If you’re looking for a different kind of salad for your buffet table for those upcoming Christmas parties, here’s an alternative that is not only quick and easy – it’s gluten free as well. So many people are switching these days that it’s important to include some gluten free dishes at your gatherings so they’re not left wondering what to eat. There was a time when we had to remember to include vegetarian dishes but that is slowly becoming the norm and now folks are watching the ingredients carefully so as not to include too many preservatives. I love that! One of the reasons I started this blog was to convince others that eating fresh can be easy so it’s a very exciting time with food.
There are many varieties of Tabbouleh (I almost titled this post, ‘Tabbouleh Sorta’) and if I was being true to it’s origins, I should have used much more parsley/cilantro but I just wasn’t in the mood for it. That’s what is great about this dish. You can change up the ingredients you use each time. If you want to ‘winterize’ your salad, include some roasted red peppers and zucchini. If you’re in a rush, use the jarred ones and you’ll have this dish ready to go in under 20 minutes. I included some bean sprouts in there as well and I think water chestnuts could make for an interesting taste and presentation. I also used quinoa instead of bulger to keep it gluten free.
The original Tabbouleh comes from Lebanon and Syria and consists of bulger, tomatoes, cucumbers, parsley, mint, garlic, and onion and seasoned with olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper. It is included as part of the mezze – a selection of small dishes served before the start of a larger meal.
I loved this dish the first time I tasted it and it’s a great source of Vitamin C, Vitamin A and Iron. You can make this recipe true to it’s origins or put your own stamp on it for your guests. This is a dish that can be served year round and comes together in just a few minutes. Give it a try – I’d love to hear how you make your own version of this very popular dish in Middle Eastern cuisine.
- Quinoa
- 1 cup organic vegetable stock
- 1 cup finely chopped cilantro
- 3 roma tomatoes
- 1/2 cucumber, sliced thinly
- 1 Serrano chile pepper, diced finely
- 1/2 cup shredded carrots
- 1 bell pepper, finely diced (red, yellow or orange)
- handful of bean sprouts
- 4 green onions, chopped
- 1 stick of celery, finely diced
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 3 limes – 1/2 cup fresh lime juice for seasoning. Use remaining for presentation.
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Cook quinoa with vegetable stock and set aside to cool while preparing veggies.
- Add veggies and mix well. Season with olive oil, salt, pepper, and lime juice.
- Garnish with cilantro and lemon wedges.
PIN IT!
29 Comments
Mindy
December 4, 2013 at 12:40 pmI have never eaten this before, let alone cooked it. Looks wonderful and our vegetarian daughter would definitely like it! Hope you are having a great week friend!
Robyn
December 6, 2013 at 12:36 pmI love this, Mindy, because it’s so easy and fresh.
My week has been great and I loved your post on Christmas. Talk to you soon.
Linda
December 5, 2013 at 12:00 amThis is a new recipe for me too. Very healthy and colorful. Miss you sweet friend. i hope you aren’t working too hard. xoxo
Robyn
December 6, 2013 at 12:37 pmHiya WonderWoman,
I hope you try this – I really think you’d like it. Planning on connecting this weekend if you’re around.
xoxo
Nina
December 5, 2013 at 11:24 amDear Robyn,
My vegetarian daughter will love this colorful salad.
I wish you a very pleasant week.
Beijinhos
Robyn
December 6, 2013 at 2:06 pmI’m so glad you like it, Nina. Thanks for visiting. xoxo
Nancy P.@thebittersideofsweet
December 5, 2013 at 3:42 pmThis could easily become a new favorite dish! Thanks for linking to Less Laundry, More Linking party!
Robyn
December 6, 2013 at 2:06 pmAlways a pleasure to join your party, Nancy. Thanks for stopping by!
Sarah & Arkadi
December 5, 2013 at 9:49 pmGreat looking tabbouleh!
