The Red, White, and Green

Photo via Flickr: Indigo Goat

It’s 91 degrees outside, 83 degrees inside my un–air conditioned apartment, and the air is filled with ash and smoke from the apocalyptic fires raging a mere 15 miles away — there is no way in hell I’m turning on the oven tonight to make some sort of vegetarian casserole. I don’t even think I can muster the strength to turn on the stove.

Luckily, I’ve got a great plan for a no-cook MM Mediterranean meal that I’m sure you’ll appreciate even if you’re not currently living in a state of emergency.

It all centers around a simple recipe for tabbouleh, a Middle Eastern salad (it’s the national dish of Lebanon) that’s the perfect cooling cure for a hot summer day, thanks to the addition of fresh chopped mint.

Quick and Easy Tabbouleh Salad
1/2 cup bulgur wheat
4 plum tomatoes, finely chopped
1/3 cup finely chopped parsley
1/3 cup finely chopped mint
1/2 cup finely chopped green onion
1/3 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Place bulgur wheat in a medium size bowl, and add cold water to cover. Let stand until water is absorbed, about 15-20 minutes. Add tomatoes, parsley, mint, green onion, lemon juice, and olive oil. Toss and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Served with hummus and toasted whole wheat pita, this makes a light and satisfying dinner, but sometimes I like to pick up a few other fun accoutrements at Trader Joe’s (stuffed grape leaves, tzataziki, baba ghanoush) to round out the meal. Just stick to a Mediterranean/Middle Eastern theme, and you really can’t go wrong.

–Jennifer Grayson

More Meatless Monday posts:
Meatless Monday: BK Farmyards makes it easy to grow your own fruits and veggies
Meatless Monday: Eat less meat throughout the week
Meatless Monday: Special diets
Meatless Monday: Think Mediterranean

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