If you’re a regular reader, you’ve heard me talk about our next door neighbors many times, and lucky for us, they’re great cooks. Yesterday Joe showed up with this new recipe for us to try – it was delicious! It’s probably more of a late-summer salad, but I wanted to post it now instead of waiting ’til next year.
Tabouli is relatively new on my “love it” list – it doesn’t look all that yummy, and the ingredients sure don’t sound that good, but when I get it right, the flavors come together so well and I can’t stop eating it. The problem is that while it’s full of many nutritious ingredients, it also has a lot of unsoaked grains. (Unless you use real bulgur/sprouted wheat berries, which I haven’t tried in this yet – the “bulgur/cracked wheat” in the store isn’t the same.) When Joe brought this recipe over to try, I realized that it takes care of my Tabouli problem – it has a real Tabouli flavor and texture to it, but it’s made without the grains. It’s also a great way to get some more veggies into your diet, and a good way to eat brussel sprouts, too! (Anyone have more good ways to eat brussel sprouts? Please comment below!)
photo by russelljsmithJoe’s No-Grain No-Carb Tabouli (Like the name I gave it? Catchy, huh?)
- 4 T. olive oil (extra virgin is too strong for this recipe in my opinion) (For quality olive oil, visit my resources page.)
- 2 t. dijon mustard
- 2 t. another mustard, whatever you have
- 2 t. raw apple cider vinegar (or any vinegar you’d like to use)
- Sea salt & pepper to taste
- Or instead of the mustard and vinegar, you could try using a little lemon juice with the olive oil and salt & pepper for another good flavor, which is what my original Tabouli recipe calls for.
- Another dressing option: you could add an Asian twist – use a little fermented soy sauce, vinegar & a bit of sugar
Mix well, set aside. Run through food processor, enough to make 4 cups or so, sorry none of this is exact, Joe just threw stuff together:
- Cauliflower
- Brussel Sprouts
- Carrots
- Optional ideas I was thinking would also be good: green onion, parsley
- If you use the Asian dressing above, you could add toasted sesame seeds
Sprinkle on the top as you’re serving it:
- Crispy pecans
- Shredded cheese – Romano or Parmesan
Eat it plain like a salad, or if you’re not watching your carbs, eat it with some organic crackers. (I loooove Back to Nature brand Stoneground Wheat crackers.)
UPDATE: Here’s the regular Tabouli recipe I use (much higher in carbs, though), and with sprouted grains!
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{ 14 comments… read them below or add one }
Anna 11.11.08 at 11:36 pm
I make cauliflower “cous-cous” so this should be great!
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Bamboo 11.12.08 at 5:01 am
Kelly,
Are Joe’s veggies cooked or raw? I thought brussel sprouts were bitter if not cooked right – hadn’t heard of them used raw before but hey, what do I know?
Believe it or not, I used to love brussel sprouts as a teenager. I *think* they had a cheese sauce but I can’t really remember. It may have been a butter sauce.
Both sound good.
Beth
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samann1121 11.12.08 at 8:19 am
I also put cucumbers in my regular tabouli, in addition to the tomatoes and green onions. Sooooo tasty… In fact, I have some in my fridge right now!
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Anonymous 11.12.08 at 8:24 pm
I love brussel sprouts and the way I cook them is like a soup. Chicken broth or water just to cover or close to covering the sprouts. Carrots,onion,and any other kind of veggies /sliced and simmer. I add spices like salt and pepper, sometimes parsley or mint or oregano.. depending my mood. I smell it as I add spices and simmer just a bit more. It should reduce a bit or cook longer for more reduction. Brussel sprouts become very tender.. just make sure all veggies are done to your liking.
I have to be carful because I will eat only that for a meal and at time it can be a gassy veggie.
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Kelly the Kitchen Kop 11.12.08 at 9:01 pm
Anna, love your famiy pic, have I told you that lately?
Beth, they’re raw. I didn’t notice a bitter taste…?
Samann, cucs are a good idea!
Anonymous, I’ll be trying that soon. Thanks!
Also, my brother said he steams them and then just melts cheese on top.
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Michigan Mom2three 11.13.08 at 4:53 am
I had never thought of tabouli like this – what I great idea! I love tabouli.
Re: cauliflower cous cous…. interesting Anna. I’d be interested to know how you do that. We love cous cous, and we eat a lot of curry around here. I get an organic w/w cous cous from my co-op that I usually do up. My Lentil Curry is fabulous over cous cous.
