Tabouli, anyone?

We had a little family birthday party yesterday.

My best attempt at a truck cake.  A cake decorator I am not.  But it tasted good and the 2 year old was pleased with his dump truck cake.  He’s pretty much obsessed with construction vehicles and we do stalk construction sites.   Good times.

I found this little gem of a recipe.  The only thing I needed to buy at the store was a lemon because I had everything from the Fresh Fork CSA.  I made it for the party  and everyone who tried it, said it was good.  I don’t usually love tabouli but I could eat this all up.  It’s light, refreshing, and a great summer appetizer.

Cilantro Tabouli

•                     2 1/4 cups water
•                     1/2 cup bulgar wheat (I used spelt berries.  You could use any whole grain.)
•                     2 tomatoes, seeded and finely chopped
•                     2 green onions, sliced into thin slivers
•                     1 cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro
•                     2 cloves garlic, minced, or to taste
•                     1 lemon, juiced
•                     1 tablespoon olive oil
•                     1 teaspoon ground cumin
•                     1/2 teaspoon freshly cracked pepper
•                     salt to taste

            Directions

1.                     Bring water to a boil in a saucepan, turn off the heat, and stir in the bulgur wheat. Cover and let sit for 30 minutes to absorb water. Strain off any liquid left unabsorbed, if necessary.
2.                     Place the bulgur wheat in a large salad bowl, and lightly toss with the tomatoes, green onions, cilantro, garlic, lemon juice, olive oil, cumin, pepper, and salt until thoroughly combined. Refrigerate the salad for at least 3 hours to blend the flavors; serve cold.

Adapted from http://allrecipes.com/recipe/cilantro-tabouli/detail.aspx