tabbouleh
February 28, 2014 § 90 Comments
If you are experiencing winter right now wouldn’t you agree this is the time of the year when you start dreaming of fresh peas, forget-me-nots, asparagus, mint and chives? Well, the forget-me-nots are barely peeking from the soil out back and I haven’t seen fresh peas yet. I did get a glimpse of some good looking thin asparagus stalks at the market the other day. We are just not quite there yet. It is still cold, snowy, windy, rainy, and dormant.
The other day I was reading a post from lucysfriendlyfoods and when I saw her tabbouleh post I had that glorious feeling spring is here. We may not be there yet, but why not make a nice fresh herbal salad with little tomatoes and roasted chickpeas. Yes, the same roasted chickpeas I posted just the other day. My understanding of tabbouleh is the cracked wheat (bulgur) is meant to be more of a garnish and the herbs play a larger role as the main ingredient. Tabbouleh should be considered a green herbal salad with a touch of cracked wheat. Thank you lucylox for inspiring a pre-spring salad! Now, I’m off to Fiesta Friday, as usual a little late. See you there! And thank you for the spoon Elena!
I n g r e d i e n t s
- 1/2 cup bulgur wheat
- 2 cups water
- 1 bunch of parsley, finely chopped
- Small bunch of mint, finely chopped
- 1/4 red onion, finely chopped (or less depending desired taste)
- 10 cherry tomatoes, finely chopped
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 3 tbsps extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 tsp salt
M e t h o d
Place the bulgur in a medium size bowl with 2 cups of boiling water. Allow it to sit and absorb the liquid. Once liquid is absorbed and bulgur has become soft, place in a sieve and remove any remaining excess water. Place the bulgur in a serving bowl and fluff up with a fork. Pour over the lemon, oil and salt. Mix well. Stir in the parsley, mint, onion and tomatoes. Toss well and serve at room temperature, topped with crispy roasted chickpeas.
COTTAGE GROVE HOUSE 
This looks gorgeous and delicious :).
Thank you and good morning! :)
This looks beautiful :)
:) Thank you.
So, the words “your thoughts…” are just above this box that I’m typing in right now…
I only have one word… Beautiful.
I take that back.. two words. Beautiful and Perfect.
I’m always so awestruck by your posts and your photos, Seana. Honestly.
Ok, let’s talk about this Fiesta Friday. So cool. Can anyone join? I’d really have to step things up a notch…but it’s a challenge that I’d readily accept!! :-)
You, my friend, are too kind. You certainly need to attend Angie’s fiesta. Head over there now. Bring your pretzels! Did you follow the link in my post to her blog? Please, tell her I sent you. :)
Thanks for bringing a friend, Seana! You’re a doll! XOXO
Prudy is loads of fun! She’ll be the life of the party once you get her going…
Can’t wait to meet her!
yum! Looks fresh and springy. And I am so jealous that you have something peeking out of the ground. We have at least four feet of snow on the ground and more on the way. Need to experience spring through your kitchen :-)
Well, I’m a little jealous of your snow! We only had one “minor” snowfall this whole winter, and we wanted more. Always…the grass is greener, right! Four feet of snow? OMGosh Liz.
no, grass is not always greener because our grass is buried under oodles of snow and look at that, more is coming down. Am seriously down over our winter. Worst. Ever. Too cold for too long. On that cheery note, will just mention again that it is your food photos and stories that will save me :-) Keep ’em coming!
I love this salad, by itself or as a side. We just received our CSA box with artichokes in them. A little early, I think, but I’ll take what I can get. I read that because of the drought (in CA) farmers have been pulling spring vegetables early because they had so much sunshine the last couple of months. Strange, but there you have it. Thanks for the lovely tabbouleh recipe.
Seasons are really changing aren’t they? Artichokes in February! I love artichokes and would welcome them in my CSA box!
Yes, these beautiful and fresh ingredients absolutely remind me of the Spring to come! I see your gorgeous, crisp chickpeas atop the mound of vegetable & bulgar beauty. :-)
It’s a beautiful spring like morning here in Seattle today! I wish I was out riding my bike right now. :) I’ll have to wait until tomorrow…
That sounds lovely… a bike ride in the sunshine… haven’t done that in years (I have a two and four year old, and a husband who travels and works 100-hour weeks!).
Looks delish! I love tomatoes and chickpeas. I’m patiently waiting for fresh tomatoes because, in my experience, so-called fresh, store bought tomatoes due not have any flavor during the cold months. I suppose canned tomatoes would work as well?
If I can find bulgar wheat, I will make this tasty looking salad.
