Tabouli salad (made from the mix) is an easy to make at home recipe that is low sodium, low fat, cholesterol free, high fiber and fast.  I am going to give you the quick and easy Tabouli salad recipe using an inexpensive premade mix that you buy at the market.

The problem with eating healthy/vegetarian foods (or any food for that matter) is that either you have to eat out, pay for it to be pre-prepared at places like Whole Foods or Trader Joes, or you have to make it yourself.  Of course, it is less expensive to make it yourself.  But cooking at home is also time consuming and kitchen mess making.  You also don’t save as much money as you think because often you buy lots of food for recipes that ends up going to waste if the left over’s (or left over ingredients) aren’t eaten. 

Well, I don’t have money to pay for the expensive prepared health food, and I don’t have time or patience to cook elaborate recipes at home either.  So, my solution is to find the really easy to make healthy food.  I tend to like food that is considered lunch food rather than dinner.  I am a lunch food person.  A recipe for me needs to be completely simplistic or I won’t make it again after the first time.

Tabouli is low sodium, low fat, cholesterol free, high fiber and fast.  It is especially fast and easy to make at home if you make it as I do, using the pre-made box of Tabouli mix.  The mix costs less than five dollars and you can get it at Ralphs.  It contains bulgar wheat (a healthy whole grain), parsley, onions, and herbs already mixed all together. 

To make the Tabouli you simply put the pre-mixed ingredients in a bowl and throw in a cup and a half of water.  You let that sit for about a half hour, and then add fresh chopped tomatoes, fresh squeezed lemon or lime, and a quarter of a cup of olive oil.  Then refrigerate and you are done!  I probably triple the amount of tomatoes called for and put a ton in.  I usually cut the amount of olive oil down almost in half and substitute in a little bit of Italian dressing instead for good measure.  Squeeze fresh lemon or lime juice in if you have it.  So your basic ingredients are: the Tabouli mix, tomatoes, lemon, and olive oil.  This makes a good size batch which I can eat for lunch or a snack for a few days.

I humbly confess I happened to get the fresh lemon for my batch of Tabouli today on my way home from a morning walk.  I passed a yard with a huge lemon tree and a million unused lemons (actually they may have been limes or unripe lemons, not sure) hanging over the property line onto the public sidewalk beckoning me.  It’s November and lemons (limes?) are growing in California!  I hope my neighbor didn’t mind that I put a few of his lemons to good vegetarian use.  My kind of recipe!

Overall, Tabouli is a great all natural vegetarian snack and also an easy way to eat tons of bulgar, parsley, and tomatoes which are all really good for you too.  I recommend making it every once in a while as it is inexpensive, easy to make and tasty.  I wouldn’t give this quick recipe tip if I didn’t think it was good.

The Tabouli Salad recipe is a healthful, delicious Mediterranean food recipe with cracked wheat, mine, garlic, lemon, tomatoes, green onions. Keep healthy organic food at home!