Tabbouleh – Healthy Parsley Salad [vegan/vegetarian]

If somebody had told me, when I was a child, that years later I would not only eat but really enjoy a salad in which parsley was a main ingredient, I would have never believed them. My mother added chopped parsley to many soups and sauces and I really didn’t like it. In truth, I didn’t understand why she was doing it. So when I started cooking myself, I would always omit that – unnecessary in my opinion – ingredient.

But a few years ago, I tried Tabbouleh in a Lebanese restaurant and was surprised how delicious a Parsley Salad could be. I also know now how healthy it is: parsley is an excellent source of Vitamins K, C and A as well as folate and iron.

Tabbouleh requires a lot of chopping so a good, sharp knife is very useful but other than that the salad preparation is very straightforward. It can be served along with other mezze (meze) like hummus, olives, babaghanoush, falafel but it also tastes great with grilled or roasted meat.

P.S. In the below recipe I have included ingredients for 2-3 people only because guess what: my daughters don’t like parsley (yet ;-))!

INGREDIENTS (for 2-3 portions):

leaves from 2 bunches of parsley (approx. 40g),

a handful of mint leaves,

300g tomatoes (approx. 2 pieces),

1 shallot,

5 tbsp couscous,

2 tbsp olive oil,

juice from 1 lemon,

salt and pepper.

METHOD:

1. Rinse and dry the parsley and mint leaves very well. I dry them in a salad spinner.
2. On a big board, chop them very finely and transfer to a bowl.
3. Chop the tomatoes and shallot finely and put to the bowl with the parsley, add the couscous, stir and leave for 20 minutes.
4. Add the olive oil, lemon juice, seasoning and give it a stir.