tabbouleh salad

Now that gardens and farmers markets are filled with fresh herbs, it is time to introduce you to one of my favorite summer salads: tabbouleh. Trust me, this is so much better homemade than it is at the deli. The freshly chopped herbs and crisp cucumbers and tomatoes are incomparable. We had this all the time when we lived in the Middle East and it is so refreshing to eat something cold and light on a hot summer day.

Tabbouleh Salad 
Ingredients: 
1 bunch parsley (flat leaf or “italian” works best)
4-5 green onions
2 large tomatoes
3 cups bulgar wheat (already cooked)
1/2 cucumber
2 lemons, juice of
2 tablespoons olive oil
salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste 

Instructions:
Finely chop all vegetables and herbs. Combine all ingredients and mix well. Refrigerate for 15-30 minutes before eating to allow flavors to combine. Serve cold.

A couple notes:
-You can always up the amount of parsley and lower the amount of bulger or vice versa, to taste. My dear friend in the middle east loves almost no bulgar and tons of parsley, I perfer a bit more of a balance.
-You can also adjust the lemon juice and olive oil to make your salad more moist or dry.
-Capers, pine nuts and fresh mint are all excellent add-ins.
-Bulgar is also called cracked wheat. Check here for more information and preparation instructions.