To finish off our vegetarian/vegan week I made a great dinner for a hot night, hummus with tabbouleh and golden beets.  I bought prepared hummus, roasted the golden beets in the morning, and made a Lebanese tabbouleh which is heavy on the parsley and mint and light on the bulgur. I put everything on a bed of spinach and included some small pieces of pita and pepperoncini.

Hummus, tabbouleh, and roasted golden beets

Lebanese Tabbouleh

1/4 cup fine bulgur wheat
1 small garlic clove, minced (optional)
Juice of 1 large lemon
2 bunches fresh flat-leaf parsley, leaves and tender stems, chopped
1/4 cup chopped fresh mint
1 cup chopped tomato
4 scallions, finely chopped
Salt, preferably kosher salt, to taste
1/8 cup extra virgin olive oil

Note: I used a food processor to chop up the parsley, mint, garlic, and scallions. Make sure the herbs are dry before processing.

Place the bulgur in a bowl, and cover with water by 1/2 inch. Soak for 20 minutes, until slightly softened. Drain through a sieve ,and press the bulgur against the strainer to squeeze out excess water. Transfer to a large bowl, and toss with the garlic, lemon juice, parsley, mint, tomatoes, scallions and salt. Leave at room temperature or in the refrigerator for two to three hours, so that the bulgur can continue to absorb liquid and swell.

Add the olive oil, toss together, taste and adjust seasoning.

Roasted golden beets

Pre-heat oven to 400F. Remove beet leaves, wash the beets and wrap in aluminum foil. Roast beets for 45 minutes or until a knife cuts through easily. Remove the skin while still warm with paper towels.