Quinoa Tabouli

If you haven't read my blog before, you'll soon discover that I am a big fan of Mediterranean cuisine. I love savory dishes with hearty grains, fresh veggies, herbs and minimal ingredients.I had some leftover mint recently from a demo and figured I could make mint juleps (Derby weekend), or try my hand at tabouli. I was out of bulgur (and rum), but had plenty of quinoa in my pantry. Here's what resulted!Ingredients:1 cup dry quinoa1/4 cup olive oiljuice from 1 lemon1/2 tsp. sea salt1/2 cup minced mint2/3 cup minced flat parsley1 clove garlic, minced1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes (halved)1 small cucumber, sliced and cut into quartersDirections:Boil 2 cups of water, then add quinoa. Boil for ~2 minutes, then turn down to a simmer and cook another 12-14 minutes until quinoa has soaked up all the water. Fluff the quinoa with a fork and set aside to cool.In a large bowl, add minced mint and parsley, cucumbers, garlic, tomatoes and cooled quinoa.In a small bowl, whisk together olive oil, lemon juice and salt. Add dressing to quinoa mixture and toss well.Makes 6 (1 cup) servings. Nutrition facts per serving: 301 calories, 12 grams fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 9.1 grams protein, 40.5 grams carbohydrate, fiber, cholesterol, 350 mg sodium.