Author Notes: Lebanese food holds a very special place in my heart. This tabbouleh, though not quite traditional, has all the parsley lemony goodness of the original but dials the nutrition factor up a bit with the addition of kale and quinoa. I love this salad and all the wonderful people I think of when I eat it. —lisina
Food52 Review: Kale tabbouleh, who’d have thought? This delightful rendition amps up the nutrition of traditional tabbouleh without sacrificing, or altering, the herby, lemony flavors we all love. Everything came together in a bite that was as tasty right out of the bowl as it was after a night in the fridge and some time in the car. I used millet instead of quinoa because it was what I had on hand. The kale came from our garden and I am looking forward to making this recipe many times this summer to help us deal with a bumper crop! —lmikkel
Serves: 6 to 8
Ingredients
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1
bunch curly parsley (or 2 if the bunch is small)
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1/2
bunch curly kale
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1
pint grape tomatoes, halved lengthwise
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2
persian cucumbers or 1/2 english cucumber, diced
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1
shallot, finely diced
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1/4
cup quinoa
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1/4
cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
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1/4
cup good extra virgin olive oil
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Salt to taste
Directions
- Cook the quinoa as directed, then set aside to cool.
- Wash the parsley and gather it back into a bunch. Starting at the leafy top, cut perpendicular to the stems in 1/2- or 1/4-inch cuts until you reach the point where there’s nothing left but stems. Discard the stems. You will have a large, fluffy pile of parsley on your cutting board. There will be some stems in there too, but it’s ok.
- Repeat step 2 with the kale.
- Chop the pile of greens on your board with a knife or cleaver until the pieces of parsley and kale are no larger than 1/4 inch. It should be pretty fine, but you don’t want it to turn into a paste.
- Move your greens to a large mixing bowl and toss with the remaining ingredients. Mix well. The salad can be eaten right away, or kept in the fridge for up to three days. If you make it in advance, toss the salad again before serving to redistribute the juices.
- You can eat the salad on its own, or with some grilled bread or other mezze.
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Photo by James Ransom
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