The Sprouted Kitchen's Strawberry Tabbouleh Salad-Famous Fridays
Never thought Friday would show its face around here!! We are almost at the end of our kitchen reno and none too soon, 'cause the natives are getting extremely restless. Seems there's a limit to how much salad, eggs, pizza and other assorted takeout people can eat for dinner before they start to break down!! Especially if those people like to eat healthy. And speaking of healthy, I'm so excited to share this Strawberry Tabbouleh Salad, straight from the pages of The Sprouted Kitchen Bowl + Spoon by Sara Forte as my Famous Fridays pick for this week! It's exactly the kind of dish you want to have in your repertoire for all the upcoming BBQ's and picnics!!
Do you know about The Sprouted Kitchen? It's both a blog and a book (two cookbooks actually) and all are the brainchild of chef and author Sara Forte, who concentrates on using all-natural, primarily vegetarian ingredients to create unique and tantalizing salads, main dishes, appetizers, sides etc., like Mushroom and Leek Soft Egg Bake (can't wait to try), Spiced Sweet Potato Chips with Créme Fraiche Dip, Spring Noodles with Artichokes, Pecorino and Charred Lemons, Herbed Falafel Bowl...even desserts, like Cocoa Nib Pavlovas with Mixed Berries (how amazing does that sound?!!) It was really, really hard to narrow down just one recipe to share with you but in the end my kitchen-less situation dictated that I pick something easy to prepare with no oven necessary and that's what this Strawberry Tabbouleh Salad is. And delicious! And seasonal! And so pretty too! You're gonna love it.
It's full of all sorts of different tastes like scallions, cucumbers, lemon zest, feta, bulgur wheat and of course strawberries (duh) that come together and make one terrific tasty bowl!
Are you big on bulgur? That's a loaded question, right?!! But seriously, if you haven't ever made or tasted it before, don't let the "healthfood" sound of it scare you off. Sure it's good for you--full of fiber, high in iron and protein and low-fat but what you'll be thinking while you eat it is not about how nutritious is it but how appealing that nutty, chewy consistency is and how easy it is to prepare. One bite and you'll be a bulgur convert!!
What I especially love about this salad are all the different textures and flavors. There's the crunchy mellowness of the English cucumbers, the earthy pasta like feeling of the bulgur, the slight sharpness of the scallions, the saltiness of the feta and the sweetness of the strawberries all coated in a light red wine/lemony vinaigrette! Every bite is happy!
So have a great weekend--check out Sara's blog and cookbooks and experiment with lighter, healthier but still very fun food. With any luck I'll be setting up my kitchen and be ready with a full array of new recipes for you as we head into (yikes) late May?!!!!
Strawberry Tabbouleh Salad
Makes 6-8 servings
Prep Time: 30-45 minutes (much of this is hands-off)
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup bulgur wheat
- 1 1/4 cups water
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 3 scallions, chopped finely, white and green parts
- 1 pint strawberries, hulled and diced
- 1 English cucumber, diced
- 1/2 cup chopped parsley
- 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- Zest and juice of 1 lemon
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt (you may want to use a bit more)
- 1/2-1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
The Recipe
1. Bring the water to a boil in a medium pot. Rinse and drain the bulgur. Once water has boiled, add bulgur to the pot, turn of the hear, cover the pot and remove from the heat. Let sit for about 25-30 minutes, until water is absorbed. Then, stir in the garlic, fluff with a fork and let cool to room temperature.
2. Place the chopped scallions, berries, cucumber and parsley in a large bowl. Once the bulgur as cooled add it to the bowl as well along with the oil, vinegar, lemon zest and juice, salt, pepper and feta. Toss everything together well. Taste and season with more salt and pepper if necessary. Serve immediately or chill for several hours.
3. This is best on the day it's made but really tasty a day or two later too. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge.
Enjoy!
Note: Recipe adapted from The Sprouted Kitchen by Sara Forte. I omitted the mint leaves and tinkered with some of the proportions.