Thanks for the recipe!
I agree about tomatoes in the cold months. Maybe canned tomatoes..?? I’d probably just wait for the fresh ones. The tiny cherry type tomatoes were very flavorful. Hope you get a chance to find bulgur and make some tabbouleh Bobbi, it’s so wonderfully fresh. Ani left a comment saying they use quinoa for tabbouleh and it’s very good.
Sounds good. I know just where to get quinoa.
I have used canned, whole tomatoes for a homemade tomato soup and it turned out very tasty. I was surprised at the abundance of flavor in the tomatoes, but nothing compares to fresh.
So good, those roasted chickpeas….nice idea…delicious salad.
Thank you Roger. Roasted chickpeas are something to write home about.
One of my favorite salads. I like it with a little hummus on the side.
Yes, hummus on the side, sounds wonderful Jovina. I love tabbouleh salad too, preferably light on the onion and omit the garlic. :)
Your tabbouleh looks so colorful and inviting :)
I love hearing “inviting” when it comes to food. Thank you.
Gorgeous photos and I love your spin on tabbouleh, Seana. Nice to see you at Angie’s Fiesta Friday too!
Hello Selma. Nice to see you here today. Perhaps my “spring-like” post brought out the sun, it gorgeous here in Seattle! Thank you for stopping in…
Love the idea of your roasted chickpeas in tabbouleh! In fact, I will try it this weekend. Just got to the fiesta party, see you there!
Great! Let me know how the chickpeas turn out. Have to go see what you brought…where’s Johnny?
I was wondering the same thing – where is Johnny? Maybe it can become a Fiesta Friday game! :-D
Looks amazing! I love bulgur, but have not yet experimented with tabbouleh. You make it sound delicious! :)
Hello Lisa. I really love tabbouleh. I’m crazy about the fresh herbs and when I make it I do not use garlic and go light on the onion. It’s something I could eat a few times a week. Happy weekend!
I grew up on tabbouleh – such a fresh and light lunch! When my mom and brother found out they were gluten free, we subbed quinoa for the bulgur and it was amazing! Chickpeas sound like a fantastic addition though.
What a nice food to grow up on. ;) So fresh and healthy, well, that is if you are gluten tolerant…glad to hear quinoa works too. I love quinoa and imagine it would be wonderful with fresh herbs.
It looks very very inviting coz of the contrast of colors in the salad. And i love the fact that you served it with crispy roasted chickpeas. Lovely!
Thank you Sadia. I’m with you, I love to have a variety of color, especially in a salad. So aesthetically pleasing. Crispy chickpeas were wonderful with tabbouleh, hope you get a chance to roast some!
looks amazing :)
Thank you Miss Spicy Hat. ;)
I love the idea of coaxing spring in with some fresh produce. I’m not a big fan of bulgur wheat, but would love to try this with some couscous :)
I would say yes to couscous…for sure. Especially if you enjoy Ptitim. Hmmm. I think i’ll have to give that a try. Thank you for the idea. ;) Not much compares to a nice fresh herbal salad.
Gorgeous tabbouleh and yes wishing for spring and the fresh vegetables, fruit and flowers. This winter weather is hanging on though, can’t wait for this cold weather to be a thing of the past.
Me too Suzanne. Although today is a stunningly gorgeous day here in Seattle. When the sun comes out here it feels like you just exited a cave! Hey, how’d your chickpeas come out?
[…] Seana […]
I love tabbouleh! I don’t make it frequent enough, so thank you for bringing this to the fiesta! Looks super delicious with roasted chickpeas added. Is that you in lamé? Johnny is still busy ironing his ensemble. I think he’s getting fancy on us! :-)
:) thank you for hosting Angie…it’s fun and gets a good amount of buzz going. Love it.
Lovely twist – thanks so much for the mention :-)
Well, it was such a treat and I appreciated your post when I saw it. I was truly inspired and loved the salad. It was perfect.
Roll on spring time and more colourful, tasty and fresh food! :-)
Your pics are so lovely, and this salad looks amazing
Thank you for your nice comments Cheri. It is a great tabbouleh. Perfect right now during this “in between” winter & spring. At least we are having sun here in Seattle. Heard the snow is falling elsewhere!
Good call on this dish. Usher in the spring! We’re still covered in snow here with more coming. This dish is perfect.