Robyn
December 6, 2013 at 2:07 pmThanks, Sarah and Arkadi, and thanks for visiting. Off to check out your blog right now. Have a great weekend.
jugglingrealfoodandreallife
December 6, 2013 at 3:41 pmHi Robyn! I’m stopping in from Let’s Get Real today. It is an exciting time in the food world. There are more and more foods without junky ingredients each time I go to my grocery store. It’s a great time to cook as a family and make the family dinner important again. You are right about needing gluten-free choices. Most of us need an education on what that really means so that we can be better hostesses. This looks like a fantastic recipe. I love all the colors you included.
Gabrielle
December 6, 2013 at 9:55 pmThis looks amazing!! I still haven’t found a way to cook quinoa that my husband will enjoy, so this might just be the right recipe.
Robyn
December 9, 2013 at 5:35 pmLol, I think lots of men are resistant to it, Gabrielle. We just have to keep trying!
Diane (@SimpleLivingEat)
December 8, 2013 at 5:11 pmGreat idea it is festive and gluten-free and a lot more interesting than just a plain green salad. Thanks for bringing it by foodie friday.
Robyn
December 9, 2013 at 5:33 pmThanks, Diane. Hope your week is off to a good start.
Ai Lin Leow
December 9, 2013 at 3:45 pmHi, this looks so fresh and appetising, definitely something I am going to put on my meal plan!
Robyn
December 9, 2013 at 5:35 pmHi Ai Lin,
Thanks so much for visiting and for your kind comments. I’m off to visit your blog!
Roula aldemir
December 9, 2013 at 4:27 pmMy dear friend i m so sorry to tell you that although your salad looks very delicious unfortunately it doesn’t look like the original Lebanese tabouleh. I will sent you a real photo of how tabouleh looks like. Best regards…
Joyce @ It's Your Life
December 12, 2013 at 7:18 pmI love new recipes, and pinning this one to my quinoa board. Thanks for sharing on Real Food Fridays, please join us again tonight at 7 central time.
Robyn
December 13, 2013 at 8:56 amThanks for the pin and the visit, Joyce! I’ll be there with bells on.
The DIY Homegirl
December 12, 2013 at 11:55 pmHopped over from the Frugal Crafty Home link party… your dish looks so bright and yummy! I’ve not tried tabbouli outside its original recipe, but yours looks like a great variation!
Robyn
December 13, 2013 at 8:59 amThanks so much for your visit, Homegirl. I like to change up recipes depending on my mood and I was happy with this outcome. Off to visit your blog!
dadriscoll
December 14, 2013 at 7:55 amRobyn, this looks so pretty and light to accompany party menus this holiday season. I can’t wait to try it. Thanks for sharing at Silver Pennies Sundays! x
Robyn
December 23, 2013 at 3:11 amThanks so much, Danielle. It was a real pleasure to be included on your weekly favourites!
Silver Pennies Sundays Link Party & Features (48)
January 2, 2014 at 7:49 pm[…] is a really healthy side dish you can put out for Christmas guests. This one by Robyn over at Simply Fresh Dinners looks amazing. This farmhouse dresser by Melanie over at Lost & Found is so sweet. […]
linda
September 17, 2015 at 10:28 ami was interested in this recipe as in the pic it shows quinoa but you say keeping it g.f by using couscous which isnt g.f. typo maybe.
Robyn
September 18, 2015 at 7:07 amOh my goodness, Linda, thanks for the heads up. I used quinoa and I see that I called it quinoa in the ingredients portion but not in the directions. I also called it couscous in the post! Thanks so much for pointing it out. Will fix it now 🙂
I hope you try this, it’s delicious 🙂
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linda martin
September 17, 2015 at 10:29 amsorry but couscous is not glutenfree.
Robyn
September 18, 2015 at 7:09 amMy mistake, Linda, I used quinoa. I guess my head was in the clouds when I typed out the recipe. As you can see in the pic, it’s quinoa 🙂 My apologies for the confusion.
Robyn recently posted…Knife Maintenance 101