Raw Tabouli—Full Of Nutrient Rich Herbs

Day 21 of our “One Month Raw Food Cleanse”
When we search for foods rich in vitamins and minerals, we generally focus on basic food groups like fruits, vegetables, grains, dairy, etc., but did you know that herbs like parsley and mint are very good sources of vitamins A, C, folate, calcium, iron, magnesium, manganese, copper and potassium? In addition, parsley is loaded with vitamin K.

Nutritionists usually don’t highlight this because most recipes use insignificant amounts of herbs not to overpower the dish. Tabouli, however, is an exception and is known for its generous use of both mint and parsley.

This quick and easy raw recipe uses jicama and pine nuts instead of the traditional cooked bulgar. Each serving will have a generous 4 tablespoons of these nutrient packed herbs!

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Raw Tabouli [serves 8]
4 cups jicama, diced
1/2 cup pine nuts
1 medium yellow heirloom tomato, diced
1 medium red heirloom tomato, diced
1/4 cup red onion, minced
1 medium cucumber, peeled and diced
1 cup fresh parsley, chopped
1 cup fresh mint, chopped
3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 tablespoon fresh lemon zest
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/2 to 1 teaspoon salt, (more or less to taste)
1/8 teaspoon black pepper (more or less to taste)

Dice the heirloom tomatoes and put in a colander to drain. Place jicama and pine nuts in a food processor and process briefly until it resembles large grain. Place mixture on paper towels to remove some of the moisture and then place in a large bowl. Add red onion, cucumber, parsley, mint and the drained tomatoes. Combine lemon juice, lemon zest, olive oil, salt and pepper. Gently mix this dressing into the salad and serve.

Per serving: 132 calories, 10 g fat, 1.1 g saturated fat, 0 g cholesterol, 2.1 g protein, 9.7 g carbohydrates and 3.9 g of fiber.

Menu for Day 21
Breakfast is a bowl of watermelon, cantaloupe and strawberries. Lunch is tabouli salad with raw crackers and guacamole. I will make faux “tuna fish salad” stuffed heirloom tomatoes for dinner (see April 25, 2009 post) and some tropical chocolate truffles for dessert (see February 12, 2009 post). I feel like juicing today so I’ll make a big pitcher of fresh vegetable juice and snack on it during the day.