A unique, grain-free twist on the traditional Tabbouleh. Kale takes the place of bulgar wheat with the addition of hemp seeds.
You all (y’all) should know by now my love for salads in all forms and most recently I shared with you one of my favorite summer salads, the Cucumber Salad with Citrus Dill Dressing. Kale Hemp Tabbouleh is another summer inspired salad using fresh ingredients, most of which you can find at your local farmers market this season. Traditional tabbouleh is made with grains, this is a complete twist using no grains and made from all raw vegetables- it’s low carbohydrate with a high protein twist from omega-3 rich hemp seeds.
Do you remember how I said I really like saying the word baba ghanoush, well tabbouleh (tuh-boo-luh or sometimes pronounced tuh-bul-lay in the US) is another word that I add into my “fun to say word” book. What is tabbouleh? Traditional tabbouleh contains bulgar wheat (a gluten containing grain), onions, tomatoes, cucumbers, garlic, sea salt, pepper, lemon juice, olive oil, parsley, scallions, and mint. This dish is very popular among the Middle Eastern regions and of course, the dish and ingredients vary among regions/cultures. It’s served chilled or room temperature often in many ways (i.e. entree, side, “condiment”). A fun fact about tabbouleh: it holds a place in the Guinness Book of World Records!
Serve With:
- As a main entree, add more protein and healthy fat to complete the meal (i.e. meats, tofu, tempeh, beans, lentils, avocado, nuts/seeds, etc.)
- As a side dish
- Fresh avocado, which you can “mash” into the salad to create a thicker “dressing”.
- Stuffed into a nori wrapper, for an on-the-go salad wrap similar to my Veggie “Sushi” Rolls.
- Appetizer alongside with fresh hummus, vegetable sticks, olives, and falafel.
The star ingredients in this recipe are kale and hemp seeds. I’ve shared with you all how much I love kale in this recipe here and also the nutrition behind kale. Let’s focus on the not so common household ingredient, hemp seeds. Hemp seeds are one of my favorite seeds (besides pumpkin seeds), they have a wonderful mild and nutty taste and chewy texture quality to them. For example, hemp seeds are very tiny and therefore can be easily blended into dressings or dips (especially non-dairy dressing to give them some body and thickness). They’re great to easily add a boost of nutrients for anyone looking to increase their omega-3 content, protein, or healthy fats due to their size. The serving size is only 3 Tbs. which also makes it perfect for “sneaking” into the little ones oatmeal, salads, or smoothies to boost the nutrition content for them.
Read more about hemp seeds in the pantry section of Nutrition Stripped, but a quick breakdown shows that hemp seeds contain magnesium, iron, zinc, phosphorus, vitamin E, B1, B2, B3, B6, A, omega-3 fats, and a whopping 10g protein per 3 tablespoons!
Where to purchase // If you haven’t come across hemp seeds at your grocery store, that’s common as they’re a newer “superfood” to hit the market in the past couple of years. You can purchase them at your local health food store (here in Nashville Trader Joe’s and Whole Food’s carry it). I normally purchase in bulk due to the affordability and the pure fact that I eat them so often!
- 5 cups organic kale, chopped (you may use Lacinato or regular kale)
- 2 large tomatoes (about 1 cup), diced
- 2 cups cucumber, diced
- 1 cup parsley, chopped
- 1 cup mint, chopped
- 1 cup scallions, minced
- 1/2 red onion, diced
- 1/2 cup of hemp seeds
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 2 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1/4 cup of fresh lemon juice (about 2 lemons)
- 1 tablespoon of lemon zest
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper, ground (to taste)
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the chopped kale, lemon juice, olive oil, and sea salt.
- Taking your hands, knead and “massage” the kale (see the Massaged Kale Salad recipe), until the kale becomes softened and reduces in volume.
- Take the remaining ingredients and add into the large mixing bowl full of massaged kale.
- Mix well.
- Season to taste (make any adjustments for sea salt, pepper, etc.)
- Serve or keep chill in refrigerator.
Do you like tabbouleh? Have you ever tried hemp seeds? Share below, I love hearing your experiences and comments!
Have a beautiful day,
xo McKel
