In deciding to try Weight Watchers again, I realized that to develop a totally new relationship with food, it might be time to change gears and change up what I eat on a regular basis. To me, this means trying foods that I have never tried before and finding healthy recipes that have never been on my plate. It also means failure from time to time. This past week, that failure was my Tabbouleh Salad. I found the cucumber far too bitter, as I had left the skin on, and the flat leaf parsley was also pretty yuck. Very, very bitter. I immediately went to my refrigerator and tossed it. The red onion was far too strong overall. I decided to save what was left for a different dish, as it goes extremely well in my black bean salad.
I tried, I mean really tried to like my first attempt at Quinoa Tabbouleh Salad. The lemon and olive oil dressing was spot on, and the tomatoes were pretty good, but to actually be able to enjoy the dish called for pulling out some stops and deviating slightly from the original recipe.
This afternoon, I pulled out what I had available. I had half of a cucumber, half a pint of leftover rainbow-colored cherry tomatoes, a few sprigs of mint, a lemon, and something I'd never tried before: capers. They were an impulse buy in the pickle section the other day, as I'd always heard of them but never tried them. I looked them up, learned how to properly used them, and tasted one. As much as I dislike olives, they are probably the closest thing to an olive I have ever tasted and actually liked! Right then and there, I knew they were going in.
This time, I salted the quinoa water a little more liberally and added lemon juice to it. I peeled and seeded the cucumber, mixed up a little salt and pepper into my lemon/olive oil dressing, eased way back on the amount of mint I used, and set aside a Tablespoon or so of the capers. Once the quinoa had cooled, I again mixed up the salad while some chicken breasts liberally seasoned with Cavendar's Greek Seasoning roasted in the oven. Once everything was mixed up, I again jarred the salad in pint jars, put them in the fridge to allow the flavors to meld, and crossed my fingers.
Oh. Em. Gee!
The salad was a tiny bit on the salty side, but it was delicious! The chicken being slow oven roasted was the perfect companion. I only put about 2 ounces on the side because quinoa is a protein powerhouse. I was delighted with the flavor of the capers which permeated the whole of the salad, and served as a perfect foil to the coolness of the cucumber and acidity of the tomatoes. This is certainly going to be a dish I come back to again and again!
I decided to post in the Weight Watchers community about my dislike of olives, but my love for capers. Another member suggested I try a soup called Colombian Ajiaco, as it is served with capers. It's a chicken and potato soup, and from research, it's apparently traditionally popular in Bogota. I love the fact that it is made with ingredients I am mostly familiar with. The only thing I have not tried is an herb called guascas. Considering that many seasonings used in Hispanic cooking are bitter, which is not my favorite flavor at all, I am considering using bay leaves or oregano, which the poster of the recipe I found states are suitable substitutes.
I am truly not picky. Like anyone else, there are a few foods I will definitely turn my nose up at. Liver, olives, black licorice, and even Miracle Whip top my list of least favorite foods. Otherwise, I'm pretty much open to darn near anything. Except maybe flat-leaf parsley, now. Nasty, bitter stuff...
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