Summer may be winding down but it doesn’t mean we can’t squeeze in a few more summery recipes. Our basil is kaput but the parsley in our garden is still going strong.  It was just calling out to be made into a tabbouleh salad.  I believe authentic tabbouleh has a few more ingredients but I worked with what I had on hand.  I perused a couple of recipes and then got to work.  Bulgur wheat, mint, tomatoes, garlic and lemon were all invited to play along with parsley at this party.  I only had curly leaf parsley but it seems like flat leaf or Italian parsley is typically used.  Curly worked just fine.

This was my first time cooking bulgur.   Bulgur is popular grain used in Middle Eastern and Mediterranean cuisine.  Bulgur is a whole wheat grain that has been cooked, dried and then ground into pieces.  Like most whole grains it is very high in fiber and minerals such as magnesium and manganese.   It also clocks in with 6 grams of protein per cup of cooked bulgur.   Interesting fact: bulgur in Turkish translates to ‘bruised grain’  which makes perfect sense!

I found a quick cooking version that was done in about 10 minutes.   The texture reminds me of a cross between quinoa and cous cous.  It a little bit chewy with a very mild flavor.

This salad comes together pretty easily.  Tomatoes and cucumbers are chopped.  Herbs, olive oil, lemon juice, and garlic go in the mini food processor.  Bulgur gets cooked.  Put it all together and you have yourself a tasty salad!

I think this would pair well with chicken or fish or could be added to a pita sandwich.  Or just eaten out of the bowl straight from the fridge which I think happened with the majority of this salad at our house. 

End of Summer Tabbouleh

2 Roma tomatoes, chopped

1/2 cucumber, peeled and chopped

1 cup parsley, chopped

1/4 cup mint, chopped

1 garlic clove, minced

1 lemon, juice squeezed

3 Tablespoons of olive oil

Salt to taste

1 cup bulgur wheat, cooked

Mix herbs, oil, lemon juice, and garlic in a mini food processor.  (Or chop by hand if you desire.)  Mix herb mixture, tomatoes, cucumber, and bulgur.  Enjoy!