Tag Archives: salads

Tabouli

tabouli

There are many recipes for tabouli, but most don’t create the type I like: full of parsley and lemon juice, and no mint. Tabouli is a nutritious, joyous salad that always feels festive to me.

The bulgur gives nutritious carbohydrate power, the mix of oil and lemon juice bring out the bulgur’s B vitamins, and the parsley and tomato combine to up the salad’s Vitamin C absorbability.

Makes 4 cups 

Ingredients

½ cup bulgur

1 cup boiling water

3 cups finely chopped parsley

¼ cup finely chopped green onions

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped (1 Tbsp)

1 very ripe medium size, tomato, finely chopped

1/3 cup olive oil

3-5 Tbsp lemon juice

1 tsp salt

¼ tsp sumac

¼ tsp baharat (or 1/8 tsp paprika and 1/8 tsp ground cumin)

Steps

  1. Place bulgur in a large bowl and cover with boiling water. Let sit, uncovered, for 20 minutes. (There’s no need to drain unabsorbed water.)
  2. Add rest of ingredients in no particular order, although I like to add the oil and spices before the vegetables.
  3. Mix well and let sit at least 30 minutes.
  4. Taste and adjust seasonings, as needed.
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Tomato-Sorrel Salad

 

sorrel leaf

Sorrel is a small leafy green that is lemony in flavor (but not bitter) and nutritionally beneficial. It is easy to use and is readily available at Farmers Markets, especially in the spring. Sorrel adds mild lemon flavor to salads and soups. This salad is warming and invigorating!

For instructions on cleaning the sorrel, see “Cleaning leafy greens and other dirt-filled veggies” on the Food Prep Tips page.

Makes 4 cups 

Ingredients

1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar

¾ tsp coarse salt

1/10 tsp cayenne pepper

1/2  tsp caraway seeds

3 cups chopped sorrel (measure after the chopping)

2 large tomatoes, chopped (3 cups)

1 garlic clove, finely chopped (1 Tbsp)

1 Tbsp flax seeds

Steps

  1. In a medium size bowl, add the balsamic vinegar, salt, cayenne pepper, and caraway seeds. Mix.
  2. Mix in the chopped sorrel.
  3. Mix in the tomatoes.
  4. Mix in the garlic.
  5. Add the flax seeds and mix well.
  6. Let sit for 1/2 hour. The sorrel reduces in size so you might want to put the salad in a smaller serving bowl.

Tomato-sorrel salad

 

Cucumber-Yogurt Salad

Cucumber-yogurt salad

This salad is somewhat like Tzatziki dip. The additions of pumpkin seeds and green onions up the salad’s nutritional value.

Makes 3 cups

Ingredients

(Change the amounts according to your taste. For example, I like onions, so I used 3 green onions.)

6-7 small cucumbers, chopped (2 1/2 cups)

2 garlic cloves, minced (1/2 Tbsp)

2-3 green onions, chopped

3/4 tsp coarse salt

6 spearmint leaves, minced (1/2 Tbsp)

1/2 Tbsp lemon juice (not from a plastic lemon or bottled lemon juice)

1/2 cup (150 gm) plain yogurt, at least 3% fat

1 Tbsp olive oil

2 Tbsp pumpkin seeds

3 Tbsp green olives, chopped (optional)

Steps

  1. Mix all the ingredients in a bowl.
  2. Let the salad sit for at least 1/2 hour so that the salt dissolves and the flavors mix.

 

Notes

  • Low-fat yogurt is not satisfying to the body so don’t use it.
  • Try not to use the large cucumbers. They aren’t as nutritious as the smaller ones.
  • If you use the green olives, you can lower the amount of salt.
  • If you like the crunchiness of the pumpkin seeds, add more.