Taboule Salad - Cheers To Our Health !!

Is food just a fuel for our living or much more than that? I think much more for most of us. Food is the answer to everything, solution to all our problems. We use food when we want to socialize, as gifts when we are in love, as rewards when we want to cajole our kids or even for comfort and pleasure. If we eat more, food will be as fat in our body. If we eat less, our body will not get proper nutrition. But the problem is we don't eat less, we eat more, even more than what we need to survive. Anyways even if you eat more or less, at least try to eat healthy.

Ah! a lot of food thoughts. Actually lately I have been reading a lot on health and trying to flatten my tummy, eating healthy and practicing yoga. Just a week and I have recognized my eating patterns which are a cause of all that fat. Friend's party, good food, I ate lots of desserts. Farewell party at office, I ate lots of oily snacks. Occasional binges which led to more of chips. And when I read all this after a week, I was shocked to know that its me who has eaten all those stuff. You too can do this. Just take a notebook and note down all what you eat, when you eat and why you eat. Then after a week go through it and you will recognize your eating patterns. When we are eating our mind is so engrossed with the beauty of food or its flavor that we fail to judge the quantity. But if we have a plan in hand well before, set and implemented then, at least we will face a resistance from our own inner self. Who else can stop us from eating after all :)

In my quest for a healthy regime, here is a Mediterranean salad recipe which is extremely simple, low in calories and full of nutrition. I first had it in a Mediterranean restaurant. At that time I was really skeptical in selecting the salad for dinner. But trusting the waiter I ordered it. The first bite and I was glad I ordered it. That was my first step in discovering the Mediterranean food. Since then the restaurant became on of my favorite and I started enjoying other Mediterranean dishes too.

You can experiment with this salad to make variations in terms of ingredients. Only bulgur wheat would be an essential ingredient. With more herbs or sprouts, you can make it tastier and healthier as desired. This Mediterranean salad which is eaten cold, would make an excellent side dish and just right for the September Theme of No Croutons Required. Cheers to our health!! And here goes the recipe-

Ingredients

1/2 cup Bulgar wheat
2 cup water
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 bunch mint fresh
1/2 cup chopped parsley
2 scallions both white and green parts chopped
2 tomatoes chopped
1/2 cup chickpea sprouts
1 tbsp olive oil
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar (optional)
salt to taste

Method

* Warm water in a pan and soak the bulgur wheat for 15-20 minutes.
* Then strain the excess water by squeezing the bulgur wheat.
* Add salt to taste and leave it for few minutes until the bulgur is soft.
* In a large bowl add softened bulgur, parsley, scallions and tomatoes.
* Sprinkle a little salt, black pepper and lemon juice. Mix well.
* Toss the mixture with olive oil.
* Serve it cold after an hour garnished with fresh cilantro leaves.