Tabbouleh

Tabbouleh

I had been getting pretty tired of the broccoli slaw side dish that is a staple in our summer refrigerator when I opted to make this tabbouleh. My mom is also on a lowering-her-cholesterol kick which means eating a mainly plant based diet with lots of whole grains so this was the perfect dish for her as well, not to mention being totally delicious. Tabbouleh is a mediterranean salad that consists of bulgur wheat and parsley with some other classic mediterranean flavors mixed in. I added chopped artichoke hearts for some extra briny flavor but the balance of parsley, lemon and bulgur wheat was refreshing, satisfying and healthy. Capers, ollives or feta cheese would also be great in this recipe!

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups bulgur wheat

1 1/2 cups boiling water

1 english cucumber

2 large tomatoes

1 can artichoke hearts

1 1/2 cups chopped parsley

1/4 cup olive oil

1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

The hardest and most time consuming part of this recipe is chopping the vegetables. Place a pot of boiling water on the stove and put the bulgur wheat in a medium sized bowl. Once the water is boiling, pour 1 1/2 cups of the water over the bulgur, cover with foil or plastic wrap and allow to sit for a half hour. In the meantime, mix the olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Dice the cucumber, tomatoes and artichoke hearts and place them in the large bowl as well. Finely dice the parsley and place in the large bowl. After a half hour has passed use a large spoon to transfer the cooked bulgur to the large bowl with the parsley, diced vegetables and vinaigrette. Fold the mixture together until everything is well incorporated. Chill in the refrigerator for a half hour and enjoy!