Tabouli, tabbouleh! Grain-free...

[Emma-Liza]

Tabouli recipe that I really like! It's mine, but I can't take credit for the idea of using sesame seeds for bulgur. Although I know I saw this substitution somewhere, I can't remember where. Thanks to them where ever they are!

I've enjoyed not eating grains, so I was happy to try my basic tabouli recipe out without any grains!

1 cup chopped tomato
1 cup chopped cucumber
1/2 cup finely chopped parsley
2 tsp dried mint (fresh would be even better)
1/4 cup sesame seeds
juice of 1 lemon (or to taste)
2-3 Tbs olive oil (or to taste)
sea salt, black pepper to taste

Mix all, taste for seasoning, let marinate for the juices to soak into the seeds. It's good before marinating, too! Be sure to get the parsley finely chopped; it can be way chewier than the other ingredients.

(It might be nice to grind the seeds, too, but I don't have a dedicated coffee mill for that yet.)

buen provecho!

[notwell]

Sounds good.

[wiccedfae23]

sounds like tomorrows lunch! i have just about everything on hand ... thanks for sharing!

[RawLibrarian]

I always have tabouli on hand; it is one of my staples. My substitution for the bulgur is hemp seed.

[Emma-Liza]

Hemp seed is what Matt Amsden uses. (He doesn't use the cucumber, but I really like it.) I'll try the hemp next time! Does it get soft?

[RawLibrarian]

Hemp seed is what Matt Amsden uses. (He doesn't use the cucumber, but I really like it.) I'll try the hemp next time! Does it get soft?

Yes, they do soften up a bit, but mine never lasts for more than a day or two.

[Beachhunter]

Do you sprout the sesame seeds first?

[Emma-Liza]

Do you sprout the sesame seeds first?

Beachhunter--I didn't, but I do wish I had soaked them first. I had to wait for the cuke juices to soak into the seeds, a couple of hours, and it was best right then! By the next day, the cukes were going translucent and the tomatoes were breaking down, and I don't like either of them that way as much as freshly chopped.

I would say, soak the seeds first, drain (and sprout, if you like). Then make and eat the salad the same day.

Or, I think with my next tabouli, I'll soak the seeds in the dressing ingredients and keep that in the fridge and add to fresh tomato, cucumber, parsley and mint one meal at a time.

[Beachhunter]

Soaking them in the dressing sounds awesome. I cannot wait to try this.

[jacsam]

I've enjoyed a recipe very similar to yours. It has more cucumber and you can add some avacado if you have one but it also has sunflower seeds in it and another variety ..... add a little agave to with some salt or Mrs. Dash for a different seasoning. I'm excited to try your version.

[Emma-Liza]

jacsam, that sounds yummy, too! I used to put chickpeas in mine to make it more substantial. I also used to make it sometimes with brown rice instead of bulghur.

Oh, and I just remembered, radishes are a good add-in, too!

[gingincal]

I'm having this for dinner tonite, actually. :) I'm using sprouted quinoa instead of bulgar. Never tried thi before....

[Emma-Liza]

gingincal--let us know how it turns out!

[gingincal]

Emma-Liza, the tabouleh was terrific with quinoa! I used the recipe from Raw Food Real World. It was very parsley-rich (recipe calls for 2 bunches - maybe my bunches were just abnormally large), but I liked it! The quinoa is so tiny but soaks up the dressing nicely.