Wellness and Prevention Expert Arthur Agatston, M.D., Shares a Gluten-Free Recipe for Tasty Tabbouleh

People with sensitivity to gluten wouldn’t dream of eating traditionally-made tabbouleh, due to the gluten-containing main ingredient couscous. In this recipe, found in the new book The South Beach Diet Gluten Solution by Arthur Agatston, M.D., gluten-free quinoa replaces couscous. Dr. Agatston, Baptist Health’s wellness and prevention expert, explains in his book that being “gluten-aware” doesn’t mean you have to suffer through pain, discomfort and other ill effects to eat the foods you enjoy.

Check back next week for another great gluten-free recipe.

Hands-On Time: 15 minutes • Total Time: 30 minutes

Technically, a tabbouleh (a Middle Eastern grain salad) is made with couscous, but in this version, quinoa makes a crunchy, refreshing stand-in. This could also easily be upgraded to a main-dish salad. Just grill chicken or turkey breast cutlets (about 4 ounces per person) and serve atop the quinoa mixture. The salad holds up remarkably well in the refrigerator because the quinoa does not get mushy and would make a good take-along for a lunch at the office.

3⁄4 cup red or white quinoa
1⁄4 teaspoon plus a pinch coarse kosher salt
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1⁄4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 cup grape tomatoes, quartered
4 scallions, sliced
1⁄2 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1⁄4 cup crumbled reduced-fat feta cheese
2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons pumpkin seeds, toasted and chopped
Cook the quinoa according to package directions, using 1⁄4 teaspoon of the
coarse salt in the cooking water.
Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, oil, and
pepper. Add the tomatoes and scallions and sprinkle with a pinch of salt.
Drain the quinoa well and add to the bowl, tossing well to combine.
Sprinkle on the feta cheese and toss gently.
Serve at room temperature or chilled, topped with pumpkin seeds
(2 teaspoons per serving).
Makes 4 (scant 1-cup ) servings
Per serving: 138 calories, 5.5 g fat, 1 g saturated fat, 5 g protein, 18 g carbohydrate,
2 g fiber, 72 mg sodium

From THE SOUTH BEACH DIET GLUTEN SOLUTION by Arthur Agatston, MD with Natalie Geary, MD.  © 2013 by Arthur Agatston, MD.  Reprinted by permission of Rodale, Inc.  Available wherever books are sold.

Tags: Arthur Agatston M.D., gLUTEN, gluten aware, Gluten-free, tabbouleh, Wellness