Tabbouleh- The first sign of summer

When I was little we would go to visit my grandma in Petoskey, Michigan during the summer and she and my mother, along with my aunts would make this disgusting looking salad I called "taboooly".  I couldn't imagine eating something that looked  like oatmeal and vegetables stuffed inside a pita bread and stuck with my turkey and yellow mustard on wheat. Last summer I was on my pre-wedding diet that drove me to the edge of sanity, but also reunited me with tabbouleh which as it turns out is quite delicious. It is really refreshing on hot summer days, it is chock full of healthy vegetables, and best of all you can make a giant batch of it and keep it in the fridge for several days. Here is how I make it:


Tabbouleh Salad
1 cup Bulgar Wheat (in the bulk food section)
1 cucumber peeled and chopped
1 red bell pepper chopped
1 lemon (zest and juice)
4 scallions chopped (white and most of the green part)
1 cup chopped parsley
1 cup chopped mint
1/3 cup crumbled feta
drizzle of good olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

In a large bowl combine the bulgar wheat with 2 cups of boiling water and let it sit for about 45 minutes until the grains are soft when you eat them. Drain the wheat in a fine sieve, removing all of the excess water. Add the vegetables, herbs, lemon zest and juice, and feta. Stir to combine and add a drizzle of olive oil. Season to taste. I like mine cold, but you can eat it at room temperature as well. Enjoy!