Greek Taboule Salad

So how's fall treating you?  Fall here is still being bullied by summer who refuses to leave, so soups, stews and chilies are not working for us quite yet.  We're still in cold salad mode.

That's okay though, because I could eat this Greek Taboule Salad every day and be quite content.  The first time I had taboule was several years ago.  I absolutely loved it but have not had it since, so I was excited to see this mix at Wal-Mart the other day.

Taboule (there are several spellings-I am going with the one on the box) is a salad made of bulgar wheat with some fresh veggies, olive oil, lemon, parsley and mint.  I noticed a Greek version on the back of the box, so I slightly adapted it and I do believe it's my new favorite salad.  My daughter went crazy for it too.  The men in our lives?  Not so much.  But this little guy loved it, much to our surprise:

Mud happens.

He's a big fan of both olives and mud holes. 

Here are my notes:

-Take the time to seed the cucumbers and tomatoes.  You don't want the salad to get soggy or juicy and it will if you don't seed them.

-I didn't have fresh basil, but I think it would have been wonderful in this.  I did have some fresh parsley I threw in, even though the boxed salad mix already had it in it as well as some other herbs and seasonings.  I would recommend throwing in a few fresh herbs if you have them.

-Regular pitted black olives could be substituted for the kalamata, but I really like the kalamata olives even though they are a bit pricey.

-You could probably throw in any fresh veggie you want and it would still be good.

-If I had thought about it at the time, I would have added a can of rinsed and drained chick peas to bump up the protein.  Some type of toasted nut would have been good too. 

-I feel like a health nut when I eat this.  And I like that feeling. 

Greek Taboule Salad

Printable Recipe

1 (5.25-ounce) package taboule wheat salad mix, prepared according to package directions

3-4 Roma tomatoes, seeded and chopped

1 medium cucumber, peeled, seeded, and chopped

1/2 medium red onion, finely chopped

1 garlic clove, finely minced

1 cup crumbled feta cheese

1 (6-ounce) package pitted kalamata olives, sliced

1-2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

2-3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

The juice of 2 lemons

Salt and pepper to taste

  

Stir together all ingredients until mixed, adjusting the amount of olive oil to make the salad moist but not too wet or oily.  Season to taste.  Chill in refrigerator before serving and keep refrigerated.