This salad is a spring-time riff on my Summer Quinoa Tabbouleh, and holy guacamole… it is so. freaking. good. Maybe it’s just because I’ve been eating kale and root vegetables all winter long, and this salad embraces all the bright, vibrant + colorful veggies of spring that I’ve been craving… all I know is I’ve been eating it for breakfast, lunch, and dinner (not even kidding) and I’m also not complaining one bit.
Instead of cherry tomatoes, corn, and avocado (which are in the summer version of this recipe) I subbed in local asparagus, radishes, and peas. Instead of basil, I chopped up heaps of mint, dill and parsley from the farm where I work. This is one of my go-to salads to make ahead and portion out for a few lunches or dinners, because it’s super hearty and stays fresh + crisp in your fridge for days and days. See below for the full recipe.
Spring Tabbouleh Salad
ingredients:
- 2 cups quinoa
- 3 cups water
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 bunch asparagus, chopped into 1 inch pieces
- 1 cup green peas (fresh or frozen)
- 1/2 cup sliced sugar snap or snow peas
- 4-5 radishes, thinly sliced
- 3 scallions/green onions, thinly sliced
- 1/4 cup toasted pepitas/pumpkin seeds
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh mint
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
- 4 ounces feta cheese, diced (optional)
- 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1/2 cup good olive oil
- 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- Kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
instructions:
How to cook Spring Tabbouleh Salad
- Pour 3 cups of water into a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Stir in the quinoa, lower the heat and simmer, covered, for 15 minutes. Turn off the heat and allow quinoa to steam with the lid on for 5 minutes, then uncover and fluff with a fork. Transfer quinoa to your salad bowl.
- While the quinoa is cooking, blanch asparagus in a large pot of salted boiling water for about 1 minute, then add the peas and cook for another 30 seconds. Drain and immerse the asparagus and peas in a cold water bath. Drain once more and dry the blanched vegetables by laying them out on a clean kitchen towel.
- While the asparagus and peas are drying, make the lemon vinaigrette: Simply combine all the vinaigrette ingredients in mason jar and shake well. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.
- Add the blanched veggies to the salad bowl with the cooked quinoa. Add the sliced sugar snap peas, radishes, green onions, chopped herbs, pepitas, feta cheese (if using) and pour over the vinaigrette (using only as much vinaigrette as you need), gently stirring everything together.
- Taste and adjust seasoning as needed (such as adding a bit more salt or lemon). This bright, hearty salad keeps very well in the fridge for several days.