Tabouli salad

Wrong time of year? Right time of year too! Whenever I serve tabouli, most often it's in the warmer months when I can just pop into the garden to pick the freshest of ingredients, and typically it disappears after no more than 20 minutes. So recently when a group of friends got together for a girls night out, and oh, everyone is bringing something to 'pick on' I just knew what the topic of conversation would be. After all the holiday goodies we all overdid on--diet, diet, diet and how the new year waistlines were bulging because of all of that overindulging, so instead of bring a dessert dish, I made a double batch of the salad to bring along with some roasted red pepper hummus and a spinach artichoke dip. Served with toasted Syrian bread wedges, it disappeared just as quickly.

It's such a healthy dish and with a little planning ahead, an easy to prepare and one of the most popular Middle Eastern recipes. I like to soak my cracked wheat (bulgur) overnight whenever I make this salad, and then all that needs to be done is chopped the veggies and your good to go. But if you forget to pre-soak, you may pour two cups of boiling water over the bulgar and let it rest for an hour or so before using.

Tabouli Salad

1 cup cracked wheat, fine bulgur - soaked overnight and drained
1 bunch of scallions or 1 red onion, minced
2 large bunches of fresh parsley, minced
1/2 bunch of fresh mint, minced
4 medium tomatoes, chopped
juice of 4 lemons
1/2 cup olive oil
sea salt & ground pepper to taste

Soak wheat covered in water overnight. Drain the bulgur and set aside. In a large bowl, add finely chopped parsley, mint, tomatoes and onion. Salt and pepper to taste. Add lemon juice, olive oil and drained bulgur and mix well to combine. Serve with toasted Syrian bread triangles, lettuce leaves, or grape leaves. Some days I'll stuff a tomato with tabouli salad for lunch. Enjoy cold or at room temperature, but I think it's really best made a day ahead. Enjoy!