Quinoa-Kale Tabouli

Tabloui (Tabbouleh) traditionally contains bulgur wheat, parsley, mint, tomatoes, and onion, dressed with lemon juice and olive oil. More likely than not, if I'm making Tabouli, it's the red version - Eetch. At some point, while trying to find more uses for Quinoa, I replaced the bulgur in Eetch with Quinoa, and it went over very well. Although I noticed the difference in texture, most people didn't notice anything different at all. It's been a while since I did anything with Quinoa, and we all know by now that I love Kale, so I decided to try incorporating the two into a new version of Tabouli.

INGREDIENTS :

1 c quinoa

2 c water, broth, or a combination

2 c finely chopped kale

1/2 c finely chopped mint

1 c finely chopped sweet onion

12 oz mixed grape tomatoes, diced (or 2-3 lg)

2 small lemons (zest and juice)

3 T olive oil

salt and pepper

1. Bring the liquid (I used chicken broth) to a boil and stir in the quinoa. Reduce to a simmer for about 20" until the quinoa unfurls and the liquid is absorbed. Fluff with a fork and set aside.
2. You don't have to be fanatical about the amounts when it comes to the kale and mint, so feel free to throw them together in your food processor and run until fine. Two cups of kale for me amounted to 6 large leaves, stalks removed, and I used one whole bunch of mint, but size varies with brand/market.
3. You can run your onion through the food processor as well, but from a visual perspective, I prefer it hand diced.
4. For the tomatoes, again, just for visual reasons, I like to mix it up to include some slices and some diced.
5. When the quinoa has cooled, stir in the greens, onion, and zest from the lemons, then gently fold in the tomatoes.
6. Whisk together the olive oil and lemon juice with about a half teaspoon each of salt and pepper.
7. Pour the dressing over the top, then chill to allow the flavors to come together.
8. Fluff with a fork before serving with crackers, lettuce leaves, pita wedges, etc.

Although not included in a traditional Tabouli, if you like, try adding some finely-diced cucumber as well.