Say what???? Tabbouleh or Bulgur Wheat. It’s a grain. It’s high in protein and fiber. It tastes yummy.

Too hot to turn on the stove? Tabbouleh Salad is the answer!

It’s easy. It’s delicious. It requires NO COOKING! Really, if you can boil water (and I did that in the microwave) then you can have this delicious salad or side dish on your table in no time.

Here’s what you need: Click HERE for a Handy Dandy Shopping List

Tabbouleh or Bulgur Wheat (look in the rice section of the grocery store OR in the smaller section of organic foods), fresh parsley (I like the flat kind), fresh mint, lemon, cherry tomatoes, cucumber, water, feta cheese, olive oil (again, not pictured…why can’t I remember to put the olive oil in the line-up?), green onions (also not pictured because I didn’t have any but I always put them in Tabbouleh Salad).

This is a good time to talk about substitutions in recipes. If you have just looked at this photo and list and declared, “Tomatoes, ick!” then do not despair. Try some substitutions for any ingredients that you may not like. Red Bell Peppers would be good. Celery would be dandy. Olives….who doesn’t like olives?

Did I mention that this salad requires NO COOKING?

Begin by measuring 1 cup of Bulgur Wheat into a bowl.

Pour 1 cup of boiling water (I boiled my water in a measuring cup in the microwave…easy peasy) over the grains, cover with plastic wrap and let it sit for 20-30 minutes.

Time to chop. Tomatoes. Cut them in half and put them in a large mixing bowl.

Peel the waxy outer skin off the cucumber.

Cut off the ends and slice the cucumber in half length-wise. Cut each half in half to make quarter slices.

Carefully slide your knife down the length of the quarter to remove the seeds. We don’t want the seeds because they would make the salad watery and weird. Sorry seeds, you’ve gotta go.

Slice into thinner strips then line them up and cut across your strips to make cuc cubes.

If you have green onions, cut the ends off and chop them up and add them to the mix. I like to use both the white and green parts of the green onion.

(sneaky green onion photo from another recipe)

Cut the stems off the parsley and give it a good chop.

Pluck the leaves off the mint and chop, chop.

Everything goes into the bowl together.

Okay, technically traditional Tabbouleh Salad doesn’t include cheese but we’re a cheesy bunch here. I think little bits of cubed or crumbled Feta Cheese really take this salad from good to GREAT.

You can find Feta Cheese in your grocery store either in the main cheese section or in the section with the yogurt and sour cream. (Don’t ask me why, but that’s where it is in my store. Tortillas are there too. Who knows.)

Feta comes in a chunk or already crumbled. Since crumbling is not an advanced skill, I buy mine in the chunk where you get more cheese for your buck.

Start by making slices of the Feta cheese. (I’m using about 1/2 the cheese in the 8 oz. package.) Then slice the slices into strips.

Line up the strips and cut across the other direction to make cubes.

Add it to the bowl with all the other goodies. Let’s recap…in the bowl we should have tomatoes, cucumbers, parsley, mint, green onions (if you have them) and feta cheese cubes.

Add the juice of a lemon directly to the bowl. I like to juice my lemons into a small strainer to catch any seeds. I’m also using a handy-dandy citrus reamer to get maximum juice, pulp and lemony goodness.

Salt and pepper to taste. Be aware the Feta Cheese is a little on the salty side so go easy on the salt at first.

By now the Bulgur grains should have absorbed all the water. Take a peek under the plastic wrap.

The grains should be tender, fluffy and puffed up….sort of like cooked rice. Add the “cooked” bulgur to your bowl of veg.

Add 2 -3 Tablespoons of Olive Oil and give everything a good stir. (If your salad looks a little dry, add a bit more olive oil. I tend to go light on the oil because I don’t like my salads swimming in their dressing.)

Ta-Da! You have Tabbouleh Salad!

You can eat it now OR cover it and let it rest in the refrigerator for a few hours. It’s even better after all the flavors have had a chance to get to know one another.

This makes a great side dish to any BBQ, picnic or summer gathering. Give Tabbouleh a chance!

Peace. Love. Tabbouleh.

Here’s the Recipe:

Summer Tabbouleh Salad

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4 Responses

  1. Claudia–fantastic idea to use feta cheese in this tabbouleh salad. Genius!

    There is a great tip for cutting grape tomatoes at the Huffington Post Web site today. You put the tomatoes on a plastic container lid, place another lid on top, and slice between the lids using a serrated knife.

  2. Outstanding! The hardest part was finding the Tabbouleh in the grocery store. Who knew that fresh ingredients taste better than the “packaged seasoning”!
    Nice work!

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