Tabbouli Syrian Style

Tabbouli or tabouleh is a salad that originates from the Middle Eastern Mediterranean area fomr countries like Syria, Lebanon, and Turkey.  In the USA I have seen many variations to this healthy salad but this is an authentic Syrian recipe used by most Syrian cooks.

Tabbouli is rich in vitamin C, vitamin K, folate, iron, fiber, monounsaturated fats and numerous other beneficial nutrients.  This salad can be eaten as a main course or a side.  At my house we eat is as a main course with a side of cheese or spinach pies.  But jazz it up however you like, you cannot go wrong with tabbouli.

Preparation time: 30 min

Ingredients:

2 bunches of parsley

¼ cup of very fine bulgur

1 large tomato diced

½  medium onion,minced

2 squeezed lemons

1 tsp dried mint

¼ tsp pepper

Salt to taste

3 tblsp olive oil

Directions:

To prepare parsley, cut parsley leaves into a food processorwith scissors including about 1 inch or 2 cm of the stem attached to the leafthen process using the pulse button until parsley is the preferred texture.Repeat until all the parsley is minced. You should be able to process one bunch of parsley at a time.  Do not process for too long or the parsleywill get mushy, we a looking for minced not mushed.  After cutting the parsley, soak it is icecold water to clean and remove dirt. Change water every 10 minutes until the water is clean.

While soaking the parsley, put bulgur, tomatoes, onion,lemon, mint, salt and pepper into a small bowl. Mix together and allow it to sit so bulgur can soak up the lemon andtomato juices (we do not cook the bulgur). After the parsley is cleaned and drained, mix parsley with the bulgurmixture and add olive oil. Serve immediately and decorate with lettuce leavesif you wish. Saha wa hana!  i.e. Withgood health and pleasure in Arabic.

Nutrition Information: