Lebanese style Tabbouleh - Gluten Free With Quinoa & Cauliflower

This fresh tasting Tabbouleh makes a light meal or a refreshing snack/starter; offer with other wonderful Middle Eastern dishes such as Dolma (Rice stuffed Grape Leaves), Smoky Red Pepper OR  Regular Hummus, White Bean Dip, Vegetable Caviar, Baba Ghanoush, etc for a more substantial meal.

Notes: 

This recipe maybe doubled or tripled etc as needed.

Tabbouleh tastes fresh and is best enjoyed within a couple of days of making.

The Tabbouleh maybe prepared with Quinoa or Cauliflower alone or both as prefereed. 

You may use 2 Tbsp Bulgur (Cracked Wheat #1) soaked in about 1/2 cup of boiling water for 30 minutes instead of the quinoa or cauliflower if gluten is not a concern.

Serves 2-4

Ingredients:

1/2 cup cooked Quinoa, cooled

1 cup Riced Cauliflower, raw or lightly cooked

1 large bunch Italian Parsley

1 large handful fresh Spearmint

1 small Persian Cucumber, finely diced

1 ripe Roma Tomato, diced finely and drained

1/2 small Onion OR 1 small bunch Green Onions, finely chopped

1 fresh Lemon, juiced 

Salt & freshly ground Pepper to taste

1 tiny pinch each - ground spices - cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, ginger, and fenugreek (optional)

To Serve:

Romaine Lettuce leaves (inner ones preferably)

Lemon wedges

Method:

Clean, thoroughly wash and drain the herbs. If you have a salad spinner, use it to remove all water or excess moisture from the parsley and mint.

Finely chop the parsley and mint and place in a large bowl.

Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well. Taste and adjust lemon, salt, pepper, etc.

Store the Tabbouleh in a container with a tight fitting lid in the fridge until ready to serve.

Serve with the romaine leaves.

Enjoy!!

Guacamole With Tomatillos & Jalapenos

A simple but delicious Guacamole that will keep. The acid in the tomatillos and lime will keep the guacamole bright green especially when not serving right away. Great as a side or topping for all types of Mexican style fare like burritos, tacos, tostadas, etc.

NOTE: For a milder guac, remove all or some of the cores from the jalapeños before chopping.

Makes 2 1/2 cups

INGREDIENTS:

2 large ripe but firm Avocados, peeled, pitted, and chopped

2 large Tomatillos, coarsely chopped - about 2 cups

1/4 of a White/Red Onion,  coarsely chopped - about 1/4 cup

1-2 Jalapeños, coarsely chopped - about 1/4 cup

1/2 cup fresh Cilantro, plus more for garnish

Kosher salt and freshly ground Black Pepper to taste

1 small Key Lime, juiced

To Serve:

Warm Tortillas Corn/Wheat

Tortilla Chips

Raw Vegetables

METHOD:

In a food processor, combine tomatillos, onion, jalapeno, cilantro. Pulse until finely chopped.

Spoon the chopped veggies into a bowl and add the avocados, salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, juice from the lime, and 1/2 cup water. Mix and mash well together with a fork but not too much; retaining a little of the texture is lovely. Taste and adjust the seasonings.

If not serving right away, place a piece of cling film on top to keep air out, cover tightly and refrigerate in an airtight container up to 3 days.

Serve as a dip with warm tortillas, tortilla chips and/or veggies or with your meal.

Enjoy!!

Green Chili (White Bean Stew With Roasted Chiles)

Delicious and fresh tasting Green Chili makes a hearty meal; this makes enough to put aside a portion in the freezer for another day or share with friends.

Just like the other chilis (Vegetarian Chili Or White Chili), this is another crowd or family pleasing meal; set out all the toppings for each person to choose for themselves.

Notes:

Any dried white bean maybe used - great northern, cannelini, lima, etc.

If roasting the chiles is not an option, use 1 small can ( about 1/2 cup) of roasted green chiles or a green bell pepper. If using bell peppers, dice and add to chili without roasting.

Fresh or frozen white corn kernels make a nice tasty addition.

Any extra chili maybe promptly chilled and reserved in the fridge for later. Chili can also be frozen for up to 3 months.

8-10 servings

Ingredients

1 pound White Beans, cooked

2 Poblano Chiles OR 1 green Bell Pepper, diced
3-4 medium Tomatillos, husks removed and washed
1-2 cups fresh Spinach

1 large yellow/white Onion, finely diced

3 - 4 ribs Celery, diced

1-2 Jalapeños, minced finely
1 Tbsp ground Cumin seeds

Kosher salt and ground Pepper

1-2 cloves Garlic, minced

2-3 tsp dried Oregano

1 medium Zucchini, finely diced

1/2 cup fresh Cilantro, finely chopped

Optional toppings:
Avocado, diced
Tomato, diced
Jalapeño, cored and finely diced 

Cilantro, chopped fresh 

Onion, chopped 

Warm tortillas/ OR Tortilla chips

Cashew cream

Method:

Sort, soak, and cook beans in water to cover. Drain, rinse and cook the beans in water to cover in a large pot or use a presserure cooker. Set aside, freeze or chill until needed. For more details on cooking and storing beans, check How to Cook Dried Beans.

Broil/roast the chiles and tomatillos until blistered on all sides and let cool. When cool enough to handle, peel, remove stem and seeds of chiles while reserving the flavorful juices. Discard peel, stem and seeds. Dice chile/pepper into small pieces. Cool and reserve the tomatillos. 

In a blender/food processor, puree the tomatillos with the spinach.

In a large Dutch oven or other heavy pot, add onion, celery and jalapeños to pot with a sprinkle or two of water and cook until onion is translucent, about 6-7 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about another minute.

Tip in the beans into pot and a little water keep a loose but not soupy consistency. Stir in cumin and oregano. Bring to a boil over high.

Stir in tomatillo-spinach puree and zucchini. Partially cover, reduce heat, and simmer gently for 10 minutes. Stir in the Cilantro. Check seasonings and adjust to taste with salt and pepper.

If not serving right away, let chili cool completely, then refrigerate in an airtight container, up to 3-5 days. Remove the amount needed, heat and enjoy. Freeze in freezable containers for longer storage.

Serve Green Chili hot with the optional toppings.

Enjoy!!