More coming?! When is it every going to stop. I wouldn’t mind a nice snowfall this weekend. But then we’ve only had one small snow storm all winter. Usher in the spring! :)
Your tabbouleh looks especially wonderful! Hope I get a chance to try it out soon…
Thank you, such a kind comment. I hope you get a chance to try the tabbouleh salad too, well, especially the roasted chickpeas. They are something to write home about. ;)
I cannot wait for Spring to come and my herb/veggie/flower gardens. Great idea to make an herbal salad now. Winter here has been full of lots of snow and very cold below 0 temps. More is coming this weekend :)
Aww. The snow. We wouldn’t know what that is like over here in the Pacific Northwest. We’ve had a fairly mild winter. I saw daffodils in full bloom today! An herbal salad is a good remedy for a long winter. So fresh and refreshing! Nice to see you here today. :) Thank you for stopping by.
This is along the lines I was thinking, re roasted chickpeas. They must be so good in salads like this. Especially instead of croutons, as I find those can be either too greasy or get too soggy. Nothing worse than the latter! Excepting soft toms.
Yes. The roasted chickpeas really are great on their own, but you are right, on a salad they are so good, especially a salad of this sort. There is a big empty spot over on Angie’s blog just waiting for you to fill it…
Hah! I’m finishing off my post. And on my way…
Ok…we’re waiting. ;)
That looks incredibly delicious!
Thanks. Have a good weekend!
Gorgeous! I love the look of the cherry tomatoes instead of the diced tomatoes we usually see. The colours are so intense and inviting!
I agree, cherry tomatoes were perfect in this tabbouleh, and I agree too they even look better than diced tomatoes. Thank you Julianna for your comment and for visiting me too! I’m a little late responding…
Love the dish and especially love that spoon!!
Thank you Patty…the spoon was a gift and I’m crazy about it too. :)
Love this way of thinking… that tabbouleh is more a herb salad with an added touch of bulgur wheat! Fantastic touch of using the roasted chickpeas – genius! :) Happy Fiesta Friday Seana!
Geez, a little late in responding wouldn’t you say! See, I was late to the party too. I must get it together if I plan on having any friends at all. Are you going to the party this Friday?
I’m not sure if I’ll make it to FF this week Seana… I’ll try, but have a few other things on at the moment that are keeping me busier than usual. Hope you’re having a great week! :)
Anything with chickpeas and I’m yours. Your tabouleh looks awesome. I’m not dreaming of spring types of food but I am dreaming of flowers and blossoms and buds …
Me too…and your colors on your recent post are very spring like…love it!
I love a good tabouleh and this looks wickedly good! The French love them too – there’s quite a North African influence in this part of the world and you can buy pre-made in the chiller cabinets in the supermarkets here. But there’s nothing as good as fresh made :-)
Wickedly good! Yes! That’s it! We have pre-made here too and you are right, never very good. Too much garlic and mushy tomatoes. I don’t particularly like garlic in my tabbouleh, although I’m a huge garlic fan, especially raw garlic. I just don’t think it belongs in this lovely herb salad. :)
I make the same thing but use quinoa instead!
Oh good! glad you make the same thing Sophie. Using quinoa sounds like a great idea.
love this idea!
:) thank you…you would love this one for sure…
This looks the business!! I damn well love tabouleh… Especially with a nice piece of fish or chicken…
Ooooo, I think it would be great with fish. Great idea. We ate it all by itself, filling enough, but fish would be lovely.
Hell yeah!
Looks like a bowl full of freshness. Oh yummy
A bowl full of freshness is a great description of this tabbouleh Rhonda. Perfect for this time of years. Yummy, indeed. :)
I cannot wait for anything to be peeking through the ground. So far we’ve still got a couple of feet of snow in our cold, white world. The sun is shining and the sky is blue but forget-me-nots are only a memory.
Your tabbouleh looks wonderful!
You live in a white world for sure Lindy! I think the shining sun and blue skies is beautiful in the snow. I imagine you will have an abundance of green this summer.
Ohhh. LOVE the idea of scattering roasted chickpeas on tabbouleh. Such a great burst of textural crunch. Hope you get some respite from your chilly weather soon.
Well, it has warmed up a bit, but the rain continues to fall in buckets. Not unusual for this time of year, for us anyway. Must admit, had to hide a portion of the chickpeas I roasted so we could top the tabbouleh with them. Even two cans are not quite enough for the three of us. Especially with the sweet smoked paprika…oh my, it sounds so good right now.
Made this last night and my husband and I loved it! The crispy chickpeas were a great addition. Looking forward to having the leftovers for lunch today. Thanks for the recipe!
You made my day! I’m very happy you made the chickpeas with it. I thought the chickpeas really elevated the tabbouleh to a new level of goodness. Especially the texture! :) Thank you for reporting back!
You’re welcome :)