GLUTEN FREE CLEANSING TABOULEH

I love Tabouleh! This light, fresh, summery, heaven-in-abowl Lebanese staple goes well with everything from seafood to salsa. The fundamental ingredient of traditional Tabouleh is bulgur wheat (or the cheats version: cous cous) and so its a no no for those trying to cut back on gluten. As usual, mother nature comes through with an amazing array of delicious, nutritious alternatives. 

This recipe is super quick, gluten free, vegan and full of healing detoxifying ingredients. The perfect compliment for any lunch or dinner, you could serve it with flat bread, salsa and hummus, or throw some pan fried prawns or squid in the mix.

I'm using buckwheat here and it was a hit with the food critics (flatmates) - but you could experiment with other GF grains like quinoa or millet - even in sprouted form for an extra nourishing meal.

Buckwheat

Contrary to what the name implies, buckwheat doesn’t contain wheat. It’s not a grain, but a fruit seed related to rhubarb and sorrel! Buckwheat is gluten-free, a good source of protein and magnesium, it contains eight essential amino acids and is known to balance mood, mind clarity and it even provides calcium, manganese and vitamins B and E.

Buckwheat is particularly high in flavonoids - phytonutrients that protect against disease by extending the action of vitamin C and acting as antioxidants.

It's also cheap and versatile, buckwheat is a staple in every wholefood lover's pantry!

Parsley

And then there's parsley! Reasonably priced, grows like a weed and is often overlooked as 'common'. 

BUT - parsley is anything but common! Packed with vitamins C and A, K, chlorophyll, calcium, sodium, magnesium, and iron, it's a powerful liver cleanser and kidney detoxifier. It improves digestion and relieves swollen glands, bladder and kidney conditions and helps with weight loss. Tabouleh is a great way to get a big whack of it in your diet.

You'll need:

1 cup raw buckwheat groats (or grain of your choice)
2 cups vege stock
2-3 cups fresh Parsley, chopped finely - I prefer Italian parsley but both work!
1/2 cup chopped mint
2 tomatoes, chopped finely
1/2 a long cucumber, chopped
2-3 spring onions, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup chopped almonds or hazelnuts
Salt and ground pepper, to taste

To serve: plain unsweetened yoghurt, fresh mint leaves.

Method:

1. Soak Buckwheat for at least 5 hours to kick start it's activation process*
   
2. Place vegetable stock in a pot and bring to the boil. Add in the Buckwheat (or other grain) and reduce to simmer for about 10-15 minutes, or until tender but not mushy. The longer you soak it, the less time it takes to cook.
   
3. Meanwhile, finely chop all the veges and chuck in a salad bowl.
   
4. Drain the Buckwheat when cooked and fluff with a fork. Add buckwheat to your bowl.
   
5. Mix in the lemon juice and EVOO. Season with salt & pepper to taste. If you want, allow to stand for about 30 minutes to allow the flavours to develop.

Makes about 5-6 cups.

I served this with yoghurt, mint & garlic chilli prawns. White pan fried fish would be yum too!

* Why soak?

Nature has set it up so that the nut, grain and seed can survive until proper growing conditions are present. Buckwheat, like many other seeds, contains nutritional inhibitors and toxic substances that are removed naturally when there is enough rain to sustain a new plant. When it rains the nut, grain or seed gets wet, sheds it's enzyme inhibitors like phytic acid and tannins, allowing the seed to germinate. When we soak, we are mimicking nature and minimising enzyme inhibitors. Soaking 'awakens' nuts, grains and seeds, making them easier to digest and their nutrients more bio-available to our bodies.