My All Time Favorite Lunch: Tabbouleh Salad With Chicken

This dish is my favorite thing to make ahead for lunch during the week. I make it at least once a month. It is full of crisp, fresh vegetables and herbs, and is dressed in a lemony olive oil vinaigrette. The flavors of this salad are very bright, and, to me, it tastes like spring time in a bowl. I found this recipe a few years ago after watching the Barefoot Contessa make it on her show. I have adapted her recipe to my own taste and have included my recipe below. The only differences are that I cut down on the amount of salt, omitted the mint and pepper, and added chopped chicken breast and feta cheese. You can find her original recipe here. You can add the chicken breast and eat a larger serving for a satisfying lunch, or leave out the chicken and serve it as a side with some falafel. Don't be afraid of the bulgar wheat! You soak the wheat in boiling water to soften it up. It absorbs the flavor of the lemon juice and olive oil and ends up looking like tiny pieces of rice. It is a whole wheat with lots of fiber so you don't have to feel guilty about eating it. It is a little hard to find in stores, though. The only place I have had any luck finding it in the Keller area is at Albertson's. I have not checked at Central Market or Whole Foods, but I imagine you would not have a problem finding it either of these stores. I know that one of my Houston friends went to no less than four stores in search of this stuff a few months ago, so if you find it my advice would be stock up like squirrel hoarding nuts for winter. And good luck if you live in Houston.

Tabbouleh Salad with Chicken adapted from Ina Garten at Food Network

1 cup bulgar wheat

1 1/2 cups boiling water

Juice of two small lemons

1/4 olive oil

1 tsp salt

1 bunch of scallions, chopped

1 cup chopped flat leaf parsley

1 cucumber, seeded and diced

2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved

2 cups chopped chicken breast*

1 cup reduced fat feta cheese

Pour bulgar wheat into a large bowl and cover with the boiling water, lemon juice, olive oil, and salt. Stir a few times and cover with a tea towel. Let it set for one hour.

Meanwhile, chop vegetables and prepare chicken breast. After one hour, combine all the chopped stuff with the bulgar wheat and give it a good stir. Serve with about a 1/4 cup of feta cheese on each serving.

*If you are looking to save time buy a precooked rotisserie chicken, remove the skin, and cut the breast meat off of the bones. You can eat the the leg and thighs for dinner with some rice and vegetables or cut up that meat and toss with barbecue sauce for tasty sandwich! If you are looking to save money buy packaged chicken breasts and cook them yourself with a little salt and pepper.