Tabouleh Plus Plus

2 cups small grain bulgar wheat (#1)

2 cups boiling water

1 to 3 cups fine-chopped parsley and/or mint

1 to 2 cups diced tomatoes or halved cherry tomatoes.

Juice of 2 lemons

½ cup kalamata olive oil

2 tsp salt, plus more to taste

Zero or one of:

1 can chick peas

1 can fava beans

1 cup steamed fresh fava beans

½ to 1 cup cooked lentils

One of:

½ to 1 cup crumbled or diced feta cheese

½ to 1 cup diced sheep's milk cheese, such as halloumi

Plus one or more of:

1 cup diced bell or other mild pepper

1 cup seeded and diced cucumber

½ cup minced dates

½ cup currants or golden raisins

½ cup minced red onion or scallions

½ to one cup pitted, diced kalamata and/or black olives

1 tsp hot pepper (ideally Aleppo or Hot Paprika)

In a bowl, soak bulgar in the hot water until cool and all water is absorbed (about 30 minutes). Combine with parsley, tomatoes, salt, olive oil, and any of the optional ingredients you are using. Add juice of one lemon; taste and add as much additional lemon juice as seems necessary to balance the flavors.

Let sit at room temperature for at least ½ hour, or in the fridge for up to a day before serving. OK as leftovers for 3-4 days.

Note: sometimes the large, tough grains of cracked wheat are misleadingly sold as bulgar wheat. The grain you want for this recipe should be branless and about 1-2 mm grain, also known as #1 bulgur.