Tabouli What?

Today my smoothie got a little dressed up. I ran out of Kale and Spinach so it was all fruit today except for a carrot, which only adds to the great color. I gave her a little pink straw to match. I realize that just in smoothies alone I have gone through all but a couple of mandarins in a 5lb. bag. Wow, that is some Vitamin C. They are great organic mandarins from a local farm in Orland, CA. I got them at S&S Produce and they are so yummy.

Lunch

After my smoothie, I prepped a little lunch, Quinoa Tabouli Salad from Raw Food Real World. I tried to make this dish several times, but I just couldn't tell if the Quinoa was sprouted or not. I still don't really know. The recipe says to soak the quinoa overnight and then let it sit to sprout. I kept eying it but how could I tell? I stuck it in the fridge after a day of "sprouting" and finally pulled it out this morning (two days later) to make the Tabouli. Any tips on how to tell when quinoa is "sprouted" would be great. The recipe is so simple, and I had it made and in the container ready to go to work in under 10 minutes. The quinoa was exactly what I thought it would be, wet and raw. I didn't think it would be fluffy like when I cook it, but I just wasn't sure what to expect. Overall the dish is so flavorful and great once I got over the texture of the quinoa. I used only 1 bunch of parsley instead of two since it isn't my favorite herb. I give this recipe a 4 - yummy and so easy to make.

The quinoa is sprouted (I think) and ready to go.

The ingredients chopped and ready in no time.

Combine and stir.

All packed and ready for work.