This lentil tabbouli salad is the perfect autumn spin off of the classic Middle Eastern salad famous for its delicious combination of parsley, mint, and wheat burgul soaked in lemon and olive oil. I substituted the traditional wheat bulgur grain for a gluten-free and protein rich option: lentils! Everyone in my family loves tabbouli, and for good reason. With its aromatic herbs of parsley and mint, juicy tomatoes and pomegranate, cool crunchy cucumbers, and the lemon dressing coating tender lentils, this salad is worth every effort it takes to prepare it. Tabbouli has always been my absolute FAVORITE salad. This version will definitely be a hit on your table and the leftovers will be great for the next day’s lunch. 

Substituting the bulgur for other super food grains is a great way to change up the salad routine and introduce new flavors and foods into your diet. My kids LOVE tabbouli so I try to sneak in various ingredients like spinach or kale to get them to enjoy different foods. You could also check out my recipe for quinoa tabbouli which is very filling and tastes exactly the same as the original tabbouli, except it has more protein. Because I am making this salad in the fall, I include the beautiful pomegranates that are in season as they add a bright splash of color and juicy, tart flavor to this salad.

Preparing the ingredients

The love in making tabbouli starts with careful preparation and quality ingredients. Because the main base of the salad is the green parsley, get a good variety. I grow my own organic parsley at home, and it is VERY easy to do. Give it a try! Flat leaf parsley has the best texture, as curly parsley can be too dry and lacking in flavor. It takes some time to thoroughly wash all of the parsley leaves required to make this salad. I like to take the entire bunch of parsley and immerse it in a large bowl of cold water. I then rinse handfuls under running water and shake clean. You will be horrified at the amount of dirt that is sitting at the bottom of the bowl when you are done! It is well worth the careful washing here.

To get the leaves off the stems, I usually enlist the help of my kids. I give them a bowl for the stems to discard and they go right to town picking off all the leaves. An added bonus to this help, is that they alway get excited to eat what they make. Allowing them to help and feel like they made this meal is a bonus!

In a similar fashion, lay out the dry lentils on a large plate and pick them over for any debris, dirt, or bad legumes. Luckily, my kids also love doing this task. Let’s see until what age I can fool them into these tedious tasks!

Chopping the Salad

Making a great bowl of tabbouli consists of having a sharp knife and properly dicing all of your ingredients into cute little cubes. For the tomatoes, I cut off the top, where the stem is (and my girls or I eat the excess fruit around the stalk of course!). I then slice the tomato from top to bottom in round slices that are about 1/2 an inch thick. Then dice each slice into quarter inch squares. 

For the cucumber, make two cuts all the way down the length of the cucumber in the center, stopping just before the end by about 4 inches, so as to not separate all the pieces yet. Then cut again across, and again, and again creating a lattice of slices. Then slice 1/4 inch rounds, and they will land on the chopping board in perfectly little squares according to the lattice of slices made. Do this with each cucumber. I usually just eat the base of the cucumber that wasn’t sliced. Its faster than slicing it manually 🙂

My trick to chopping enough parsley? I usually blitz it in my food processor, along with the mint leaves, and a clove of garlic. I just pulse it about 5 times and the leaves are perfectly chopped.

Once you have chopped all of your veggies, it is easy 😀 Drizzle the dressing all over the salad, toss, and sprinkle the top with the juicy gems of pomegranate kernels. Bil Hana wil Shifaa! (Egyptian phrase for: With happiness and healing!)

Lentil Tabbouli

Noha

Juicy tomatoes, fresh cucumbers, scallions, and aromatic parsley and mint leaves combine with lentils and a lemon olive oil dressing for a delicious and fresh Mediterranean salad.

5 from 1 vote

Print Recipe

Prep Time 30 minutes mins

Course Salad

Cuisine Mediterranean, Middle Eastern

Ingredients

  

• 2 Persian cucumbers, diced I usually find "English" cucumbers which is similar
• 2-3 Roma Tomatoes, diced
• 1/2 c scallions, diced
• 1/2 c pomegranate kernels
• 1 c green lentils
• 2 c Italian flat leaf parsley leaves, stems removed, and finely chopped
• 1/2 c fresh mint leaves, finely chopped

For the Dressing

• 1/2 c fresh squeezed lemon juice
• 1/3 c extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tbsp fresh garlic, minced
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 pinch black pepper
• 1 tsp sumac
• 1 tsp dried mint
• 1 tsp oregano
• 1/2 tsp cumin

Instructions

 

• In a pot over high- medium heat, lightly toast the lentils in 2 tbsp of oil. Do not add in any salt in this step.
• Add enough water to just cover the lentils by a centimeter. Wait for the pot to boil and reduce the heat to medium-low heat. Allow the lentils to cook until the water evaporates. Add a tsp of salt and mix in well. Allow to cool completely and refrigerate before adding to the salad. 
• In a large salad bowl, combine the chopped cucumbers, tomatoes, parsley, mint, and scallions.
• Create a crater in the center of the salad bowl and add in the cold lentils.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together the lemon juice and olive oil. Add all other dressing ingredients gradually as you continue to whisk.
• Drizzle the dressing all over the salad, toss, and sprinkle the top with the red gems of pomegranate kernels.

