The Best Tabbouleh Salad

The BEST!? Well, that's what the author of the blog A Cozy Kitchen claimed about her Tabbouleh Salad recipe, so of course I had to try it! My verdict: a super flavorful, healthy meal that my husband deemed "definitely bloggable!" Is "bloggable" even a word? Not sure what Webster's would say about that; but, in my house, it is a term we throw out often. And as my friends know, I only blog about one out of every five or six recipes I make. So, if it's on The Wooden Spoon Diaries, it's definitely a "bloggable" recipe!! This salad is no exception!!

Instead of serving the pita chips crunched up inside the salad, I served them whole and we used them as "dippers".  I also added a red bell pepper and omitted the parsley. And you might be wondering (as I was) what on earth is sumac*??? Well, it is a spice and it is delicious!! I found it at Whole Foods and it was about $5 for jar. We ate this as our meal, but, if you are in need of meat, this would make a killer side dish, as well. The salad was just as good the next day, so, left-overs are a plus!!  Enjoy!!

Recipe from A Cozy Kitchen:

Dressing:
1/2 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tablespoon sumac* <read my intro if you have no idea what this is>
1 lemon
Salt
Pepper

Salad:
Olive oil
3/4 cup bulgar (try to find “fine bulgar,” if you can)
1 1/2 cups water
Salt
1 1/2 cup diced Persian cucumbers
1 cup halved cherry tomatoes
1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced <this was my own addition>
1/4 cup minced fresh Italian parsley
3 tablespoons minced fresh mint
3 green onions, tops and bottoms discarded and thinly sliced
1 cup cubed feta (2 ounces)
Handful pita chips, broken up

1. In a small bowl, combine the olive oil, red wine vinegar, minced garlic, sumac and juice from 1 lemon. Salt and pepper to taste. (I added about 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and a few pinches of pepper.) Set aside.

2. Place a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add a few teaspoons of oil and when hot, add the bulgar; stirring it frequently, toast it for 1-2 minutes. To the bulgar, add 1 1/2 cups water and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Cook for 10 minutes, or until the water is evaporated and tender. Fluff with a fork and set aside; cool to room temperature.

3. (Note: If you’re serving this for later, I’d add the pita chips right before serving so they don’t get soggy.) To a medium mixing bowl (or your salad serving bowl), add the bulgar, cucumbers, tomatoes, Italian parsley, mint, green onions, cubed feta and pita. Add half of the dressing and gently toss everything together. Add the rest of the dressing and give it one more toss. Serve immediately.