New Year tabbouleh salad
Happy New year everyone! Not the start we all wanted for 2021, but at least there is light at the end of a very long tunnel with the vaccine roll out.
Anyway, here’s the first salad I made this year as I really needed a break from winter comfort food. I made a big bowl to last us for a few days and I’ve been enjoying my lunches so much. I’ve used pomegranate molasses in the dressing because I happened to have a big bottle and I’m trying to use my store cupboard up, but you can replace with red or white wine vinegar and a squirt of runny honey. I know it’s not easy getting quirky ingredients at the moment, but everything else is pretty straight forward.
The salad is vegan if you just top with a sprinkle of toasted sunflower seeds, but veggie with the addition of crumbled feta. It’s up to you!
Ingredients
Serves 6-8 as a side dish
150g Puy or small green lentils
150g bulgur wheat
1/2 red onion, chopped finely
1 handful cherry tomatoes, quartered
3 sticks celery, thinly sliced
1 red pepper, chopped
1/2 cucumber, seeded centre removed & chopped
1 handful chopped parsley
1 handful chopped coriander
Generous pinch sea salt
Approx 50g sunflower seeds
150g feta, crumbled
Dressing
50ml olive oil
Juice 1/2 lemon
20ml pomegranate molasses
Method
Cook the lentils as per the packet instructions, usually simmer for 20 minutes, but add a spoon of vegetable bouillon to the water.
Cook the bulgur according to th packet instructions (about 12 minutes). Drain both well and allow to cool completely.
Toast the sunflower seeds in a frying pan (no oil) on a medium heat, but watch them like a hawk as they’ll suddenly burn. Set aside to cool on a plate.
Next put all the chopped vegetables and herbs in a large bowl. Stir in the cooled lentils and bulgur.
Mix the dressing ingredients together and give them a good shake.
Pour over the dressing, and top with seeds and feta
Tip
If, like me, you’re making this salad to eat for lunch or dinner over a few days then keep all the elements separate and mix a portion at a time as you eat it. This way the salad should last about 4 days.
The main thing to keep separate is the dressing as adding liquid will make the veggies go soggy.