Off topic slightly – my FAVORITE WAY to cook brussle spouts is to ROAST them. When I roast them, my 12yo son and I fight for the last ones in the dish!
Just blanch them for a minute in boiling water – then remove immediately. Cut in half, spread out cut side up in a baking dish, drizzle with olive oil and coarse sea salt and roast (uncovered of course) about 20 minutes at 350. Some of the little outside skins get a bit crispy and carmalized and they are WONDERFUL! I never boil sprouts anymore…..
Shauna
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Anna 11.13.08 at 8:30 am
I never boil brussels sprouts, either. My favorite ways are as follows (I’m not including the recipes because they are copyrighted, but I did note the sources if you want to look them up):
Roasted with brown butter and hazelnuts. Eat Well magazine Oct/Nov ‘06 issue had a terrific recipe I’ve made many times, though they called for an unbelievably small amount of butter, measured in teaspoons! I freely substitute Tablespoons for teaspoons for any of their recipes using butter, cream, or olive oil.
Another one we like goes over well even with Brussels Spouts haters (it’s in Dana Carpender’s 15 Mintute Low Carb Recipes, which I use a lot with some adaptation to be NT-friendly : Orange Pecan Sprouts (sprouts, pecans,butter, grated orange zest, and a tiny amount of OJ). You run the spouts through the slicing blade of of the food processor (or I use my manual V-slicer). You could slice them by hand, but it’s hard to slice thin enough. The slices separate and fluff up like mini-sliced cabbage. Would be a great Thanksgiving dish, with the prep done in advance and the cooking done just before eating (cooking in advance doesn’t work as well with this one).
An how about buying those sprouts on the stem? I love it when I can find them that way. Aside from how cool they look, they are much fresher than when purchased loose, and last a long, long time in the veg drawer, cutting off sprouts as needed.
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Anna 11.13.08 at 8:35 am
Oh yeah, forgot about the cauliflower cous-cous. I’m sure I learned about this one from a Dana Carpender low carb book, too.
Basically, “pulse” the florets in a food processor until they are crumbly, even -sized, and the size of cous-cous. I’m pretty sure she recommends steaming them (only a Tbl or 2 of water) in a microwave, but steaming on the range works, too, or in a hot oven, perhaps (covered casserole with a couple TBL of boiling water added?). The important thing is to keep the steaming short, don’t over-cook.
And drain, really, really well. Then toss with butter, olive oil, or whatever you would do with cous-cous.
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Michigan Mom2three 11.13.08 at 9:12 am
Thanks Anna! I’ll try it!
Shauna
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Kelly the Kitchen Kop 11.16.08 at 5:26 am
I had to tell you guys: we had this again yesterday and 3 of our 4 kids ate it! Our 3, 6, & 9 year old all liked it, only our teen didn't, the terd wouldn't even try it. I think it's the parmesan cheese & crispy nuts – they love those on anything.
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Paula 02.21.09 at 10:30 pm
OK, now I want to find out where Anna’s blog is! LOL!!! This is GREAT!! My FAV way to have brussels sprouts is so easy. Simply slice in half (fourths if they are big) and pan fry in butter. The main thing is to get the brussels sprouts to brown (prolly why broiling is such a fav option). Add a bit of sea salt if you want, but these are YUMMO!
I truly have enjoyed reading through your blog!)
(And thanks for the “Award”
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Kelly 02.22.09 at 12:10 am
Paula, here’s Anna’s blog: http://web.mac.com/gandasalvesen/iWeb/Site/Blog/Blog.html
She IS great, isn’t she? I’m so glad I’ve gotten to know her a little, she’s been an amazing resource for me.
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Gigi 06.07.09 at 7:19 pm
I absolutely ADORE brussel sprouts! My favorite way to cook them is to halve them, coat them with extra virgin olive oil, sea salt, rosemary, balsamic vinegar and halved garlic cloves and roast them on high heat – at least 450 degrees. Check them after 20 minutes and if carmelizing then turn them over. Depending on your oven it can take anywhere from 25 to 40 minutes. I like them with crispy outside leaves.
I sometimes also do a stir fry of sliced brussel spouts, carrots, tempeh, ginger and fresh garlic and when about three-fourths done make an asian sauce of some sort to heighten the flavor. Actually you can do just about any combination of veggies suitable for a stir fry.
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Kelly 06.09.09 at 12:13 pm
YUM! Thanks for the new ideas for using brussel sprouts, Gigi!!
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