Barley Tabbouleh

or "tabblooey" as my youngest calls it......    Made this the other night, and it was delicious.  I don't always have bulgur around, which is the traditional wheat grain used in this dish, but barley works too!  And I usually have some pearl barley tucked away for soups and things. 

Most of the tabbouleh was eaten, but I grabbed a snapshot of what was left.  This recipe is very versatile, so add more of the stuff you like and leave out what you don't.  Except parsley.  It wouldn't be a very good tabbouleh without at least some parsley.

 

Barley Tabbouleh

 

2/3 cup barley

2 to 3 cups parsley, finely chopped

8 green onions, finely minced

2 Roma tomatoes, diced

1/2 English cucumber, diced

1 red pepper, diced

1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed

 

Dressing

4 to 6 Tbsp fresh lemon juice

4 Tbsp olive oil

1/2 tsp. salt

freshly ground pepper

clove minced garlic

 

Bring 2 cups of water to boil, add barley and cook at low heat for about 40 minutes or until tender and all the water is absorbed.  Let cool.  Add vegetables.  Whisk together dressing ingredients and add to barley mixture.