Tabouli

Yay!  Finally another recipe posted!  

This is one of our favorites.  Well, it didn't used to be my favorite.  Growing up my mother made this, and I would cringe anytime I was forced into a bite.  Amazing how our tastes change, isn't it?

I really couldn't even tell you what prompted me to make this when we were first married, or when I discovered that my hatred of it turned to love.  But to love it did turn, and for a large chunk of our pre-child life, I would make this every Saturday for lunch.  Oh.  Good.

Tabouli or Tabbouleh is an Arabic salad, which apparently has some variation to it, depending on whose hands it ends up in.  Lebanese go heavier on the parsley than the bulgar, and this version is generally more parsley heavy than most versions I see of it in stores or restaurants, so I'm gonna go with this is a Lebanese version of tabouli.

Once you get the parsley washed and picked, this salad is also painfully easy to make.  Actually depending on your parsley pick method, it can still be painfully easy including the parsley.  Pre-children I meticulously picked each leaf from the stems.  Post-children I am not so careful. :-)

Lebanese Tabouli Salad

2 bunches Italian flat leaf parsley

2 large tomatoes (or 3 medium ones)

2-3 green onions (I almost never do more than 2)

pinch of salt

3/4c bulgar wheat

1-2 Tbsp olive oil

1/4-1/2c lemon juice

water if needed

Night before (or at least 3 hours before) soak your bulgar in the lemon juice, olive oil and water mixture.  Really I don't even measure the liquids anymore, I just make sure it sufficiently covers the bulgar plus a little more.  The bulgar will soak up the liquid and then no cooking is needed.  When soaking, store in fridge.

Wash parsley and pick leaves from stems.  Depending on how much stem you like or can tolerate in your salad, you would either carefully pick the leaves from the stems, or do a general ripping of the leaves from the whole bunch, getting both stem and leafy bits.  Up to you.

Finely chop parsley and dump into bowl.  Dice tomato and dump into bowl.  Chop onions and dump into bowl.  Add soaked bulgar mixture and stir.  Season with a little salt.  Bam!  Easy peasy.

Truthfully this is best served with chips.  Best tasting that is.  If you are being good and healthy and smart (sometimes I am....and sometimes I'm just not) you eat it by the spoonful and it's still absolutely delicious.  If you are throwing caution to the wind, it is amazing on chips.  :-)

Aside from being seriously high in Vit. A, C and K, when you are talking about a cups worth of parsley (which you are if you are eating tabouli), it actually has a nice chunk of folate and iron.  Bonus!

Seriously yum folks.  I kind of wish I had it on my menu for tomorrow now.  

Blast!