Best Tabbouleh Gluten-Free, Low-Carb Salad

Looking for a grain-free, low-carb, gluten-free tabbouleh recipe? I have just what you crave: an easy no bulgur version of the Middle Eastern tabbouleh salad that will sate the cravings, and become a new favorite in your kitchen.

Why I ❤️ it • Recipe • Ingredients • Video • Preparation

Gluten free bulgur wheat salad.

Why I ❤️ it

Tabbouleh or tabouli is one of my favorite salads, with a lovely combination of flavor and texture, and a very "green", crisp taste. In this salad, instead of using bulgur wheat, I have opted to substitute it for nutrient and protein-rich shelled hemp seeds, which gives us a similar texture to traditional tabbouleh with bulgur.

This is the perfect recipe for summer, and a nutritious, flavorful dairy-free, gluten-free and low-carb dish that vegans and meat-eaters will like equally.

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Utensils and tools

• Large mixing bowl

Ingredients

• 1 cup shelled hemp seeds
• 1 cup diced tomato or quartered cherry tomatoes
• 1 medium red onion, diced into small cubes
• 1 cup minced fresh flat-leaf parsley
• A dozen fresh mint leaves, minced (optional)
• 2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• Juice of 1 lime or 2 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice
• 1 teaspoons sea salt, (or more, to taste)
• 1 small cucumber, minced

Video

Preparation

Before you start, make sure you have all the ingredients and utensils ready.

Step 1: Combining

Mix the hemp seeds with the tomatoes, onion, parsley, mint, oil, and lime juice. Season with salt to taste.

Step 2: Chilling

Cover and refrigerate until it's time to serve, but not more than an hour or the herbs will start to wilt.

Step 3: Serving

Mix in the cucumber, and serve right away.

Serving suggestions

This is the perfect salad for summer cookouts and potlucks, but also for Middle-Eastern-inspired meals. You can pair it with sabich, a lovely roasted eggplant and pita sandwich, shakshuka eggs in tomato sauce, mejadra rice with lentils. I also love this couscous tabbouleh with sun-dry tomatoes, or this succulent lamb over rice. We also have a lovely recipe for skhuk, a Middle Eastern hot sauce.

If you want to check different bulgur wheat tabouli, then check out the Dominican tipili version.

Variations

There are many substitutions possible, and just as many recipes possible. Some people use riced cauliflower, some use quinoa. My preferred bulgur substitute is shelled hemp seeds.

Hulled hemp seeds --also known as hemp hearts-- are a very nutritious food, easy to find and work with, and --in my opinion-- yield a consistency closer to real tabbouleh than other bulgur wheat substitutes.

If you have never tried cucumber in your tabbouleh, I hadn't either. I once came across a recipe that called for cucumber, and I decided to try it, with fantastic results. I also realized that this is a not uncommon version of tabbouleh in the Middle East.

Nutritional information

Calories: 260kcal | Carbohydrates: 8g | Protein: 13g | Fat: 20g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Sodium: 399mg | Potassium: 231mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 1115IU | Vitamin C: 20mg | Calcium: 85mg | Iron: 6mg

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