Tabouleh-Inspired Lunch Salad

Tabouleh is one of my favorite salads. So refreshing and flavorful. For this salad, I took a typical tabouleh and gave it some oomph. It takes a little prep time (including the feta cheese, which needs a few hours to marinate), but is so worth it. It's the kind of salad I make on Sunday to take for lunch that week.

Tabouleh-Inspired Lunch Salad (makes 10-11 cups, 5 servings)

1 1/4 cup (dry) bulgar, cooked according to package directions, and cooled
1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes, sliced
5 scallions, chopped
1 bunch parsley (just the leaves), chopped
4 large leaves kale, chopped
A few sprigs of mint, chopped (just the leaves)
1 can chick peas, drained and rinsed
Juice of 1 lemon (fresh, not bottled)
Olive oil
Garlic powder
Salt & pepper
1 recipe "feta cheese"

If you haven't cooked your bulgar yet, start cooking it and chop the veggies while it is cooking. Transfer to a large bowl and stir frequently to cool. 

Combine the bulgar, tomatoes, scallions, parsley, kale, mint, and chick peas in a large bowl. Drizzle with olive oil and add the lemon juice, a few shakes of garlic powder, and salt and pepper to taste. Mix again until thoroughly combined.

Before I show you the mixed salad, how beautiful are these tomatoes??!

Now I realize this is not the classiest presentation, but it's what's convenient for packing my lunch. Serve this however you'd like. But if you're making it in bulk for travel, scoop a heaping 2 cups of the salad in each of 5 containers and top with 1/3 cup of the feta cheese.

And this, dear friends, is how I make lunch for a week in less than an hour.