Recipe: Tabbouleh with Edamame and Kumquats

the appetizer:

Melissa's Everyday Cooking with Organic Produce: A Guide to Easy-to-Make Dishes with Fresh Organic Fruits and Vegetables by Cathy Thomas, includes articles and recipes like Mango; Curried Turkey and Melon Salad; Garden Enchiladas; and Tabbouleh with Edamame and Kumquats.

Tabbouleh
with Edamame and Kumquats

Yield: 6 (1/2-cup) Servings

Traditional tabbouleh, a bulgur wheat-based Middle Eastern salad, most often contains fresh green herbs, tomatoes, onions, olive oil, and lemon juice. This colorful rendition substitutes sweet-tart kumquats for the tomatoes and pumps up the green with shelled soybeans as well as diced cucumber. Place individual servings in butter lettuce cups.

1 cup bulgur wheat
3/4 cup finely chopped fresh Italian parsley
3/4 cup vegetable broth
1 large clove garlic, minced
1/4 cup finely minced red onion
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1-1/2 teaspoons agave syrup or honey
2 teaspoons minced lemon zest (colored portion of peel)
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup diced hothouse (English) cucumber
1/2 cup cooked shelled soybeans (edamame)
1/2 cup finely chopped seeded kumquats
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Optional: additional fresh lemon juice, salt or freshly ground black pepper

Optional for serving: butter lettuce cups

1. Place bulgur wheat in sieve and rinse with cold water.

2. In medium bowl, place bulgur wheat and 1 cup room-temperature water for 2 hours. Drain and gently shake sieve to remove excess water.

3. Place drained bulgur wheat, parsley, broth, garlic, onion, olive oil, and agave syrup in large bowl; toss.

4. Add zest, juice, cucumber, edamame, kumquats, salt and pepper; gently toss. Cover and set aside for 2 hours for flavors to build. Taste and adjust seasoning, adding a little more juice or salt or pepper as needed. If desired, spoon each serving into a butter lettuce cup.

Nutritional information (per serving): Calories 150, fat calories 30; total fat 3.5 grams, sat fat 0 grams, cholesterol 0 milligrams; sodium 115 milligrams; total carbohydrates 26 grams, fiber 7 grams, sugars 4 grams; protein 5 grams; vitamin A IUs 15%; vitamin C 35%; calcium 4%; iron 8%.

from:
Melissa's Everyday Cooking with Organic Produce: A Guide to Easy-to-Make Dishes with Fresh Organic Fruits and Vegetables
by Cathy Thomas
Wiley 2010
Hardcover; 336 pages; $29.95
ISBN-10: 0470371056
ISBN-13: 978-0-470-37105-3
Reprinted by permission.

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