Tabbouleh Salad

Tabbouleh salad is an Arab wheat salad that is typically comprised of tomatoes, cucumber, parsley and mint (among other things). I was introduced to tabbouleh by my Uncle Craig, whose vegetarian recipes are the best...probably because he puts so much time and care into figuring out the right ratios and flavor combinations. You might recall another recipe of his that I've posted. 


This is my take on his tabbouleh recipe. You'll notice that there's no mint, as you might find in a more traditional recipe, and I've added chicken stock (instead of water...since Craig's is vegetarian) and feta. Serve with pita bread or as a salad on its own.


Ingredients
Tabbouleh salad (I use the Near East brand)
chicken stock
2 lemons
1/4 cup olive oil
3 1/2 tsp. salt
1 bunch scallions, thinly sliced
1 cup flat-leaf parsley, minced
1 english cucumber, peeled and diced into small cubes
2 cups grape tomatoes, quartered
1 small package feta cheese, cubed
1 tsp. black pepper


Directions
1. Place tabbouleh and spice pack in a large mixing bowl.
2. Bring 1 cup chicken stock to a boil and pour over wheat salad in mixing bowl. 
3. To bowl, also add the juice of both lemons, olive oil and 1 1/2 tsp. salt.
4. Stir, and let stand, covered, for one hour at room temperature.
5. Meanwhile, prepare the vegetables, herbs and cheese.
6. When the wheat salad is ready, add the vegetables, herbs and 2 tsp. salt. Toss, then add the feta cheese and gently stir to combine.
7. Chill at least one hour or overnight for best flavor.