Tabouleh Recipe

Middle Eastern Tabouleh

So, this salad is a dish I grew up eating very often as a child. It is extremely refreshing, tasty and good for you—plus the health benefits are endless! And did I forget to mention that vegetarians would love this?

My parents love their fresh veggie garden. And I am so glad to say that we have a common interest. I think it's so great to be able to walk out into your own backyard, pick what you need to pick, come back into the house and cook. There's something so organic about picking your own vegetables and knowing exactly where they came from.

The main ingredient here is parsley. This herb puts your immune system at such an advantage, that you just can't go wrong! It is rich in Vitamin A (beta-carotene), B-12, C and K, meaning that it cleans your immune system and flushes the excess fluid from your body. And let me tell you from experience, if you're pregnant, flushed out excess fluid can have you feeling pretty darn nice, and light, and not huge, and not bloated. Did you know that this leafy green stuff also contributes to anemia prevention, bad breath treatment, blood tonic and purifying and indigestion soothing? So yeah, you can say it's pretty high up there along with kale.

Before you start making this salad though, keep in mind that that it is quite time-consuming, as all the big ingredients must be finely chopped... No big pieces allowed if you plan on doing it the traditional way!

Alright folks, time to roll those sleeves up and get crackin'!

Ingredients:

• 3 parsley bunches;
• 3-4 small to medium tomatoes;
• 2 green onions;
• 2 lemons with pulp, squeezed;
• 1 handful bulgur, soaked first;
• ~⅓ cup olive oil;
• 2 tbsp dried or fresh mint, finely chopped if fresh;
• ~1 tbsp salt (or more to taste... you want it to complement the lemon juice);
• ~1½ tbsp sumac spice.

Directions:

1. Wash your parsley very extremely well. Especially when they are coming straight from the garden, you want to make sure ALL the dirt is washed out, because failing to do so can eventually lead to developing kidney stones. What I do is thoroughly wash my two sinks with soap and hot water, drain, then fill with cold water only to the point where the parsley leaves are completely submerged. I swish each bunch around in sink #1 until I feel it is time to place them in sink #2 and start the swishing/cleaning process all over again. I usually do this process 6 to 9 times, depending on how dirty my bunches are.

 2. Next, dry your bunches very well using a kitchen towel. And wash your tomatoes and green onions. This is easy enough! Tip: If you bought your parsley today but aren't ready to make your tabouleh just yet, wrap it in that same towel and place it in an air-tight ziploc bag that will go in your fridge. It will stay fresh and crunchy for 1 to 2 days.

3. Chop each bunch, one at a time. You want to make sure each is being chopped as finely as possible. Same thing with the tomatoes and onions.

 4. Next, squeeze your lemons, remove the seeds from the squeezer and pour all contents into your bowl.

 5.Add the bulgur, sumac, mint, olive oil and salt, et voilà! Mix everything very well, add anything you think should be added and enjoy! I personally like tabouleh with potato wedges and a nice BBQ.

Thanks for reading,

-Alesia D.