Tabouleh YUM!!!

A few days ago I popped over to Whole Foods to buy some ingredients for brownie bites.  While I was there, I couldn't help myself from buying some bulgur wheat.  My sister-in-law made a delicious salad a few weeks ago and reminded me of just how yummy bulgur wheat can be.  One of my favorite salads is Tabouleh so that's what I set out to make.  It incorporates all things yummy, tasty and good for you.  This was not the tried & true recipe from my mom-in-law but, instead a new quicker version ala the internet. This recipe doesn't call for cooking or soaking the bulgur in water but, instead soaking it in the salad dressing.  What happens is indeed delicious but, the bulgur is also less soft & more chewy. 

Ingredients

• 1 teaspoon lemon zest
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 1/4 cup X-virgin olive oil
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper coarsely ground
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup bulgur wheat
• a bunch of parsley - chopped
• 1/2 cucumber peeled & cut into small cubes
• 1 tomato - cut into small cubes

  Instructions

• Whisk the lemon zest, lemon juice, olive oil, black pepper and salt together in a small bowl, then add the bulgur wheat. Let this soak for 30 minutes or up to 2 hours, depending on the coarseness of your bulgur and how soft you want it.
• Wash the parsley then use a salad spinner or paper towels to thoroughly dry it. Remove all the stems, then grab a handful and roll it up and slice the roll as thinly as possible. Chop the parsley in the opposite direction to the direction you sliced and you should get it pretty evenly chopped.
• Add the parsley to a large bowl along with the cucumbers, and tomatoes. Add the soaked bulgur along with the dressing and toss everything together. Tabouleh tastes fresh the day it's made, but if you let it sit overnight, the flavors have a chance to meld and it tastes even better.
• If you aren't sure you will like this salad, make it according to the directions & you won't have too much.  If, like me, you love this & eat it alone as a meal, I would suggest doubling the recipe.