Bulgur Chickpea Salad

I have to admit, I've lagged in bringing my lunch to work for the past couple of weeks. So to get back into the swing of things, I needed something that was simple to make and nutritious...and salad always works.

I had an odd amount of bulgur wheat leftover from the vegetarian stuffed peppers, so I thought I'd use it to mimic a great couscous salad from a deli close to my office.

This is a really easy salad to put together, and the bulgur and chickpeas are very filling. It held up for a couple days worth of lunches too.
I only added one bunch of parsley to this batch, but if you want to up the green factor, feel free to add more :o)

Bulgur & Chickpea Salad
makes 4 servings


1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small red onion, chopped
1 large garlic clove, minced
1 1/2 cups coarse bulgur wheat
2 cups vegetable broth
15 oz can of chickpeas, drained & rinsed
1 teaspoon salt
1-2 bunches parsley, depending on your taste
1 cup ripe tomato, chopped
1 medium cucumber, deseeded & chopped
juice of one lemon, to taste
freshly ground black pepper

Heat the oil over a medium heat, saute the diced onions, garlic, and 1/2 teaspoon of salt until soft and fragrant. Stir in the bulgur wheat and cook for a minute or two.

Pour in the broth, remaining salt, and the rinsed chickpeas and bring to a boil over high heat.

Once boiling, reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered, for roughly 15 minutes...or until the liquid is absorbed. Set aside to cool slightly.

While the bulgur mixture is cooling, chop up the rest of the veggies.

Mix the fresh vegetables and lemon juice into the bulgur mixture. Season with salt and fresh black pepper to taste. That's all there is to it.

This salad is good warm or chilled :o)

Enjoy!