A Simple Salad

I love to cook. Don't get me wrong. However, I don't have endless hours to create spectacular meals during the week. Enter simple salads. Easy, healthy, and if done right, filling. Here is my favorite recipe for tabbouleh, modified from The Joy of Cooking.

Tabbouleh

Cook one cup of bulgur in 2 cups water. I don't usually bother cooking the bulgur over the stove and instead put it into a pot filled with 2 cups boiling water and let it sit. By the time I have all the other ingredients ready, the bulgur is appropriately chewy (read: not soggy). Once it is ready, put it in a strainer to remove any remaining water.

While the bulgur is steeping, mix together: 

+ 2 cups parsley, finely chopped

+ 3/4 cup mint, finely chopped

+ 1 medium onion, finely chopped

+ a handful of cherry tomatoes, roughly chopped (any tomatoes will do, but I love the flavor of smaller tomatoes)

In a small bowl, whisk together:

+ 1/4 cup vegetable oil

+ 1/3 cup fresh lemon juice

+ 1 tsp ground pepper

+ 1/4 tsp salt (or to taste)

Once everything is chopped and ready, combine well. Makes a very hardy salad. The leftovers are particularly delicious.