recipes that scream for adjustments. Add more tomatoes if you like them better than cucumbers. A little chopped red onion instead of the green onions works well. Some chopped bell pepper is also nice, and I am thinking Kalamata olives might be a great addition, too. Some grilled chicken, beef or lamb could also work well for meat eaters.
Have fun with this one and let me know what variation you like the best!
Quinoa Tabbouleh Salad with Grilled Halloumi
Ingredients
- 1 cup uncooked quinoa rinsed very well
- 1 ¾ cups water
- 1 ¼ tsp Kosher salt, divided
- 1 cup cucumber (or to taste) unpeeled, seeds removed, small diced
- 1 ½ cups cherry tomatoes (quartered) seeds partially removed and drained in a colander
- 1 cup green onions (sliced) green and white parts
- 1 cup flat leaf (Italian) parsley finely chopped
- ½ cup mint leaves finely chopped
- 1 ½ tsp Kosher salt (divided)
- 3 T lemon juice
- 3 T extra virgin olive oil
- ½ tsp Baharat seasoning (optional) can substitute equal parts paprika, cumin and cinnamon OR ground cumin.
- ½ tsp ground black pepper
- 1 package halloumi or feta cheese cut into ¼ inch slices
- 4 pita breads (small) can substitute 2 large pitas
Instructions
- Rinse quinoa well in a fine wire mesh strainer for at least 1 minute. Drain and place in a medium saucepan. Add 1 ¾ cups water and ¼ tsp salt and bring to a boil. Cover the pot and reduce the heat to medium. Cook for 12 to 15 minutes until the liquid is mostly absorbed. Remove from heat and cover the top with a clean cloth dish towel. Replace the top and let the quinoa sit to steam for another 10 minutes. Fluff with a fork.
- While the quinoa is cooking, prepare all the vegetables, herbs and other ingredients. Begin with the cherry tomatoes, removing some of the seeds and placing them in a colander to drain while you chop the remaining ingredients.
- Combine the quinoa, veggies, 1 tsp salt, ½ tsp pepper (or to taste), ½ tsp Baharat seasoning, lemon juice and olive oil. Toss gently to combine. Taste and season to taste with additional lemon juice, salt, pepper and Baharat.
- Cut halloumi in ¼ inch slices. Heat a non stick skillet over medium high heat. Grill cheese in the pan until browned on each side and warmed through.
- Serve salad with grilled halloumi and toasted pita bread.