My last name is Italian, but my stomach wants to be Greek. I could easily eat lean shaved lamb, hummus, feta, lemon-and-oregano seasoned seafood and warm pita every single day.
This Badass Italian loves her some meatballs and stuffed eggplants, but she also appreciates the Greeks for their flavorful, healthy, and satisfying eats. Meatballs and pasta every day aren't going to keep me strong and lean - but a Greek go-to like tabbouleh salad surely will.
As the full-bore heat of summer slowly gives way to fall, the tabbouleh salad is my favorite way to balance a light green salad bowl with something a little more substantial - yet highly nutritious.
Tabbouleh salad is a mix of bulgur wheat, olive oil, lemon juice, parsley, and any number of add-ins to fill your fuel and flavor needs. Think tomatoes, cucumbers, crumbled feta, chickpeas, diced chicken, chilled shrimp or even tofu.
For Labor Day we grilled up lean barbecue chicken breasts and served it with my End-of-Summer Tabbouleh, which I prepared ahead of time and chilled in the refrigerator for a few hours. It was the ideal recovery meal (protein, complex carbs, veggies) after the two-hour cycling and TRX class I taught Monday morning.
This salad has a number of Badass Benefits. Consider:
1. Bulgur wheat: This grain is tastier and easier to prepare than brown rice, and it is high in fiber, protein, potassium and the complex carbs we Badasses need to fuel our workouts. Bulgur is basically wheat in its whole form, and the fine-ground variety is best for a dish like tabbouleh. A half-cup of dry bulgur wheat has about 240 calories, 13 grams of fiber, 8 grams of protein and 35 carbs. And with its high amount of iron, phosphorus, zinc, manganese, selenium and magnesium, it boasts one of the richest mineral profiles of any food out there.
2. Cucumbers and parsley: Parsley doesn't get much credit for its nutritional profile, which is a shame. The root contains calcium, B-complex vitamins, and iron, and it is a source of magnesium, calcium and potassium. Parsley is also packed with vitamin A, beta-carotene and vitamin C. Parsley and cucumbers also happen to be natural diuretics, so when you need to banish the bloat of a 3-day weekend of cookouts, football tailgates and whatever else, these are great additions to any salad.
3. Feta cheese: It's high in flavor and crumbles perfectly, so a little goes a long way yet reaps maximum tastebud satisfaction. One ounce has only 70 calories and 5 grams of fat, compared to higher-fat cheeses like Cheddar.
4. Olive oil: This cooking staple of Mediterranean fare protects against heart disease (when enjoyed in moderation, of course) because it is high in monounsaturated fatty acids and high in antioxidants, controlling our "bad" cholesterol (LDL) and raising the "good" cholesterol (HDL).
Shannon's End-of-Summer Tabbouleh
Ingredients:
- 1 box of Near East Tabbouleh mix
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 roma tomatoes, chopped
- 1 cucumber, peeled, diced and chopped
- 1/3 cup crumbled feta cheese
- 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
Directions:
1. Pour one cup boiling water over the bulgur and spice mix from the Near East box. Let it sit, covered, in refrigerator for 30 minutes.
2. Mix in the remaining ingredients and serve chilled over mixed greens or spinach.
Coming Friday: Can this Badass work her students from head to toe with the Bosu? Hell yes!
