John’s grandparents are originally from Lebanon, so we eat a lot of Mediterranean food at our house. (For a funny little post about learning recipes from his family, click here.)
I love to make a big spread of Lebanese food with the usual suspects (hummus, baba ganoush, rolled grape leaves) and this tabbouleh salad.
Tabbouleh is very easy to make, as long as you can run a food processor and chop tomatoes. Really, the only part that is a bit of a hassle is pulling the parsley leaves off the stems.
But, if you turn on some music while you’re working, the whole process can be, well, sort of soothing.
And don’t we all deserve a little of that every day? I think so.
So turn up the music and dance!
Or do yoga.
Jack doing yoga on the kitchen floor, unknown pose
Speaking of, what is your favorite music to cook to? At the risk of being totally unoriginal, here are some of mine:
Look forward to your music-to-cook-to suggestions!
Tabbouleh Salad
Serves 4-6
Ingredients:
1 cup medium-grind bulgur
1 1/4 cup water, very hot
1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt, plus more for seasoning
1 bunch flat-leaf parsley, stemmed (or about 3 cups, packed, parsley leaves)
1/2 ounce fresh mint leaves (or 20 to 25 leaves), roughly chopped
5 green onions, roughly chopped
10 ounces cherry tomatoes, quartered
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
Freshly ground pepper, for seasoning
Instructions:
In a medium bowl, pour hot water over bulgur.
Add salt and stir once. Cover and let stand until tender, about 30 minutes.
Place parsley, mint, and onion in the bowl of a food processor.
Pulse until finely chopped, being careful not to over-process. (You want it chopped, not mushy.)
Transfer parsley mixture to a large bowl.
Add tomatoes.
Add bulgur. (Note: The water in the bulgur should be completely absorbed by the time you reach this step. If there is any water left in the bowl of bulgur, drain with a fine mesh strainer, pressing to remove excess water. Then add bulgur to parsley and tomatoes.)
Add olive oil.
Add lemon juice.
Toss to combine.
Season with salt and pepper; toss again. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
Transfer to a large serving dish. Serve chilled or at room temperature.
I don’t have much choice on the music front in our house, it ranges from One Direction for my 8 year old to my husband’s fave Nick Cave. I’m partial to Gomez or an Ohio band called The Hiders.
Thanks Heidi! Downloading The Hiders today!
Btw, I will not be at BHF this year – boo. Between the baby and moving, my plate is already full. Hope to do some of those when the kids are older though!
Thanks Heidi! Downloading The Hiders today!
Btw, I will not be at BHF this year – boo. Between the baby and moving, my plate is already full. Hope to do some of those when the kids are older though!
My computer is in the kitchen, so I just turn on aol radio and set it to country.
BTW Lebanese food is the bomb, I especially love light, refreshing and nutritious tabbouleh.
Hi Kari! I do that with Pandora! Although I’m more of an alt-country than country girl these days. So what other Lebanese food do you love? Always looking for something new to try!
Not big on tabouli, but I love the yoga pose!! Hope you had a swell mother’s day!
Thanks! Mother’s day was lovely. Hope Lisa’s was as well! Motherhood is a blessing like no other. Give my best to the fam.