Tabouli and Hummus

I love tabouli (a Middle Eastern dish, also spelled tabbouleh) and I love hummus (also Middle Eastern). What I love even more is tabouli and hummus together. Together in a warmed pita bread or folded flat bread. Second only to toast-tomato-mayonnaise-peanut butter sandwiches when it comes to lunch.

Meals from our church family have started coming our way three times a week. What a blessing they are. We save the leftovers for the other nights during the week and occasionally pull a frozen meal from the freezer- these have either been given to us by family and friends or were stashed in there by me in the months before Miriam was born.

This has left Jamey and I wanting in the lunch arena. Jamey sometimes makes himself eggs and toast for lunch. I sometimes eat a peanut butter and jam sandwich with the kids. I decided we needed something a bit more grown-up and tasty. And, while I have not had lots of extra time on my hands, I did have enough time to make some tabouli and hummus. These batches will last us a whole week and they satisfy my desire to be eating fresh from the out-of-doors.

The cucumber came from the farmer's market (thanks, Ben!) and the tomatoes are chopped stewed tomatoes I canned last year- they work great. My favorite recipes for both tabouli and humms happen to come from Mollie Katzen's Moosewood Cookbook.

tabouli

Tabouli (adapted slightly from the Moosewood Cookbook)
serves 6-8

1 cup dry bulgar wheat
1 1/2 cup boiling water
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 cup lemon juice (fresh or bottled)
1/4 cup olive oil
2 large garlic cloves, minced
ground black pepper, to taste
2-4 scallions, diced
1/2 cup packed fresh parsley, chopped
10-15 mint leaves, chopped
2 medium sized tomatoes, diced, or 1 pint stewed tomatoes drained and chopped
1/2 a large cucumber, diced
1 medium bell pepper, diced (optional)
4 ounces feta cheese (optional)

Combine bulgar wheat and boiling water in a glass bowl and cover. Allow it to stand for 30 minutes. In the meantime, in a larger bowl, combine ingredients garlic cloves through feta. Set this bowl in the fridge. Once the bulgar wheat has sat for 30 minutes, add ingredients salt through olive oil to it and stir well. Once it's cool, add the bulgar wheat to the larger bowl of herbs and vegetables and refrigerate until you are ready to serve it.

Serve in pitas or on flat bread with hummus, with tortilla chips or as a side dish/salad.

hummus and tabouli on flat bread

Hummus (adapted slightly from Moosewood Cookbook)
6-8 servings

4-5 medium garlic cloves, peeled
a large handful or fresh parsley (optional)
2-3 scallions, chopped into 2-3 inch pieces
3 cups cooked chick peas (2 15 1/2 ounce cans, rinsed and drained)
6 tbsp. tahini (seseme seed paste)
6 tbsp. lemon juice (fresh or bottled)
1-2 tsp. salt

Place all the above ingredients in your food processor and puree until blended well. Transfer to a covered bowl and chill until ready to serve. Serve with pita or flatbread and tabouli or with tortilla chips. Pin It