Meatless Monday Bulgur Edamame Salad
by Chef Owen May and Dr. Michelle May
Small steps add up to big changes. But when our daughter Elyse became a vegetarian three years ago at age 13, we were willing to support her but not interested in taking such a big step for ourselves. Instead, we have become more intentional about sharing a few meatless meals a week as a family (helped by the fact that my husband is a professional chef) and continue to respect each another’s choices. The three of us (a teenager, a chef, and a doctor) even wrote a book called Veggie Teens: A Cookbook and Guide for Vegetarian Teenagers.
Chef Notes
As a small step to help people try occasional plant-based meals, we’ve been sharing Meatless Monday recipes on her blog. Recently Time Magazine and The Washington Post have both featured articles about the Meatless Monday movement.
Health Notes
With Labor Day picnics and barbecues right around the corner, we created a little twist on tabbouleh (also sometimes spelled tabouleh, tabouli, or tabuli). No matter how you spell it, tabbouleh is a yummy Middle Eastern dish that is traditionally made with bulgur (a precooked and dried wheat with a nutty flavor and texture like brown rice), parsley, mint, tomatoes, olive oil, and lemon juice. Using that basic foundation, we added grilled zucchini and yellow squash, shelled edamame (soybeans), and spinach leaves.
It is an amazingly tasty salad perfect as a side dish and hearty enough for a main dish. (Do I need to even mention all the veggies, whole grains, protein, and monounsaturated fat? Nah! Let’s just focus on the flavors.)
Ingredients
2 cups bulgur (wheat)
2 cups water
1 medium zucchini, sliced lengthwise 1/4 inch thick
1 medium yellow squash, sliced lengthwise 1/4 inch thick
3/4 cup frozen shelled edamame, thawed
1/4 chopped fresh mint leaves
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
1 cup fresh spinach leaves, chiffonade
3 green onions, thinly sliced
3 medium tomatoes, diced
2 cloves of garlic, finely minced
1/4 oil olive, divided
1 large lemon, juiced
Kosher salt to taste
Directions
- Place bulgur in a large bowl and cover with water. Allow bulgur to soak for one hour.
- While bulgur is soaking, brush zucchini and yellow squash with a small amount of the olive oil. Sprinkle with kosher salt and grill until soft and grill marked. Allow it to cool then chop coarsely.
- Combine all of the ingredients and serve.
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