Spinach Quinoa Tabbouleh

Did you know that you can sometimes substitute spinach, kale or Swiss chard for parsley? Well, apparently, you can.

I tried making kale pesto a while back and loved it (though I have yet to post about it). This week’s Shabbos salad was a tabbouleh-like mix of tomatoes, cucumbers, quinoa and finely minced baby spinach. Right before serving, I tossed in some diced avocado.

The original recipe was a cilantro chickpea salad from Heather’s Dish that was spotted on Oh She Glows by Arielle of The Diva Dish who added in quinoa, avocado, lemon juice and cherry tomatoes to make Lemon Quinoa Cilantro Chickpea Salad. I went back to lime juice, added in cucumbers, and removed the cilantro to make a kind of tabbouleh.

Last week, my husband said the farro salad was the best salad ever, and now his vote is for the tabbouleh. So light, so refreshing, so perfect for summer.

Spinach Quinoa TabboulehAdapted from The Diva Dish’s Lemon Quinoa Cilantro Chickpea Salad. I used a pilaf that was half brown rice and half quinoa, but the all quinoa works, too, obviously.

1-2 cups cooked quinoa (can also use part cooked quinoa and part cooked brown rice)
6 ounces baby spinach, minced finely (food processor ideal for this)
1-2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved (use most of a pint-sized box)
1 shallot, minced (scallions would work here, too)
2 cloves garlic (or 1 large clove), minced
1 English cucumber, diced
14.5 ounce can chickpeas, drained and rinsed (about 2 cups)
juice 2 limes (or 1 lemon)
2 tsp. Dijon mustard
2 tsp. olive oil
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
salt, pepper, to taste
1 large or 2 small avocados, diced

Combine everything, except avocado. Right before serving, toss in the avocado.

Optional: try adding in a sprinkle of zata’ar or a handful of chopped mint. Dill might be very nice, too, instead of the mint. And, yes, if you like cilantro (which was in the original recipe), you could use that instead.

Tags: grains, quinoa, salad, summer salads, tabbouleh