
Lentil quinoa tabbouleh
Eaten on it's own or as a side dish with chicken, tabbouleh is a fresh and healthy salad packed with colour and flavour. I’ve added brown lentils to this classic salad and swapped the usual burghul wheat (cracked wheat) for quinoa. You can vary the ingredients but flat-leaved parsley, mint and tomatoes are always present.

lets get
cooking
- 1/2 cup quinoa, tri-coloured
- 1 cup (approx.) boiling water
- 1 cup (75g) cooked brown lentils
- 1 bunch parsley, roughly chopped (about 2 cups)
- 1 bunch mint, roughly chopped (about 1 cup)
- 1 punnet (200g) cherry tomatoes or 2 tomatoes, diced
- 1 cucumber, sliced
- 3 spring onions (shallots), finely sliced diagonally
- 1/4 cup lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- Finely grated zest of 1 lemon
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed
- Freshly-ground black pepper

- Place the quinoa in a large bowl and add just enough boiling water to cover. Allow to stand for 15 minutes.
- Drain the quinoa, if necessary, and return it to the bowl.
- Stir in the lentils, parsley, mint, tomatoes, cucumber and spring onions. Add the dressing, then toss well. Chill, covered, until required.
To make the lemon-oil dressing
In a small jar or bowl, combine the lemon juice, oil, zest, garlic and pepper. Shake or whisk well to combine.
Option: add 2 cups cooked diced chicken to make this more of a meal
