Tabouli-Inspired Bulgur Wheat Salad with Grilled Portobello

I have found that simple recipes that are easy to prepare are necessary to maintain and sustain a vegan lifestyle. If you need to spend hours each day preparing your meals, you’ll quickly lose focus and reach for something that is processed, easy, and likely non-vegan. I love this Tabouli-Inspired Bulgur Wheat Salad with Grilled Portobello as it is prepared in three easy steps. Prepare the Bulgur Wheat, grill the Portobello mushroom, and then put everything in the bowl and mix.

The Inspiration

When I was a kid, my best friend’s mother was Lebanese. She would make Tabouli (also spelled Tabbouleh or Tabouleh) for us. I didn’t know what was in it, but I remembered the name of the dish and how delicious it was. Probably ten years passed until I had Tabouli again. There was a little Middle Eastern place in Columbus, OH’s North Market. This place became my lunchtime spot, ordering the sampler plate almost daily.

This dish is inspired by the Tabouli I loved so much. I borrowed much of what I enjoyed about Tabouli to create a salad I could use as an entrée.

Prepare the Bulgur Wheat in Advance

Bulgur wheat and finely chopped parsley are the base of the salad. If you have never had Bulgur wheat, you are missing out. It has a wonderful nutty flavor and chew. It is also super easy to make. Add one cup of dry Bulgur wheat to one cup of boiling water (slightly salted), turn off the heat, and leave covered for at least an hour. The grain will absorb all the liquid. With a fork, lightly scrape the Bulgur wheat into a bowl and refrigerate for at least an hour. Now it is ready to use.

Putting the Pieces Together

The ingredients for this salad are super simple, yet add a nice variety in flavors, textures, and colors. You can add or subtract based on your taste, but I love this combination. Plenty of veggies, grains, and legumes which are staples in the vegan diet.

As you can see, the colors are vibrant and appealing. The dish is refreshing and actually keeps extremely well in the refrigerator for three to four days. I also think it is a perfect dish if you need to bring something to a party.

I personally get four to five servings as prepared above. Adjust accordingly if you are serving a larger group.

Top with grilled marinated Portobello slices and your meal is complete.

If you have meat eaters in your house, this is a nice side salad to complement fish or chicken.

Enjoy!

Print Recipe

Tabouli-Inspired Bulgur Wheat Salad with Grilled Portobello

(1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)

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Salad – Middle Eastern

By Stephen MacNeil – Serves: 4 to 5

Prep Time: 15 minutes – Cooking Time: 1 hour – Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes

This is my take on the classic Middle Eastern Tabouli salad, modified to add vegetables, legumes, and mushroom to make it a complete and satisfying meal!

Ingredients

• 1 cup dry Bulgur wheat, prepared as described (yields about two cups)
• 1 bunch of curly leaf parsley, finely chopped
• 1 pint of cherry tomatoes , sliced in half
• 1 English Cucumber (peeled or unpeeled), quartered lengthwise and chopped into 3/4 inch pieces
• 1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced into 3/4 inch pieces
• 1/4 of a large red onion, diced into 1/4 inch pieces
• 1 can of Garbanzo beans, rinsed
• 1 can of artichoke hearts, quartered, pack in water, and rinsed
• 1/2 cup of Kalamata olives, chopped
• 2 Tbsp of Extra Virgin Olive Oil (omit if you are trying to limit oils)
• 1 lemon, juiced (roughly three tablespoons)
• Salt and pepper to taste (I use pink Himalayan salt)
• Portobello Mushroom
• 2 Portobello Mushrooms
• 1 Tbsp of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1 1/2 Tbsp of Balsamic Vinegar
• 1 Tsp of Granulated Garlic Powder
• Salt and Pepper to taste

Instructions

Prepare the Bulgur Wheat in advance (takes about 2 hours and 15 minutes)

1

In a small sauce pan, bring one cup of water to a boil. Add a couple pinches of salt.

2

Turn off the heat and add the Bulgur Wheat. Stir and put the lid on the sauce pan. Leave covered on the stove top for 1 hour.

3

Using a fork, lightly scrape the top layer of Bulgur Wheat into a bowl large enough for the other components of the salad (this is to separate the Bulgur and keep from clumping). Continue until all the Bulgur is in the bowl.

4

Place bowl in the refrigerator for 1 hour.

Portobello Mushroom

5

Slice the Portobello Mushroom into 3/4 inch slices.

6

Combine the Extra Virgin Olive Oil with the Balsamic Vinegar and granulated garlic powder in a small bowl.

7

Lay the slices of mushroom on a cookie sheet and brush all sides of the mushroom with the oil and vinegar mixture.

8

Salt and pepper each side of the mushroom

9

If using a cast iron skillet or grill top, lightly oil the surface to keep the Portobello from sticking to the sticking to the surface.

10

Alternatively, the mushroom can be grilled on a gas grill.

11

Start at high heat to get a sear and caramelization on the mushroom.

12

Reduce to low heat and continue cooking (20 to 30 minutes), flipping the slices every five minutes or so.

Building the Salad

13

While the Bulgur Wheat is cooling in the refrigerator, chop the vegetables and olives.

14

Empty the Garbanzo beans and artichoke hearts in a colander and rinse.

15

Remove the Bulgur Wheat from the refrigerator.

16

Add the parsley, cherry tomatoes, cucumber, red bell pepper, red onion, Garbanzo beans, artichoke hearts, Kalamata olives, olive oil, and lemon juice to the bowl.

17

Salt and pepper to taste (I prefer pink Himalayan salt).

18

Mix the contents of the bowl gently to avoid having the artichoke hearts separate until all components are thoroughly mixed together.

19

Serve in a bowl or plate and top with the grilled Portobello slices.

Notes

Alternatively, the salad and Portobello can be served stuffed in a pita. Slice the pita bread in half, open the layers of the pita, stuff the salad and mushroom slices inside and enjoy!