Week #1 Tabouleh Salad Recipe Bonus (Sherri)

The main focus of the diet cleanup for me is to add in raw fruits and veggies, mainly by increasing the amount of green smoothies and juices that I make. So far it's been to the tune of 2 per day, which is good.

I bought myself a sprouter to grow my own sprouts. So excited!! There are different mixes of sprout seeds to get for various tastes. First batches of sprouts are growing. :)

One of my favorite salads is Tabouleh made with parsley, cilantro, and mint. I LOVE this salad and since going gluten free, have not had much luck with the gluten free options. However this week I had a Eurkea!! moment: I made the salad with quinoa and it was fantastic (recipe following below). Quinoa is a complete protein, non-gluten grain that works well in the salad because it soaks up some of the dressing and tastes fantastic. Another bonus with quinoa, is that it is a very versatile grain that can also be used elsewhere like cookies and breakfast.

Now for my Tabouleh Salad Recipe (makes a large amount)
2-3 tomatoes chopped
1 batch cooked quinoa (directions below)
1 bunch parsley leaves chopped
1 bunch cilantro chopped
1/4 to 1/2 cup mint leaves chopped (I like a good amount of mint)
1 can of garbanzo beans (chick peas) drained and rinsed well (I use a large size)

Chop tomatoes and put in a large bowl. Add the quinoa and garbanzo beans. Mix. Chop (I use kitchen scissors) and add the parsley, cilantro, and mint and mix well.
To make the dressing:
Juice 2 large lemons (citrus reamer is the best for this) for 1/2 cup juice.
Add 1/2 cup extra virgin, cold pressed olive oil
Add about 1/2 tsp granulated garlic or a few garlic cloves chopped (add to your garlic taste)

Add the dressing to the salad and mix well. Let sit in fridge for a few hours to let the flavors combine. Mix again and serve. This salad can serve nicely as a vegetarian meal (add an avocado) and keeps well.

How to cook quinoa
1/2 cup quinoa rinsed and drained
1 cup water
a bit of sea salt may be added

Put above ingredients into a medium pot, bring to boil on medium-high heat. Once boil stage has hit, turn burner down to low and simmer until water is absorbed (about 15 minutes). Once the water has pretty much been absorbed, shut burner off and let sit to completely absorb water.
Breakfast idea: quinoa + berries + nuts + maple syrup