Kiwi Quinoa Tabbouleh
Tabbouleh is one of those magnificent chopped salads that’s very forgiving if you swap an element out. As long as you have the crunch from Lebanese cucumber, the juiciness of tomato, and the fresh burst of parsley, you’re onto a winner. NZ-grown quinoa makes a nice change from the traditional bulgur wheat, and the halloumi can be omitted to make this dish vegan.
Ingredients
5 cups water
1 Tbsp vegetable stock paste
1 cup Kiwi Quinoa, rinsed well
150g Grinning Gecko halloumi
1 bunch curly leaf parsley, very finely chopped
2 large tomatoes diced
2 Lebanese cucumbers, diced
1/2 red onion, finely diced
2 Tbsp pomegranate arils
1 Tbsp toasted Pinoli pine nuts
For the dressing:
1/3 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup olive oil
1 Tbsp pomegranate molasses
1 tsp sumac
Method
Bring water to the boil, stir in stock and add quinoa. Cook at a gentle boil for around 20 mins. Drain and cool
Slice halloumi block into 3 pieces about 2cm thick. Heat a cast iron pan, add a little olive oil to coat and fry halloumi slices for a few mins on each side until golden. Remove from pan, cool and slice into cubes
Combine cooled quinoa, parsley, tomato, cucumber, red onion, pomegranate arils, grilled halloumi. Combine dressing ingredients and season with salt and pepper. Toss through salad, scatter over pine nuts and serve