Middle Eastern Tabouli Salad

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups water
1 cup bulgur wheat, dry
1 clove garlic – minced
2 tablespoon lemon juice
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1 pound red onion – diced fine
1/2 cup mint (fresh) – chopped fine
1/2 cup parsley (fresh) – chopped fine
1/2 pound tomatoes (fresh) – diced

Preparation

Note: start preperation at least 3 hours before serving.

1. Bring the water to a boil.
2. Place the bulgur wheat into a large pot.
3. Add boiling water to the bulgur wheat, stir, and then cover tightly with lid or another bowl and allow the bulgur to sit undisturbed for 20 minutes.
4. Drain if necessary. Fluff the bulgur with a fork. Allow it to cool.
5. After the bulgur is cooled, add the remaining ingredients except tomatoes (minced garlic, lemon juice, chopped mint, olive oil, salt, black pepper, diced red onion, chopped parsley) and toss until well blended.
6. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour to allow the flavors to marinate.
7. Add tomatoes 10 minutes before serving and  toss gently to prevent sogginess.
8. Toss salad again before serving.

Yogurt or Buttermilk Soup With Spinach and Grains

By MARTHA ROSE SHULMAN

This is informed by my yogurt or buttermilk soup with wheat berries from a few weeks ago, but this time I stirred chopped steamed spinach into the refreshing mixture. It’s a great soup to keep on hand as summer arrives. For a particularly irresistible version, add some diced avocado.

3/4 pound (1 generous bunch) spinach, stemmed and washed in 2 changes of water, or 6 ounces baby spinach, rinsed

1 1/2 cups finely diced cucumber (2 Persian cucumbers)

Salt to taste

5 cups plain low-fat yogurt (free of gums and stabilizers) or buttermilk, or a mixture of the two

1 cup finely diced celery

1 to 2 garlic cloves (to taste), finely minced or puréed with a little salt in a mortar and pestle

2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice (more to taste)

1 cup cooked barley, spelt, kamut or farro

2/3 cup diced radishes

Freshly ground pepper to taste (optional)

1/2 teaspoon sumac (more to taste)

2 tablespoons chopped cilantro

Optional: 1 ripe Hass avocado, cut in small dice

1. Place the cucumber in a bowl and sprinkle with salt. Toss and place in a strainer set over the bowl. Allow to drain for 15 minutes. Rinse if desired and drain on paper towels.

2. Meanwhile, steam the spinach above 1 inch of boiling water until wilted, 1 to 2 minutes, moving the leaves around with tongs once to ensure that they steam evenly. Rinse with cold water and squeeze out excess moisture. Chop medium-fine.

3. Combine all the ingredients in a bowl. Thin out with ice water if desired. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Chill for one hour or longer.

Yield: 6 to 8 servings.

Advance preparation: You can make this several hours before serving, but wait a while before you stir in the spinach so that its color doesn’t fade too much. If you’re making the soup to eat during the week (it makes a terrific lunch) keep the spinach separate and stir it into each serving.

Nutritional information per serving (6 servings): 211 calories; 4 grams fat; 2 grams saturated fat; 0 grams polyunsaturated fat; 1 gram monounsaturated fat; 12 milligrams cholesterol; 32 grams carbohydrates; 5 grams dietary fiber; 209 milligrams sodium (does not include salt to taste); 14 grams protein

Nutritional information per serving (8 servings): 158 calories; 3 grams fat; 2 grams saturated fat; 0 grams polyunsaturated fat; 1 gram monounsaturated fat; 9 milligrams cholesterol; 24 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams dietary fiber; 157 milligrams sodium (does not include salt to taste); 11 grams protein