Tabbouleh Salad with Chickpeas {Recipe}

Well, I didn't Menu Plan last week because I was pooped from vacation, the almost record-setting heat and a kidney infection, and I won't really be doing it this week either as Chris is in Toronto for the majority of the week. But I did, at the very least, manage to whip out this dish to take to a pool party / BBQ at my Aunt & Uncle's place today.

If you're into healthy, vegetarian, garlic-y dishes and you haven't made Tabbouleh Salad before, what are you waiting for? This dish is tasty, super-easy to make, and although not traditional, the addition of chickpeas adds some solid protein and substance to the dish. And it's nice & light - perfect for those hot, Summer days!

I know there are a million of these recipes already floating around the interwebs, however here's my version, complete with pics (but of course!)

Tabbouleh Salad with Chickpeas

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup bulgur wheat
• 2 large tomatoes with seeds removed, diced
• 1/2 cucumber, peeled and finely chopped
• 3 spring onions, diced
• 2-4 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
• 1 cup fresh parsley, minced
• 1 tablespoon fresh mint leaved, minced
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1 can (19 oz) chickpeas, drained & rinsed
• Salt & pepper, to taste

(Note - I used parsley from our garden when I made it today. Unfortunately, it's not growing too well so I only got about 1/2 to 2/3s of a cup. As a result, ours didn't taste quite as "fresh" as it usually does. You really do want to shoot for the whole cup. Oh, and how win is that backwards-c-shaped cucumber? Also harvested from our garden, TYVM! It looks like some sort of green cucumber pacman on the cusp of ravaging its regular-shaped counterpart to its left. Veggie cannibalism?! But, I digress.)

Steps:

1. Pour the bulgur wheat into a large bowl and cover with 1 cup of boiling water. Stir. Let sit until all water is absorbed (about 20-30 minutes) then fluff with a fork.
2. Stir in tomatoes, cucumber, spring onions, garlic, parsley, mint, lemon juice, olive oil, chickpeas, salt and pepper.
3. Cover and chill for 1+ hours (ideally overnight). Let sit at room temperature for 20-30 minutes before serving. Enjoy!!