Joyful Belly’s Seaweed & Baby Kale Quinoa Tabbouleh

Ingredients:

1 cup kelp

Water to soak and cook the kelp

2 cups red pepper (optional, I prefer to leave it out)

¾ cup quinoa (well rinsed in a fine sieve, under running water to remove saponins)

1 ½ cups filtered water to cook quinoa

1 lb baby kale (or regular kale, destemmed)

3 TBS hemp seeds

¼ cup mint

¼ parsley (or other fresh herbs of choice)

1 whole lemon (for the juice, but feel free to use the zest as well)

¼ cup olive oil

2 TBS coconut aminos or Braggs aminos

How to:

Rinse and soak the kelp sheets for about 15 minutes, then simmer in water for about 20 minutes. 

If using the peppers - heat the oven to 400 F - cut the red peppers in half, remove seeds and bake for about 25 minutes until wrinkly.

While the peppers and kelp are cooking:

Rinse the quinoa and simmer in double the amount of water for 20 minutes (or until soft and water is absorbed).

(optional) When the peppers are cooked and cooled, cut them into small pieces.

When the kelp is cooked, strain and set aside (you may want to save the cooking water for your plants)

Wash, pat dry and prepare the kale - if the stalks are thick you may remove them (or finely slice them) & chop finely (if you have baby kale you may just want to chop roughly)

In a large salad bowl put the quinoa, kelp, kale, peppers, hemp seeds, and parsley or other fresh herbs.  

Toss well.

In a measuring cup mix up the dressing - lemon juice, olive oil and aminos.  Whisk well and drizzle over tabbouleh before serving. Stir well.