Keyword parsley, salad, tabbouli

This Middle Eastern staple has made its way all around the world and is a huge hit! This perfectly flavored chickpea puree provides fiber, protein, and healthy omega 3 fats that are filling, satisfying, and perfectly low in calories. Chickpeas are quite high in fiber, protein, folic acid, magnesium , and zinc and are great for reducing cholesterol and blood sugar.  Hummus makes an excellent spread in sandwiches or a dip for veggies, which makes it a filling snack but lower in fat than mayo, ranch dressings, and other less healthy options.  No wonder this dip is so popular! I love my hummus extra lemony and garlicky, and that’s the beauty of making this easy dish at home- you can add as much or as little flavor as you want. You can vary the flavor, color, and texture by including preferred vegetables such as parsley, beets, roasted red peppers, carrots, or my favorite:  cilantro with jalapeño! Hummus is traditionally prepared with tahini paste, which is basically sesame seed butter. 

As with all of my recipes, I do not use any canned products here, and try to keep everything as natural and homemade as possible. Nothing is more satisfying than enjoying something perfectly concocted in your kitchen and knowing exactly everything that is inside.

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I start with 1/2 cup of dried garbanzo beans or chickpeas. These should be sorted for stones or dirt and washed. Many people need to soak the beans overnight before boiling the next day, but if you use a pressure cooker like I do, no need for that hassle! Simple toss the chickpeas into your pressure cooker, cover with water, add a quarter of an onion, and cook on high pressure for 1 hour. Do not add salt in the pressure cooker as it inhibits cooking. Once the peas are cooked, its as simple as pureeing the little gems with tahini paste in your blender with your favorite spices and flavors! The basics that I must include are salt, pepper, cumin, paprika, garlic, olive oil, and lemon juice. Its important to reserve some of the water the chickpeas cooked in or have fresh water on hand to thin out the hummus as needed. I forgot about the water at first and had a very THICK dip to start with (it happens!). But no worries,  this is something you can vary depending on how thick or thin your prefer your hummus to be. This dish is really fool proof! When in doubt, start with a little and add more as needed 🙂 I make my hummus in a flash with my trusty Vitamix blender, which does require at least 1/4 cup of water in order to pull all the ingredients downward into its funnel of fury shredding every ingredient into a silky smooth dip!

Hummus

2014-01-13 02:31:48

Serves 4

A delicious and healthy chickpea puree dip with sesame paste, lemon and garlic

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Prep Time

10 min

Cook Time

1 hr

Total Time

1 hr 10 min

Prep Time

10 min

Cook Time

1 hr

Total Time

1 hr 10 min

Ingredients

1. 1/2 c dried chickpeas (AKA garbanzo beans)
2. 3/4 c water
3. 1 small onion, quartered
4. 1 tsp salt
5. 1/4 tsp pepper
6. 1/4 tsp cumin
7. 1/4 tsp paprika
8. Juice of 2 lemons
9. 4-6 cloves of garlic
10. 1 tbsp olive oil + 1 tsp for drizzling
11. 2 tbsp of tahini paste (sesame seed butter)
12. parsley for garnish

Instructions

1. Sort the chick peas for dirt, stones, or old pieces and wash well. Place chickpeas into pressure cooker and cover with water, about 1 inch above the peas. Add 1 quarter of an onion and cook over high pressure for 1 hour. Do not add salt until after the beans cook. Once done cooking, allow the pressure to release naturally.
2. Strain the chickpeas and reserve some of the liquid for thinning out the puree (or you could use fresh water).
3. Pour 1/4 c water or cooking liquid from the chickpeas to a Vitamix blender or food processor. Reserve some whole chickpeas for garnish and add the rest into the blender.
4. Add Tahini paste, lemon juice, salt, pepper, cumin, paprika, and garlic cloves. Pulse to combine all ingredients, then puree on high until the mixture is smooth. If using a Vitamix, it is helpful to use the patented push stick to move everything downward into the blades. Add more water if needed to thin it out. Add the olive oil at the end and pulse again until well combined. Taste and add more lemon or garlic to your preference. I usually have at least 6 garlic cloves in mine because we love the taste!
5. Spoon the hummus onto a serving platter, carve lines into the top with a fork or butter knife and drizzle olive oil on top. The oil will settle into the lines. Sprinkle paprika, chopped parsley, and arrange the reserved whole chickpeas in the center to garnish.
6. Serve with cucumbers, or any favorite veggies, pita bread, crackers, or spread onto sandwiches!

Notes

1. While the chickpeas are cooking, roast a red pepper in the oven for 30 minutes at 350 degrees and add to the blender to make roasted red pepper hummus. Or you could add 1/4 cup cilantro leaves and half a jalapeño pepper to make a zesty, spicy green hummus!

By Noha ElSharkawy

Sugar & Garlic https://sugarandgarlic.com/