Grilled or Roasted Veggies on Quinoa Tabouleh

August 12, 2015

By Anna Varriano

This is a great side-dish at any time of year, but especially when farmers markets are bursting with fresh, local veggies. You can serve it warm or cold, and leftovers keep well for a few days. I recently made this dish for a family reunion of 24+. Easy to make for a big gathering! This recipe serves 6 to 8 people, depending on what else is on the table! I’ve also often served just the grilled veggies or just the quinoa tabouleh as a side dish, so this is really two recipes in one, and the instructions will be presented as such. You can get the veggies and quinoa going at the same time (if you’re a good multi-tasker!), otherwise, get the veggies done first, then make the tabouleh. If you want to serve this as a warm dish, you can keep the veggies warm in the oven or on the grill while you prepare the quinoa part. This dish is LOADED with nutrients and fibre – and it’s DELICIOUS. I hope you’ll give it a whirl!

ACT 1:

Grilled or Roasted Veggies – What You’ll Need

 

IMG_6194Start by chopping up a variety of veggies in to bite-sized pieces, enough to give you 6 to 8 cups. This time around I used:

  • broccoli
  • red & yellow bell peppers
  • red onion
  • zucchini
  • eggplant
  • mushrooms (I usually use shiitake, but the grocery store was out this time around)
  • you could also use cauliflower, asparagus, whole cherry tomatoes, turnips, squash, beets, parsnips, green beans…any veggie that would grill or roast well
  • you’ll also need some olive oil and Herbamare (or salt, pepper..whatever spices or herbs you’d like to add)

Put the chopped up veggies in to a large bowl and drizzle with enough olive oil to coat them well (around 1/8 to 1/4 of a cup). Add salt and pepper to taste if you wish. I used Herbamare

Grilled or Roasted Veggies – Cooking

IMG_6195

  • Once you have all of your veggies chopped up and tossed in oil, you can roast or grill them. I grilled them over medium heat in a grilling basket. Stir the veggies every few minutes or so to ensure they cook evenly. You don’t want to overload the basket, so depending on the size of your basket, you may need to do them in batches. Grill until the veggies start to get a bit golden, but are still crisp. Depending on your grill, this might be 10 to 15 minutes.
  • If you want to roast the veggies, preheat your oven to 200C, then spread the veggies in a single layer on a roasting pan (I would line it with parchment paper), and roast for 30 minutes or so, until veggies are tender. You’ll want to gently turn them a few times while they are roasting.

When the veggies are done, they’ll look something like this (it’ll look like less than what you started with!):

IMG_6196

Serve as is, or if you want to serve them on quinoa tabouleh, keep on reading!

ACT 2:

Quinoa Tabouleh – What You’ll Need

IMG_6203

In the above photo, the quinoa is already cooked – and I took the photo the last time I made this dish … which was to serve 24+ … but the instructions below are for serving 6 to 8!

  • 1.5 cups of uncooked quinoa
  • 3 cups of water OR chicken broth (or broth of your choice)
  • 1 bunch of Italian parsley, finely chopped (I cut off most of the stems)
  • 1/4 cup of fresh squeezed lemon juice
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • Herbamare (or salt, or whatever spices you’d like to add)

Quinoa Tabouleh – Cooking/Prepping

quinoa cooking

  • rinse the quinoa in a fine strainer/large seive to remove the saponin (the seeds natural coating that make quinoa taste a bit bitter), letting the water drain when done
  • add the drained quinoa to a saucepan with 3 cups of water or broth
  • bring to a boil, uncovered, then reduce heat to low and bring to a gentle simmer for 15 minutes
  • remove the pot from the heat, and let stand, covered, for 5 minutes. Then remove the lid and fluff up the quinoa with a fork. If there is any liquid still in the bottom of the pot, you can return the pot to low heat and cook for a few more minutes until the water is gone
  • transfer the cooked quinoa into a large mixing bowl then add the lemon juice, olive oil, parsley (reserve a few TBSP for a garnish), spices, and mix well. Give it a taste and adjust to your liking

Serve as is, or if you want to top with grilled/roasted veggies, keep on reading!

GRAND FINALE:

Assembling & Serving

IMG_6205

  • spread the quinoa tabouleh out on a large serving platter, creating a ‘nest’ for the veggies
  • spoon the grilled veggies on to the ‘nest’
  • sprinkle with reserved chopped parsley

If you’d rather serve this as a salad, then just mix the veggies and tabouleh all together, then garnish with parsley.

Enjoy!

 

 

 

 

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