Lite n’ Healthy Bulgur Salad-The Perfect Lunch to Keep the Day Going!

One of my favorite food memories from childhood is my mom’s tabbouleh. This recipe is inspired by this dish and includes a wider variety of vegetables which are colorful and nutritious. Bulgur the wheat used in this dish has an incredible amount of healthy fiber and is much less caloric then white, or even brown rice.

In the United States, bulgur is produced from white wheat in four distinct grinds or sizes -#1 Fine, #2 Medium, #3 Coarse and #4 Extra Coarse grinds. Use Fine or medium for this recipe.

To get bulgur ready is super easy. You will need an equal amount of bulgur and boiling water. Pour water over the bulgur and slowly mix. Cover the bowl with a plastic wrap and wait for 15 minutes. Fluff with fork.

So you get your veggies all chopped up, you get your bulgur ready and then you just mix it all together. While I believe it is very important to not simply follow recipes blindly, I do like to initially follow them pretty closely the first few times, then taste & adjust the flavor; especially with salt and acid (in this case the lime) to make sure that the dish has a very nice balance.

By chilling this dish in the refrigerator for about an hour, you will allow the different flavors to marry and the bulgur will absorb the various flavors and will get slightly softer as well. Double check the taste again before serving – as the dish now is cooler you might need to add little salt again. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

1/2 cup uncooked bulgur

1/2 cup boiling water

1 1/2 cups diced plum tomato

3/4 cup shredded cooked chicken breast

3/4 cup minced fresh flat-leaf parsley

1/2 cup finely chopped red bell pepper

1/2 cup diced English cucumber

1/4 cup minced fresh mint

1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper