sunflower crunch tabbouleh and hummus platter
My favorite tabbouleh formula that’s SO versatile for any Mediterranean craving fix, be it a board, a gyro, or on its own for meal prep. Please enjoy! Please. Please?
I promised the other day, in my Black n’ Blue Mezze Board, that I’d share my riff on tabbouleh soon, and folks, soon is today, Tuesday.
Effectively, tabbouleh is a Mediterranean herb salad hinted with grains and vegetables. The main event of the dish is the fresh chopped aromatics. Absolutely no way you can substitute dried, so go pluck a bunch of parsley, basil, and mint from your garden or the public garden that is the grocery store, and be ready to use a whole lot of it at once.
I offer a bit of a twist with snappy sunflower seeds, for a bit of a texture play and a nice subtle saltiness. And the hummus? A good basic set of portions that you can mold and shape to whatever additional flavors you might opt for. See the above linked Black n’ Blue Board, and its wonderfully tangy sundried tomato hummus!
Easy Peasy Lemon Squeezy
Aside from cooking up some quinoa, tabbouleh requires no additional cooking, meaning you don’t have to heat up the house 10 degrees in a blazing summer afternoon. Always a win.
You can prep your quinoa however you please, be it stovetop, rice cooker, or otherwise, but remember that you need very little for a big bowl of tabbouleh. A good opportunity, then, to batch cook some grains for your lunches upcoming.
Cook up the quinoa ahead of time, then let the 1/2 cup used for the tabbouleh come to room temperature. This took about 15 minutes in my house.
The rest of the prep involves chopping some parsley, basil, mint, and red onion, as well as some cherry tomatoes and cucumber. Deseed the cucumber to avoid liquifying the salad too much, then dice it finely. Halve the tomatoes. Mix all of those components into the quinoa, then stir in fresh lemon juice and extra virgin olive oil. Taste for salt and pepper, and add a sprinkle here and there until the desired flavor arises.
Hummus Business
Hummus is easiest to prep in a food processor or high-speed blender, for that ultra creamy result, so I catered this recipe towards having access to such.
The bare minimum of any hummus is chickpeas, tahini, olive oil, and salt. I add lemon juice, garlic, and cumin for this foundational spread. Simply whiz all of it up in your choice whizzer, adding water a tablespoon at a time as needed if the hummus seems too thick.
So simple, right? Hummus is another solid meal prep option for sandwiches, wraps, salads, to eat with vegetables or a spoon, you name it.
Hey, Platter Platter
To present the platter, spread the hummus across the bottom. Spoon tabbouleh overtop. I added a few more halved cherry tomatoes for aesthetic.
The finishing touch? Sunflower seeds. Not a typical component of tabbouleh but I loved the playful snap they lend to a relatively soft salad. A dab here and there to raise an eyebrow in delight. Drizzle a touch more olive oil atop everything, and you’re good to start noshing.
Be sure to buy or make some good soft pita with which to scoop all the goodies. No Mediterranean dish is justifiable without it.
A good sip to enjoy with this plate? Watermelon Cucumber Prosecco Spritz. Light and bubbly and happy, a perfect pairing, I’d say.
Tried this recipe out? Leave a comment below with your thoughts, and don’t forget to come say hi on Instagram and show me what you made!
Want another drool-worthy fresh platter to serve to a group? Try out the Caprese Brunch Bar!
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup cooked quinoa
- 1/2 large cucumber, deseeded and diced
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped
- 1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped
- 1/4 cup fresh mint, chopped
- 1/4 cup lemon juice
- 2 tbsp diced red onion
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1/4 cup sunflower seed kernels
easy hummus
- 1 can chickpeas, drained
- 2 cloves garlic
- 2 tsp cumin
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1/4 cup tahini
- water, to thin
Instructions
- Cook quinoa according to package directions. Keep in mind you don't need a whole lot – if you want, though, you can prep extra for weekly meals if that's your thing. Prep time listed above does not include time to cook the quinoa. Cool completely to room temperature.
- In a large bowl, toss the quinoa with the diced cucumber, tomatoes, parsley, basil, mint, lemon juice, red onion, olive oil, and a hefty pinch each of salt and pepper.
- To make the hummus, combine all ingredients in a food processor and blitz until creamy and smooth. Add water 1 tablespoon at a time until desired thickness is achieved.
- To serve, spoon hummus on the bottom of a platter. Spread tabbouleh overtop. Sprinkle with sunflower seeds. Eat with lots of pita!
