Recipe 2: Quinoa Tabbouleh Salad

We hope you enjoyed the first recipe we shared in our Bites with Bonafide series, Baked Mediterranean Fish.

This month, we’re featuring a flavorful Quinoa Tabbouleh Salad. This is more than just a refreshing, nutrient-dense salad—it’s a powerful ally that can help to support your overall health and wellbeing through menopause and beyond.

Quinoa, the star ingredient of this recipe, is a whole grain packed with fiber, plant-based protein, B vitamins, and magnesium.¹ These are all essential nutrients that can contribute to better overall health and wellness.

B vitamins are important building blocks for energy creation in the body – they also play a key role in maintaining our nervous systems and supporting our cognition and concentration, which can sometimes feel foggy during menopause.²

Magnesium, on the other hand, is a key nutrient in bone building – it can help reduce the risk of osteoporosis, which does increase during menopause. It also may be beneficial for supporting better sleep and mood.³

So, if you’re looking for a new, healthy menu option to incorporate into your routine, our Quinoa Tabbouleh Salad is a delicious and functional choice especially for women navigating the menopause transition.

Check out the full recipe and instructions below and let us know what you think in the comments. Enjoy!

Ingredients

• 1.5 Cups of uncooked Red and White Quinoa
• 1 English Cucumber peeled, seeded and small diced
• ½ Red Onion small diced
• 1 pint of Grape Tomatoes halved or diced (your preference)
• 1 Bell Pepper (Red, Yellow, or Orange) small diced
• 1 Lemon zested
• 1 Lemon juiced (use the same lemon)
• 2 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• Fresh Flat Leaf Parsley chopped
• Fresh Mint chopped
• Crumbled Feta (optional)
• Salt & Pepper to taste

Instructions:

1. Begin by boiling salted water in a pot. 
2. Add the quinoa and reduce the heat to a simmer. 
3. Follow the cooking instructions on the quinoa package, as different brands may require varying cooking times. You should be able to see the small halos blooming around the quinoa once it’s cooked. 
4. After cooking, strain the quinoa and spread it out on a cookie sheet. Drizzle extra virgin olive oil over the top. 
5. Place the quinoa in the fridge to cool while you dice your vegetables. 
6. Once all the vegetables are diced, combine them with the quinoa in a large mixing bowl. 
7. Add lemon zest, lemon juice, extra virgin olive oil (EVOO), and feta cheese, then mix everything together. 
8. Fold in your choice of herbs and season with salt and pepper. Taste and enjoy!

For a quick instructional video on how to put this recipe together, check out the below clip.

Resources

1. https://www.everydayhealth.com/menopause/healthy-foods-to-eat-during-menopause/
2. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6372850/
3. https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/magnesium-for-menopause