Recipe: Enjoy a light salad like tabbouleh in warmer weather

By Esther Kennedy for the Times-Standard

Now that we’re heading into summer, it’s the perfect time to switch from hearty soups to light, filling, healthy meals. Salads tend to have a bad rep for being just boring lettuces and veggies thrown together, but there are endless opportunities to showcase your favorite veggies and fruits.

Rather than starting with a typical bed of lettuce and piling up all the delicious veggie toppings, use bulgur as the base for a delicious tabbouleh that is a Mediterranean staple. In my opinion, this dish can have many interpretations from wanting loads of veggies to how much dressing should be on the salad. This is mostly a vegetarian dish, but I’m sure the carnivores can add their favorite meats to this dish to make it unique.

As much as I love hearty, stick-to-your ribs soups, pasta dishes and steak, I’m a sucker for a fresh salad. I’ve been craving Mediterranean food recently, so I made tabbouleh with just a slight personal touch. It’s easy to create, makes perfect leftovers, and best of all, it’s delicious and healthy.

Enjoy the last few weeks of spring and live zestier.

Ingredients

• 1 cup coarse bulgur (will expand to double the quantity)
• 1 ½-2 tomatoes, seeded, small diced
• 2 bunches of flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
• 2 green onions, thinly sliced on the bias
• ¾ English cucumber, seeded, finely chopped
• 6-8 fresh mint leaves, chiffonade (thin ribbons)
• 1-2 Tbsp. fresh dill, roughly chopped
• 3 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil (1-2 Tbsp. added if necessary)
• 1 lemon, zested, and at least ½ juiced

Directions

In a glass bowl or measuring dish, pour 1 cup of bulgur and add hot water to about an inch over the top; cover. Allow the bulger to expand then squeeze out any excess water. The process takes about 15-20 minutes.