Tabbouleh

Last year when I first ventured into the vegan lifestyle I bought a bag of bulgur wheat on whim during one of my trips to the grocery store. It sat in my pantry for several months, I just didn’t know what to do with it.

One day during the summer I came across a recipe for tabbouleh that caught my eye. I decided to try the recipe and it was a hit with both my oldest daughter and myself. I made the tabbouleh as written a couple of times, but the amount of olive oil the recipe called for just did not sit well with me. Then summer turned into fall and winter and tabbouleh is such a fresh summery meal to me that I didn’t give it much more thought.

On my birthday my family took me out to dinner at a local natural eatery called Alladin’s. It was a favorite of mine during my high school vegetarian years so I knew it was a great choice for my birthday dinner celebration. As I was browsing the menu my oldest daughter pointed out that one of the appetizers was tabbouleh! It was served with pita bread and sparked my memory of how much I enjoyed this dish over the summer.

Shortly after my birthday dinner I came across a tabbouleh recipe on one of my favorite vegan blogs, Oh She Glows. I knew it was time to re-make my beloved tabbouleh recipe with less oil and fall in love all over again.

Adapted from: Oh She Glows

Makes 2-3 cups

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup Bulgur Wheat (can substitute another grain if you’d prefer)
• 2 cups vegetable broth
• 2-3 cups fresh Italian, chopped finely
• 1 tomato, chopped
• 1/2 cucumber, chopped
• 1 small carrot, chopped finely
• 2 green onions, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice (I had no lemons and used the bottled stuff, it worked fine)
• 1-2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• Kosher salt and black pepper, to taste

Method:

1. Place vegetable broth in a medium sized pot and bring to a boil. Add in the Bulgur wheat and reduce to simmer for about 20 minutes, or until tender.

2. While the bulgur wheat is simmering, chop all the vegetables and place into a large bowl. Once the bulgur wheat is cooked go ahead and add it into the bowl. Pour on the lemon and extra virgin olive and stir well. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

3. The tabbouleh may be eaten right away, but the flavors will intensify if allowed to sit in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.

**Tabbouleh will keep in the fridge in a covered container for up to 5 days.**