Tabouleh

I'd eaten many versions of Tabouleh over the years. Some I liked, some I didn't. I started looking for recipes to make my own. There were things about the ones I found that I liked and things I didn't. Eventually, I decided to take my favorite elements from three or four recipes and tweak them to my tastes and ended up with an earlier version of this recipe that used olive oil. When I stopped eating oil, I needed to find a way to make the dressing work, so I came up with the idea of using walnuts to as a substitute for the olive oil. This recipe in both its forms has been one of my most requested recipes when I've taken it to potluck dinners or served it to guests.

 Tabouleh
¾ cup bulgur wheat
2 cups cold water

3 spring onions
1 large bunch parsley
1 small bunch fresh mint

1 large tomato
1 large cucumber

½ cup lemon juice
½ cup walnuts

Dash Middle Eastern spice mix, optional*




Place bulgur in large bowl and cover with cold water. Soak for 30 minutes. Drain through sieve lined with cheesecloth. 

Spread bulgur onto a cloth allow to air dry (about 30 minutes).


While the bulgur dries, chop spring onion and set aside. Chop parsley (approximately 2 cups after chopped) and mint (approximately ¼ cup after chopped). Set aside

 Carefully move bulgur from the cloth into a large bowl.

Add spring onion, parsley, and mint to bulgur. Stir to combine. Set aside

Chop tomato and cucumber. Add to bulgur mixture. Stir to combine.

Grind walnuts in a blender until finely ground. Add lemon juice and spice mix, if using. Blend until well blended. Pour over bulgur mixture. Stir until well incorporated.**

Cover and place in refrigerator to chill for at least one hour. Flavor enhances as it marinates.***

 * Middle Eastern Spice Mix isn't easy to find, so if desired you can add a dash of curry powder or garam masala. While it's certainly not necessary and is almost undetectable, I think it enhances the other flavors a bit if you have it.

 ** If you've made traditional Tabouleh with olive oil, you might notice this dressing tends to be whiter that that dressing.

 *** I prefer to let it chill in the refrigerator for at least 2-3 hours as I think it tastes better then without getting mushy though it can marinate for several hours if you want to make it ahead of time.
Many thanks to my neighbors, Kate and Ben, for letting me raid their mint when I realized mine wasn't ready to be harvested so I could go ahead and make Tabouleh on the day I wanted to!

 Note: I use as many organic ingredients as I can find, so I rarely include the word "organic" in my list of ingredients.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Orange Cranberry Water

Image
I used to love drinking orange juice with a splash or cranberry juice in it, but I no longer drink fruit juices as a general rule because of the high sugar content and lack of fiber. Sometimes, like this morning, I get a craving for that flavor combination. This water isn't as sweet or as strong, but it satisfies that craving. I like to drink infused water because it helps me keep my hydration up when I get bored with plain water. Since I was craving this this morning and decided to make it to quench my craving, I decided to share it! Orange Cranberry Water 2 oranges 1 cup frozen cranberries 40-60 ounces water Wash oranges. Slice into piece discarding the end pieces. Remove seeds. Gently massage orange slices over the top of a pitcher . Drop slices into the pitcher.  Add cranberries. Fill pitcher with water. Place in the refrigerator and all to infuse for several hours, or overnight. Note: I use organic ingredients whenever possible.
Read more

Mango Smoothie

Image
I make many different varieties of smoothies. I like to play with the ingredients.  This  Mango Smoothie  is a rare smoothie where I don't include any berries.  I almost always include some type of greens. In this recipe, I use kale. It gives the smoothie a light greenish tint, which I find rather pretty but some might not.    I decided to make mango the star of this smoothie, which I enjoyed more than I expected.  I find this Mango Smoothie light and refreshing but quite filling. It makes enough for one large smoothie or two small smoothies.  Mango Smoothie 2 cups frozen mango ½ cup walnuts 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1 teaspoon ground ginger 1 teaspoon amla powder (optional) ¼ teaspoon ground cardamom 1 teaspoon matcha powder (optional) 2 teaspoons fruit infused vinegar ½ cup chopped kale 1 small orange 1 small avocado 1 banana Place walnuts, ginger, cinnamon, cardamom, amla, matcha, and vinegar in blender . Blend until becomes a thick chunky butter-like consistency. Add a little
Read more

Spelt Biscuits

Image
I remember biscuits at both of my grandmother's houses. They had very different styles for making biscuits, but both had their appeal. What I remember most about them thinking back is how cozy it felt when my grandmas served biscuits, even making biscuits with them felt cozy. I don't think my biscuits have ever been as good as either of theirs, but sometimes I wonder if that's as much about nostalgia as technique. I will readily admit that I find rolling dough kind of soothing and far too often roll my dough a bit too thin for biscuits, as I did when I made these biscuits this morning. So while this variation of biscuits has little in common with the biscuits either of my grandmas made, they both inspired me to develop a biscuit recipe. So, Grammy Stamm and Granny Cooper, this one is in your honor! Spelt Biscuits   2 cups spelt flour 1 tablespoon baking powder 1 teaspoon ground flaxseeds ½ cup hazelnut pulp ¾ cup hazelnut milk 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar     Preheat th
Read more