Tabbouli, Couscous Tabbouli Salad

Tabbouli Salad :

Tabbouli is such a great salad. It combines all the classic ingredients of the Mediterranean such ad tomatoes, cucumbers. herbs like parsley, mint and olive oil and lemon juice. While it is not a Greek dish,it definitely combines ingredients common in the Greek cuisine and I love it. But there are many different types of Tabbouli, I prefer the one with more parsley and less bulgur. The original and traditional type of this dish uses bulgur a cereal made from the kernels of wheat, which maintains much of its bran and therefore is a good source of fiber, but sometimes couscous is used instead, although I much more prefer it with bulgur -healthier and tastier.Here we have two recipes of this delicious dish, Tabbouli with bulgur and Tabbouli with couscous.

Original and traditional Tabbouli:

Ingredients:

1 cup bulgur wheat

1 cup boiling or hot water

2 cups fresh parsley finely chopped

1 cup fresh mint finely chopped

3 spring onions

1 big cucumber (diced)

2 medium firm tomatoes

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground pepper

3 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice

3 Tablespoons olive oil

Instructions:

1: Rinse the bulgur wheat in a small bowl in cold water and squeeze the bulgur wheat in your hand and transfer to a new dish. Repeat it two times.

2: cover the bulgur wheat and refrigerate for one hour.

3: chop the tomato, parsley, spring onion and mint and put in a large mixing bowl.

4: Add the bulgur wheat to the chopped vegetables and mix well.

5: mix the lemon juice and olive oil in a small bowl and pour it over the vegetables mixture in the large mixing bowl and mix well. And finally seasoning with salt and pepper. Your Tabbouli is ready.

You can serve this delicious salad in lunch or dinner time or you can consider it as a meal. It is good to know that this salad tastes much better when it sits overnight, not only do all flavors meld together, but it soften herbs and the onion.

Couscous Tabbouli salad:

Ingredients:

2 cups couscous (cooked)

1 firm tomato, diced

2 cups chopped cucumber

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 cups chopped parsley

1 cup fresh mint

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 clove garlic

Instructions:

In a medium bowl mix the chopped cucumber, tomatoes, herbs, scallions and couscous. Mix until everything is well combined.

Prepare the dressing: in a small bowl mix the lemon juice and garlic. Gradually add the olive oil. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Add dressing to salad and toss to combine. Let the mixture stand for 15 minutes before serving.

Why Tabbouli salad:

Because :

It is colorful and fun.

It is inexpensive.

It is a light and healthy dish.

It is so delicious that everyone will be pleased.

It doesn’t have any leafy greens so it can sit outside for a while.

It is super fresh, perfect for summer.

It is easy to make.

Tips for Tabbouli:

Do not crowd your food processor when chopping the herbs. Make sure to do the chopping in batches so you don’t end up with watery Tabbouli salad.

I encourage you to make the perfect tahini sauce with your Tabbouli salad and keep it on the side so that everyone can help themselves.

For meal prep, store all the chopped ingredients and cooced bulgur or couscous, as well as the sauce separately and assemble last minute.

Tabbouli can be stored in the fridge and enjoyed for 2 days.

I like my Tabbouli extra lemony-adjust to your tastes. Have the pita bread ready to test it out, add lemon or salt and pepper until you are satisfied. Serve your Tabbouli with pita or on a bed of romaine lettuce. Tabbouli keeps well in a covered dish in the refrigerator.

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