Garden-Fresh Tabouleh Salad Recipe:

Tabouleh has been a staple in my home for 20+ years.

It was one of the first meals I (obsessively) made when becoming vegetarian.
It was great then, one big bowl to munch on all week. Then, family + kids happened. It goes pretty quick now – they love it and devour it in a day!

I’ve made it the classic way for *yonks* with tomatoes and cucumber which is perfect for Summer and all the fresh garden goodness.
Though Spring is actually a superb time for tabouleh with the parsley looking lush and loving the warmer days, plus the lemons are still plentiful on the trees.

Thanks to inspo from my dear friend, Chef Anna Valentine from The Veggie Tree, I have also long converted to adding a zesty orange twist which we love for Spring months.

Try both options below!

Tabouleh Salad Recipe

Makes 1 large bowl to share

Ingredients

• • 1.5 cups bulghur wheat
  • 1.5 cups boiling water
  • 1 tablespoon cumin seeds
  • 1 onion finely diced
  • 2 large bunches fresh parsley (3-4 cups chopped)
  • 3-4 large lemons or lime, juiced
  • Big slosh of olive oil, or toasted sesame oil (approx 1/2 cup)
  • 1-2 tsp salt + black pepper

  SEASONAL OPTIONS –

  • SPRING: ZESTY FRESH SPRING TABOULEH
  • 1-3 oranges sliced in to small cubes
  • 1 can chickpeas, well rinsed and drained
  • Diced red onion
  • SUMMER: CLASSIC TABOULEH
  • 0.5 -1 cup of mint
  • 2-3 large tomatoes, diced
  • 1-2 cup cucumber, diced

Method

1. Place bulghur wheat, diced onion and cumin seeds in a bowl.
2. Pour over boiling water, cover and leave to sit for 1/2 hour while bulghur wheat absorbs water.
3. Transfer the bulghur wheat mix into a large salad bowl, allowing to cool slightly.
4. Dice onion and add to bowl.
5. Add the lemon juice, olive oil and salt and pepper seasoning.
6. Finely dice parsley and other seasonal ingredients (mint + tomato + cucumber or orange + chickpeas) and add to bowl.
7. Mix well, then give it a taste (important!)
8. Add more lemon juice, herb salt or oil if required.
9. Cover and chill in fridge for a couple of hours for the flavours to merge – tastes even better the next day!
10. Serve with garlic pita pockets and a dollop of hummus or greek yoghurt.

Things to note:

• Adding protein:
  Tabouleh becomes the star of the meal in our vegetarian house by incorporating protein.
  When chickpeas/hummus + wheat are eaten together, it provides complete protein.
  This classic combo of eating pulses (beans, lentils, chickpeas) with grains (rice, wheat, oats, barley) creates a complete protein containing all nine essential amino acids.
  This is echoed in many meals around the world – think Mexican beans and tortillas,  Indian dahl and rice,  peanut butter on toast,  hummus and pita bread etc.
• Making it into a whole bowl of nutritious goodness:
  We often serve it in individual bowls with:
  –  a boiled egg, simply cut in half and salted
  –  garlic pita pockets warmed with feta inside
  –  a dollop of greek yoghurt
  –  a dollop of hummus
  –  sliced haloumi, fried in butter, is a delicious addition
  –  and a few olives for good measure!

GROW YOUR OWN GARDEN-FRESH TABOULEH WITH THESE SEEDS:  CLICK HERE >