Tabouli Recipe

A Middle Eastern salad with several spelling variations (tabouleh, tabbouleh), tasty tabouli is a great dish to take with you to a summer picnic. You may find that some people have never tried this simple side, but I highly doubt they will be disappointed. Additionally, as this recipe originates from a hot area of the world, you won’t have to worry about it spoiling in the sun (though it's tastiest when cold).

Bulked by the nutritious ingredient bulgur (also bulghur or burghul), which you can find in the rice section of your supermarket. The flavor of your tabouli will only get better the next day, so make as much as you like. It is easy to eat a lot of this dish, so don’t worry about making too much.

Tabouli
Ingredients:

• 1 cup bulgur, rinsed and drained
• 2 cups boiling water
• 1 large English cucumber, seeded, minced
• 2 ripe tomatoes, seeded, minced
• 4 green onions, chopped
• 1 cup parsley, chopped (optional)
• ¼ cup mint leaves, chopped (optional)
• 1/3 cup olive oil (extra virgin or light, whichever you prefer)
• ¼ cup fresh lemon juice
• 1 large clove garlic, minced
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Rehydrate bulgur by putting it into a bowl and covering it with the boiling water. Let sit for about an hour. Drain.

Combine bulgur with cucumber (keep the peel on), tomatoes, green onion, parsley and mint. Mix together well.

In a separate bowl, combine the oil, lemon juice, garlic, salt and pepper. Stir to blend ingredients, and add to the wheat mixture.

Chill in the refrigerator for a minimum of two hours or overnight, stirring occasionally to recoat the bulgur with dressing. Traditionally served with crisp leaves of lettuce. Makes 10 servings

Nutritional Information:
Calories: 130
Total Fat: 7.6 g
Saturated Fat: 1 g
Polyunsaturated Fat: .7g
Monounsaturated Fat: 5.3 g
Cholesterol: 0 mg
Sodium: 12.1 mg
Potassium: 253 mg
Total Carbohydrate: 14.5 g
Dietary Fiber: 3.6 g
Sugars: .8 g
Protein: 2.6 g

Vitamin A: 17%
Vitamin B-6: 6%
Vitamin C: 26%
Vitamin E: 6%
Calcium: 3%
Copper: 6%
Folate: 7%
Iron: 6%
Magnesium: 9%
Manganese: 26%
Niacin: 5%
Panthothenic Acid: 4%
Phosphorus: 7%
Riboflavin: 3%
Thiamin: 5%
Zinc: 3%