Quinoa Tabouleh (Gluten Free)

I think this is my new favorite summer salad.  It has that marinated, fresh, crunchy taste that I love.  I will say, this salad requires a lot of preparation since there is so much chopping involved- especially because I like cutting the veggies very small (I make them ~1/8 inch pieces) and adding a lot of them. The Quinoa Tabouleh salad is a twist on the traditional bulgar wheat tabouleh.  The main difference is that quinoa is super healthy and is gluten free to fit in with the detox program led by Linda Petursdottir (http://simplewellbeing.com/)- this recipe is a modification of a recipe she provided.  

Ingredients

1 cup quinoa (I used tri-color quinoa), cooked based on package instructions and cooled

1/2 cup lemon juice

1 tsp garlic, crushed or minced

1/2 tbsp sea salt

1 tsp ground black pepper

1/8 cup olive oil

1/2 cup carrots, chopped fine

1/2 cup red bell peppers, chopped fine

1/2 cup green bell peppers, chopped fine

1/4 cup radishes, chopped fine

1/4 cup scallions, chopped fine

1/4 cup fresh mint, chopped fine

1 cup fresh parsley, chopped fine

Directions

1.  Whisk the lemon juice, garlic, sea salt, and black pepper together.  Slowly add the olive oil, while whisking. 

2.  Mix all the ingredients together, including the dressing from Step 1, in a large bowl.  Make sure this is mixed well and that there are no clumps of quinoa left. 

3.  Refrigerate until ready to serve.  

Optional: add chopped tomatoes and cucumbers before serving.