Texas Tabbouleh

I’ve spent the better part of the afternoon sweeping up roly poly and cricket carcasses around the house. For some weird reason, my house has turned into a bug graveyard. This dead bug explosion has driven me to the brink.

There are also dead little black beetles everywhere. EVERYWHERE.

I have no clue what they are or where they are coming from….but sweeping up dead little beetles is so very, very annoying.

After thoroughly cleaning my floors (and thoroughly being grossed out), I decided to start my fusion night dinner.

What is a fusion night dinner?

Ya know, where you combine multiple different cuisines into one. I made some chicken banh mi tacos (recipe forthcoming) and a Tex-Mex tabbouleh. Both recipes were excellent, but this “tabbouleh” truly was the star. I had found the recipe in a new issue of Taste of Home, and after putting my own spin on it I was immediately smitten.

If you’re unfamiliar with tabbouleh, it’s a type of Middle Eastern salad made with bulgur, lots of chopped up parsley, and tomatoes. I subbed out the bulgur for quinoa, since I had some in my pantry. To make it more Tex-Mex-y, the parsley is switched out for cilantro—- and then you throw in every vegetable you can think of, just about: tomatoes, jalapeno, red & green bell pepper, red & green onion, and black-eyed peas.

Um, is there anything better black-eyed peas?

I guess there are a lot of things better than black-eyed peas…but still. They’re so yum.

This salad is a refreshing side dish for those hot summer days. So it’s basically perfect for right now, if you live in the South like I do. Get you some queso fresco to top it with and you’ll be munching on this salad in no time.

Texas Tabbouleh

• Servings: 6-8
• Time: 30 mins
• Difficulty: Easy
• Print

A zesty quinoa salad made with jalapeno, cilantro, tomato, black-eyed peas, peppers & onions.

Ingredients

• 1 cup quinoa
• 2 cups water
• 2 roma tomatoes, chopped
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped
• 1 green bell pepper, chopped
• 1 red onion, diced
• 3 green onions, sliced thin
• 1 jalapeno, diced
• 1/2 bunch cilantro, chopped (about 1/2 cup)
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 can black-eyed peas, drained
• 1/4 cup lime juice
• 2 TBS. olive oil
• salt and pepper
• 1/2 cup queso fresco crumbles

Directions

1. In a medium saucepan, combine quinoa with water and heat to boiling. Reduce heat to a simmer and cover, cook for 15-20 minutes or until water is evaporated and quinoa is done. Let cool completely.
2. In a large bowl, combined the tomatoes, bell peppers, red onion, jalapeno, garlic, and green onion. Add cilantro and black-eyed peas and stir to combine. Add lime juice, olive oil, salt and pepper to taste, and stir until everything is well combined.
3. Add cooled quinoa and queso fresco crumbles. Stir. Serve cold.

Step-By-Step Instructions

In a medium saucepan, combine quinoa with water and heat to boiling. Reduce heat to a simmer, cover, and cook for 15-20 minutes or until water is evaporated and quinoa is cooked. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine the tomatoes, peppers, red onion, jalapeno, green onions, and garlic. Stir.

Add cilantro and black-eyed peas to the bowl. Stir in lime juice, olive oil, salt and pepper to taste. Make sure everything is well combined.

Add quinoa and queso fresco crumbles and stir well. Serve cold.

P.S.—no bugs were killed during the making of this salad.

Sorry to gross you guys out, yet again.

(Recipe adapted from Taste of Home)