Red Lentil - Quinoa Tabbouleh

• 1 cup red lentils (These are much smaller than green lentils and cook much faster)
• 1 cup quinoa, rinsed in cold water (quinoa has a coating of bitter saponins that needs to be rinsed off)
• 1.5 cups water
• 1 small bunch of scallions (whatever "small" means to you)
• 1 medium bunch of parsley (again, size is relative)
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil (give or take)
• 2 Tbsp. lemon juice (give or take)
• Salt to taste

Since my workplace is a 24-hour facility, we generally do staff potluck whenever we're working a holiday. Because one of my techs is on a severely restricted diet, I made this tabbouleh variation that was okay for her to eat and turned out really good. It's good for people on gluten-free and vegetarian or vegan diets and very nutritious. It also tastes great!

Boil the water and add the quinoa and red lentils (You could use green lentils, also, but they should be cooked separately, due to their longer cooking time). Cover, turn off heat, and walk away for 15-20 minutes, or until the water has been absorbed. Transfer to a bowl, chop the scallions and parsley and fold in. Add the olive oil and lemon juice and fold in, and salt to taste. Vigorous stirring can make it mushy, particularly when the grains are warm, so a gentle hand is best. Can be served warm or cold, though I generally prefer it cold.

Serving Size: makes approximately 12 servings

Number of Servings: 12

Recipe submitted by SparkPeople user MVASSEY.