Traditional tabbouleh gets a twist with this version featuring kasha instead. Quinoa, wild/brown rice, and millet also are great alternatives.

Pasta salads usually make their way into the picnic basket, but swapping it for another grain is a great way to get familiar with new flavours. You might be familiar with tabbouleh, a popular Lebanese dish featuring bulgur wheat, lemon and parsley. But switching the main grain for kasha (roasted buckwheat groats) gives a new twist with a toasted, nutty flavour. Kasha is rich in protein, with nearly six grams per serving and high in fibre (with, in fact, more than 20 per cent of the daily recommended intake in one serving). It’s also loaded with B vitamins, phosphorous, potassium, iron and calcium, making you wonder why you don’t eat it more often.

1 cup (164 g) kasha (roasted buckwheat groats)
2 cups (500 ml) water
a sprinkling of sea salt
2 large tomatoes, chopped
4 scallions, chopped
1 large bunch of flat-leaf parsley
2 small lemons, juiced
2 Tbsp. (30 ml) olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Bring two cups (500 ml) of water to a boil in a medium-sized saucepan. Add salt and kasha, reduce to a simmer and cover, letting cook for about 13 to 15 minutes, until water has absorbed. Remove from heat, fluff with a fork and transfer to bowl. Allow to cool (place in the fridge, if necessary).

Once cooled, mix kasha in a large bowl with tomatoes, scallions and parsley. Toss with lemon juice and olive oil, with salt and pepper to taste. If you are making it the night before, test for seasonings the next day, as well as lemon flavour — you might find it mellows, and you’ll want to add some more.

Recipe and photo credit: Laurie Sadowski
Originally published in the St. Catharines Standard

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