Recipe for Health:

“The traditional way to make this salad is with lots of herbs and tomatoes, and only a small amount of bulgur; I like to include even more fresh vegetables,” writes Mark Bittman, former New York Times food columnist and author of several best-selling books, including VB6: Eat Vegan Before 6:00 (Clarkson Potter 2013), from which this recipe comes. Add shrimp, squid, chicken or other protein of your choice for a super main-course salad, perfect for warm weather.

Bittman suggests experimenting with quinoa, steel-cut oats or millet in place of the bulgur for a distinct texture and flavor. Finally, he says, “be sure to dress the tabbouleh with lemon and olive oil while the grain is still warm so it absorbs all the flavors and fluffs up a bit.”
Serves 4 and takes about 30 minutes to prepare.

• ¾ C medium-grind bulgur
• ¼ C olive oil
• Juice of 2 lemons, or to taste
• 1 t salt, plus more to taste
• black pepper to taste
• 1 pound cooked shrimp, chopped if large
• 3 tomatoes, chopped
• 1 cucumber, peeled, seeded and chopped
• 1 bunch radishes, chopped
• 2 celery stalks, chopped
• 4 scallions, chopped
• 8 green olives, pitted and chopped
• 1 C roughly chopped fresh
  parsley
• 1 C roughly chopped fresh
  mint

Recipe Key

C = cup | T = tablespoon | t = teaspoon | oz = ounce

Source: Reprinted with permission from the book VB6: Eat Vegan Before 6:00, by Mark Bittman. Copyright 2013. Published by Clarkson Potter, a division of Random House Inc. For more information, visit http://markbittman.com/book/vb6/.
Bring 1½ cups water to boil in small pot. Remove from heat, stir in bulgur and cover. Let sit until tender, 15–20 minutes. If any water remains in bottom of pot, strain bulgur, pressing down on it with spoon, or squeeze it dry in cloth.

Toss warm bulgur with oil and lemon juice; add salt, and sprinkle with some pepper. (You can make the bulgur up to a day in advance. Cover and refrigerate; bring to room temperature before proceeding.)

Just before you’re ready to eat, add remaining ingredients and toss with fork; taste; adjust seasoning, adding more olive oil, lemon juice or salt and pepper as needed; and serve.

Per serving: 420 calories; 239 g cholesterol; 19 g fat (3 g saturated fat, 0 g trans fat); 32 g protein; 33 g carbohydrate; 1,671 mg sodium; 9 g fiber; 5 g sugars.