Tabbouleh

I don't post recipes very often, but I thought I'd share this tasty recipe from a cookbook I recieved from a colleague back in May. I LOVE this stuff, and it's perfect for summer dining -- flavorful, nutritious, and light. Enjoy!

Tabbouleh (from Ina Garten's Barefoot Contessa: Family Style)
• The cookbook calls for chicken breast, but I just make it without meat.

1 ½ cups boiling water
1 cup bulgur wheat
¼ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (2 lemons)
• I just used lime juice from a bottle
Olive oil
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 cup minced scallions, white and green parts (1 bunch)
1 cup chopped fresh mint leaves (2 bunches)
1 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley (1 bunch)
1 hothouse cucumber, unpeeled, halved lengthwise, seeded, and medium diced
• I just used a regular cucumber
2 cups halved cherry tomatoes

In a heat-proof bowl, pour the boiling water over the bulgur wheat. Add the lemon (or lime) juice, ¼ cup olive oil, and 1 teaspoon of salt. Stir. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and allow the bulgur to stand at room temperature for about an hour.

Add the scallions, mint, parsley, cucumber, tomatoes, 1 teaspoon of salt, and 1 teaspoon of pepper. Season to taste and serve immediately or cover and refrigerate. The flavors will improve as it sits.

• The recipe actually calls for another teaspoon of salt, but I think it’s too salty with 3 teaspoons.
• This will stay tasty in your fridge for about a week; it makes A LOT of food, so I usually take it in my lunch all week ... even if I've made it for friends and family. There's that much left over.