This post is also available in: Español
Tabbouleh Salad is a dish that I grew up with enjoying at home and still now is one of my favorite side dishes to serve with many tasty dishes such as Kebabs, over a bed of fresh spinach, as an appetizer or as a snack paired with hummus and pita bread.
Tabbouleh is an Arabian vegetarian dish that has whole grain wheat that has been parboiled, dried and cracked resulting in bulgur wheat. Almost any kind of wheat can be transformed into bulgur. Bulgur contains fiber and it is ideal when you want to add whole grains into your diet. And this Tabbouleh Salad is a great way for you to start cooking with wheat having an easy option to offer at home.
Tabbouleh Salad and Wheat
Ingredients
- 2 cups of cooked bulgur
- 1 cup of chopped fresh tomatoes
- 1/2 cup of chopped purple onion
- 1/4 cup of fresh chopped parsley
- 1 lime the juice
- 1 tablespoon of olive oil
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1 tablespoon of fresh chopped mint
- Kalamata olives for garnishing
Instructions
- Cook 1 cup of bulgur wheat following the instructions in the package.
- Chop the tomatoes, the onions and the parsley.
- Combine the cooked bulgur, the tomatoes, the onion and the parsley and combine all together.
- Season with the lime juice, the olive oil and salt and pepper to taste. Place in a bowl, cover and refrigerate.
- When ready to serve add the mint and garnish with Kalamata olives.
Bulgur is a wonderful ingredient because you can cook it very fast and you can use for salads and also for adding to meats for burger patties or for making the famous Kibbeh. Another Lebanese favorite made with bulgur wheat and ground lamb meat and other spices.
In the menu I offer to my family I always look for dishes that include fiber and to build a balanced nutritional plan that has something from each of the food groups to craft a better meal.
The better we eat the more chances we have to have a healthier lifestyle and acquire less illnesses. And of course good habits have to be combined with an exercise program making a powerful combination between what we eat and the activity we do everyday.
Including whole grains and fresh produce into the diet is a better for you option that is why this recipe for Tabbouleh Salad is one of my favorites not only because it is easy to make but because it is fiber packed and has tomatoes, mint and fresh citrus, ingredients that are so tasty and good for us.
I know that many of us have heard about having a gluten free diet. I am not against this type of diet. In fact if you have celiac disease is perfectly fine to go gluten free. There is estimated that about three million Americans have celiac disease and should avoid gluten from wheat, barley and rye grains since gluten triggers the production of antibodies that can damage the lining of the small intestine.
However, for the rest of us that we aren’t gluten intolerant it is very important to understand that many gluten free products have higher content of sugar since many of those are made with rice flour and cornmeal or cornstarch. Eating whole grains and fiber can help lower the risk of heart disease because it lowers blood pressure and cholesterol, so going gluten free is not for everybody.
My recommendation is to talk to your doctor before deciding removing wheat and gluten from your diet and choose the best nutrition plan based on your lifestyle and needs. And not get influenced by what you hear or read, or by what it has become a fashion or a trend.
Again, I am not a champion for gluten vs no gluten, I am a champion of options, education and information. If you want to learn more about wheat check out my favorite resource Best Food Facts where they can answer any question. And if they don’t know about a certain topic, they reach out to experts on each field to get unbiased information.
Happy eats and hoping you try my recipe for this fresh and tasty Tabbouleh Salad with bulgur wheat.
Cheers!
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