Best-Ever Tabbouleh Salad

Protein, vitamins A, C, and K enhance your baby’s cell, brain, and nervous system development, and fiber helps your digestion.

SERVES 4 TO 6; MAKES ABOUT 4 CUPS

TABBOULEH is a superhealthy Middle Eastern dish made from bulgur wheat and vegetables. Packaged tabbouleh mixes are convenient and tasty, and a good starting point for adding other ingredients. If you can’t find bulgur wheat, feel free to swap out for your favorite whole grain or a mix of grains. Serve this salad with hummus (the traditional pair), create a pita pocket with additional veggies and cheese (nondairy if necessary), add it to your salad in a jar (see here), or serve it as a side dish (especially good with grilled foods). This salad keeps for two days refrigerated.

1 (6-ounce) package tabbouleh, such as Near East Taboule Wheat Salad

2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice, or to taste

3 tablespoons olive or canola oil

2 tomatoes, diced

⅔ cup seeded and diced red bell pepper (½ pepper)

½ cup canned chickpeas or your favorite beans, drained and rinsed

½ cup pine nuts or other nuts, toasted

¼ cup pumpkin or sunflower seeds

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

¼ cup chopped fresh parsley

• Place the contents of the tabbouleh package in a medium-size bowl and add boiling water (not cold water) in the amount stated on the package. Stir, then cover and let sit for 20 minutes.

• Add the remaining ingredients and mix thoroughly. Adjust the seasoning and serve.

Meal ideas

• Protein, such as meat, poultry, seafood, eggs, dairy, or plant-based

• Green salad or vegetable (Greek-Style Broccoli, here)

• Reduced-fat milk or yogurt

• Fruit with vitamin C

Meal ideas and tips for diabetes

• Reduce your portion size, if necessary.

• Protein, such as meat, poultry, seafood, eggs, dairy, or plant-based

• Green salad or nonstarchy vegetable with vitamin C (above)

• Reduced-fat milk or unsweetened reduced-fat yogurt, 1 CARB

¾ cup tabbouleh salad: Calories: 332 cals; Protein: 10 g; Carbohydrates: 36 g; Fat: 20 g; Fiber: 9 g; Sodium: 331 mg; Vitamin A: 1,262 IU; Vitamin C: 36 mg; Vitamin K: 66 mcg; Copper: 0.3 mg; Magnesium: 97 mg; Manganese: 1 mg; 2 CARBS

KITCHEN WISDOM: MORE WHOLE GRAINS IS A GOOD THING

COOKING grains at home is easy and convenient. You can make them in large batches and freeze them in small portions for a quick side dish or healthy addition to your salads or soups. Quinoa, couscous, brown rice, barley, and bulgur wheat are some common grains used in recipes in this book. Feel free to mix them together. The following tips and cooking instructions will help you incorporate these grains in your everyday meal plans.

Quinoa

Uses: Salads, side dishes, stuffing, patties, mix into oatmeal

Basic cooking instructions: Use 1¾ cups of water to 1 cup of quinoa. Combine the rinsed quinoa and water in a medium-size saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, covered, for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the grains look transparent and the spiral-like germ has separated. Remove from the heat and let stand for 5 minutes, then fluff with a fork. Sautéing cooked quinoa with olive oil or butter, then adding salt, pepper and fresh herbs, makes a lovely side dish or accompaniment to eggs for breakfast.

Tip: The grains of boxed quinoa (such as Ancient Harvest Quinoa) tend to be larger, sweeter, and fluffier when cooked.

Couscous

Uses: Salads, side dishes, stuffing

Basic cooking instructions: Use 1½ cups of water to 1 cup of couscous. Bring the water to a boil in a medium-size saucepan. Add the couscous, stir, return to a boil, simmer for 3 to 5 minutes, cover, and remove from the heat. Let sit, covered, for 7 minutes. Fluff with a fork.

Tips: Whole wheat couscous contains more fiber and iron than regular couscous. Israeli, Mediterranean, or Middle Eastern couscous (all the same thing) are larger rounder grains of toasted pasta that have no fiber or iron, but they make a fun salad.

Brown Rice

Uses: Side dishes, salads, soups, risottos, pilafs, stuffing

Basic cooking instructions: Use 2 cups of water to 1 cup of rice. Stovetop cooking method: Bring the water to a boil in a large saucepan. Add the rice, return to a boil, lower the heat to a simmer, cover, and cook for about 45 minutes, or until the grains are tender and the water has evaporated. Oven method: Preheat the oven to 400°F. Bring the water to a boil and set aside. Place the rice in an 8-inch Pyrex dish, add the water, cover, and bake for 45 minutes, or until the grains are tender.

Tips: Brown rice comes in short, medium, or long grains, or basmati rice. The outer hull, or bran, is left on the brown rice grain, adding twice as much fiber as that of white rice, in addition to vitamin E. Lundberg Family Farms produces fabulous brown rice in an assortment of varieties and mixtures.

Barley

Uses: Soups, casseroles, side dishes, salads, hot cereals, stuffing

Basic cooking instructions: Bring 3 cups of water to a boil in a medium-size saucepan, add ½ cup of barley, and simmer, uncovered, for 45 minutes, or until the grains are soft. Drain, rinse under cold running water, and drain again. Add directly to soups. (Note: Onehalf cup of raw barley makes about 2 cups of cooked barley.)

Tips: Quick-cooking barley, such as Quaker Oats’ Mother’s Quick Cooking Barley, cooks in about 10 minutes. Barley flakes, which resemble rolled oats, can be made into hot cereal. Barley grits, a fine grind of the grain, are used for hot cereal.

Bulgur Wheat

Uses: Salads, tabbouleh, pita pocket sandwiches with hummus, stuffing

Basic cooking instructions: Use 1½ cups of water to 1 cup of the grains. (The amount of water will depend on the size of the grain. Drain off any water that is not absorbed after 25 minutes of soaking.). Bring the water to a boil. Place the grains in a heatproof bowl, add the boiling water, stir, cover with plastic wrap, and let sit at room temperature for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the grains are soft and all of the water is absorbed. If not soft by then, add more hot water.

Tips: Boxed tabouleh mixes that contain the spices are quick and easy to prepare. The best brand is Near East Taboule Wheat Salad Mix—it seems to have the perfect balance of spices to grains.