This dish was so simple I struggled with even posting it as a  blog entry, since most people eat it as a side dish as opposed to a main entree.  But since I’ve been on this diet (7 pounds down now, yay!) I have discovered that tabbouleh is a great food to eat any time during the day when you start feeling hunger pangs.  You can make tabbouleh with bulgur heat or cous cous, I chose to use bulgur wheat since it has higher dietary fibers,  which in addition to helping you go #2, it also acts as a natural appetizer suppresant by bulking up in your belly and making you feel less hungry.  In my book that is a win-win!

Tabbouleh

Serves 8

• 2 cups of Bulgur Wheat (you can find this at any grocery store in the rice aisle, I used Bob’s Red Mill Bulgur, which I bought at Safeway along with everything below)  Note:  You will need to presoak the Bulgur Wheat, see Preparation instructions below before reading on
• 3 cups of Parsley, finely minced
• 1/4 cup Mint, freshly chopped
• 3 Green Onions, finely sliced
• 2 medium Tomatoes, seeded and diced
• 1 medium Cucumber, diced
• 1/4 tsp. Black Pepper, ground
• 1/4 tsp. Cumin, ground
• 1/2 tsp Salt, or more to taste
• 3 Tbsp. Lemon Juice
• 3 Tbsp.  Extra Virgin Olive Oil

 Preparation

1. To presoak bulgur, place 2 cups Bulgur in a bowl, preferably one you can cover with a lid or a cutting board.  Pour 2 cups of boiling water over bulgur, give it a quick stir, cover, and let stand for about 1 hour.  The bulgur will absorb all the water, and that is all the cooking you will be doing for this dish!
2. While you are waiting for the bulgur to soak, go ahead and chop up the parsley, mint, and  green onions, as finely as you can.  Dice the cucumbers and tomatoes (make sure you remove the seeds and the runny stuff from the tomatoes, we are only going to use the solid parts of the tomato)
3. Taste the bulgur, see if it is soft enough.  I like my bulgur a little more on the soft side, closer to the texture of brown rice, but some people like it a little harder.  When you are satisfied with the texture of the bulgur wheat, combine all of the ingredients EXCEPT the lemon juice and the oil into a large bowl, and combing gently using a wooden spoon.  Add in the lemon juice and toss, then chill in the fridge for an hour to blend the flavors.  Before serving, toss with olive oil, and an additional sprinkle of salt and pepper.  You can eat this by itself, or serve it as a side dish.

 Serves 8 .

198 calories, 5 grams of fat per serving (Serving Size 1 cup)