Quinoa Tabouli Salad with Beans (Fasulyeli Kinoa Kisir)

Let me introduce to you a new favourite grain (technically classified as a Pseudocereal) of mine — Quinoa (pronounced Keen-wah). It's a bit like Bulgur (Cracked Wheat) but is loaded with protein, iron, & fibre. It contains other vitamins and minerals like Vitamin E, it's low GI, and gluten free. What else can you ask for?

Cooking Quinoa is easy, you need to rinse it in a sieve and let it soak for minimum 5 minutes  — however some sites recommend at least 15 minutes to an hour. Reason for soaking is so it loosens up any traces of saponin (which is usually removed in processing anyway), which can give a bitter taste.

After soaking you need to drain it, add water and simmer. When it comes to what ratio of water to cook it in, again this varies. Some recommend 1 cup quinoa to 2 cups water. You cook it on a low simmer for about 10-15 minutes. I usually use less liquid, about 1.5 cups water to 1 cup grain.

I had about a cup of quinoa left in the pantry and all the right ingredients to make a tabouli. So I figured I would make quinoa tabouli, I also threw in some beans for some extra goodness.

Again, let me stress that when I cook I don't really measure exact amounts. I toss things in and taste as I go. Here is a rough indication of what went in.

Ingredients

• Quinoa, cooked (about 1 cup)
• 1 tomato, chopped
• parsley, chopped
• spring onion,chopped
• green pepper, chopped (mild or hot)
• 2-4 tablespoons of tomato paste (I like my tabouli red, use more or less according to your taste)
• lemon juice
• handful of canned beans (4 bean mix), any beans would work
• paprika
• black pepper
• salt
• 1-2 tablespoons oil

Method

Mix all ingredients together. Feel free to mix with your hands. Easy!

Cracked Wheat (Bulgur) Pilaf with Chicken and Chickpea

A variation to the standard Bulgur Pilaf -made with Chicken and Chickpeas gives it more nutrition and chunkiness.

If you are vegetarian just omit the chicken.

Ingredients

• 1 medium onion, chopped
• Small piece chicken breast, diced
• 1/4 red capsicum, diced
• 3 small tomatoes or 2 medium tomatoes, skinned and diced
• 1 cup bulgur (cracked wheat)
• 1/2 can chickpeas
• 1 cup water
• 1 tablespoon oil
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• salt and pepper to taste

Method

1. Fry up the onion in the oil, once wilted add in your chicken breast and cook until brown.
2. Add capsicum and cook while stirring on medium heat.
3. Next goes in the washed cracked wheat and water. Add in your tomato paste.
4. Cook on low heat for about 10 minutes.
5. Finally before you take it off the heat add in your canned chickpeas and seasonings and give it a good mix. Let it simmer for a few more minutes until all the water has evapourated.
6. Close the lid on your pot so the flavours absorb into one another.

Cracked Wheat Salad (Tabouli)

Finally I have gotten around to making my signature tabouli...just gotta put up the recipe.. Here is the pic though! I'm not too happy with the picture, but it will have to do for now.

A month or so later......

The base recipe that I am providing is for approximately 4 people. If you want to make more, measure 1/2 cup extra per person and just increase the remainder of the vege ingredients.

Now be warned - I never make tabouli to a specific formula. It always depends on how many people I am making it for and I usually just taste it at the end and add in whatever else I think is needed. The recipe below is a good basis to start with. You may need to adjust it.

Ingredients (4 Person)

2 cups cracked wheat
3-4 Tomatoes, diced
1 Onion, diced
Small bunch Spring onions (if on hand and if you prefer - not essential)
1 bunch parsley
1-2 Chillies, diced
2-3 tablespoons tomato paste
1 tablespoon red pepper powder
2 tablespoons Oil
Salt and pepper
1 1/2 cups Boiled Water
2 lemons, juiced

Method

1. Add hot water to the cracked wheat and mix, let it stand, cover the top of the bowl so the cracked wheat softens.
2. Chop up all the vege ingredients and add to the mix.
3. Add in seasonings and tomato paste.
4. Wash your hands well and then use them to mix and squish the ingredients together like you are kneading dough. (You can use spoons to mix but this method is better.)
5. Taste test before serving - you may need to add in more lemon juice, oil, salt, more tomatoes or parsley depending on what you think it is missing.
6. Serve with lettuce leaves, Pohca (Cheese pastries)...yummo.

Easy Red Lentil Soup - Chunky Style (Kolay Kirmizi Mercimek Corbasi)

There are so many ways to make lentil soup.... I make this when I feel like having a chunky style soup. Enjoy with lots of lemon :)

Ingredients

• 1 cup red lentils, picked and washed
• 1 cup chicken stock (optional)
• 7 cups water
• 1 onion, diced
• 3-4 tablespoons tomato paste
• salt
• vegetable oil

Method:

1. Pick through the lentils to ensure there are no stones, and wash a few times in water until the water runs clear.

2. Then place the lentils in water and leave it to boil. As the lentils boil, you will notice foam build up at the top of the pan, keep scooping this foam off with a big spoon until the lentils boil. Once boiled, turn off the heat and let the lentils sink to the bottom of the pan. The reason for this is its easier to drain some of the water without losing the lentils. So drain some of the water off the top and refill with hot water and let the lentils boil.

3. In a separate pan, heat up some vegetable oil and fry up the onions, add some hot water to the tomato paste so its runny then add this into the onion mixture.

4. Add the onion mixture to the lentils and mix. Add your salt.

5. Blend the soup if you wish.

6. When serving squeeze some lemon juice and enjoy with crusty bread.

Hummus

I got this recipe from the Exclusively Food website. They suggest making this dip one day earlier so the flavours develop. I modified this recipe according to my taste buds - I like my hummus quite garlicky and lemony.

Ingredients

400g canned chickpeas, drained
salt to taste
3 medium cloves garlic, peel and mince
Juice of one lemon (you may need more depending on how juicy the lemon is)
2 tablespoons oil
2 tablespoons tahini
2.5 tablespoons water

Method

Blend all ingredients together in a food processor until well combined. Easy!! You will need to taste it and see if you need to add any more garlic or lemon juice depending on how you like it.

Cracked Wheat (Bulgur) Pilaf

Ingredients

1 onion, diced
2 green chilli peppers (omit if you don't like chilli or you can substitute with red capsicum), diced
4 ripe Tomatoes, peeled and diced
1/2 cup cracked wheat (bulgur), washed
2 tablespoons Canola Oil (Olive oil if you prefer)
2 cups hot water
1 cube chicken stock powder, or use chicken stock if on hand (optional)

Method

1. Sweat the onion and peppers in the oil, add the tomatoes and cook on low heat crushing the tomatoes as you cook it.

2. Pour in the hot water and boil up the tomatoes, then turn the flame to low heat and add in the bulgur, let it simmer for 10 minutes.

3. Finally mix in the chicken stock powder and season with salt. I don't like my bulgur pilav too dry so i turn off the heat when its a little juicy.

I usually serve this dish with some chicken. In this instance I marinated some chicken drumsticks and potatoes with paprika,olive oil, salt and pepper and cooked in an oven bag for 1.5 hours at 180c.