I have come to LOVE the food that is sold at the
Vineyard Farmers' Market every week (Mediterranean to Go), but don't like paying $5 for a small tub of the tabouleh (which I could eat every day for lunch), so I thought I'd try making my own. I pulled up a recipe on one of my favorite food sites and experimented. Since all of the ingredients are now in season and I found
a local supplier of bulgar wheat (which you can purchase at Whole Foods Market), I WILL be making this again! But here's the first try.
This is 3/4 cup bulgur wheat (or so I thought). Unbeknownst to me when I first purchased it, there are many different "grinds" of bulgur wheat. Bulgur wheat is a pre-cooked grain, so all you need to do is add boiling water and let it set a bit until it absorbs the water and fluffs up.
I added 1 cup of boiling water and let it sit 15 minutes like the recipe said, only to find it had hardly absorbed anything and was still fairly hard...thus the importance of buying the correct grind. I had a whole kernel barley (after purchasing it I put it in a container in the pantry and tossed the bag, then mixed them up since they looked so similar...it ended up fine though). What you need is a fine or medium grain bulgur. Well, I made do, adding a bit more water and setting it on the stove, covering and simmering it for another 15 minutes.
Here we have a cucumber (my first one of the season came in my veggie box on Thursday), a tomato from Hanford, a bunch of flat-leaf parsley (also in my box from
T & D Willey Farms), a bunch of mint (
from KMK organic farm), and a spring onion (from a friend's garden).
Give the onion (about 1/3 cup), the cucumber (about a cup) and the tomato (about a cup) all a fine dice.
Give the parsley (about 1 cup) and the mint (1/4 cup) a fine chop as well.
Add one or two cloves of minced garlic to all the veggies,
as well as 2 TBSP extra-virgin olive oil,
and 2 TBSP fresh lemon juice. Now, you might notice that these lemons aren't bright yellow...'cause they're not. They came out of my freezer, since it is no longer season for lemons. Did you know that lemons can be put in the freezer, whole, for up to a year? They actually give you more juice after they've been frozen then thawed!
Add 1/4 tsp each of salt, pepper, and cumin (the recipe from which I adapted this called for cumin, I believe, because they also wanted you to add 2 cups chopped chicken...I prefer my tabouleh vegetarian...and next time, without cumin).
Mix all your veggies, liquids, and spices.
Mix in your bulgur wheat (which should be done soaking and fluffed by now).
This is great scooped up with pita chips or naan. I like to serve it alongside these scrumptious little spinach pockets called Popeye's Favorites (also found at the Mediterranean To Go stand at the Vineyard Farmer's Market).
It's like a one-stop farmer's market! 
Randy prefers all his berries undefiled by whipped cream or baked goods. I love the excuse to whip something up to which the berries can be the perfect accompaniment! I tried this recipe this weekend and it turned out fantastic! Don't bother with Cool-whip though...please! Get a small carton of real whipped cream, whip it up with a couple teaspoons of sugar and a drop of vanilla. Your tastebuds will thank you!!!
