Hemp Heart Tabouli

If you have a garden that is totally overgrown with parsley, mint, and tomatoes, this recipe is for you!

This recipe is also for you if you’re a fan of delicious flavor.

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I. Love. Tabouli. Or tabbouleh. However you spell it, I love it.

There’s a fabulous Mediterranean restaurant chain here in Pittsburgh (Aladdin’s), and they have the best tabouli ever. They add it to this salad that I swear I’m not going to get again every time I go. But alas, I end up ordering it again and it never ever ever disappoints.

Tabouli is typically made with bulgur wheat, buuuut I wanted to lay off the wheat a bit. I’ve been eating a ton of wheat in the form of bread, pizza, and pasta recently. Not like it’s a bad thing in moderation. But I am desperately missing some moderation in my life.

And because I’ve been working out more recently, I’ve been looking for ways to increase my protein intake. And one of my favorite plant-based protein sources is…the hemp heart!

So, uh, what are hemp hearts?

Fab question, my dear. They are the creamy, nutty, delicious little seeds from the hemp plant!

Yes, that hemp plant. No, they won’t get you high.

You can actually buy them in pretty much any grocery store. Typically over by the oats / cereals or over by the nuts and seeds. But they’re awesome. 3 Tbsp. of hemp hearts have 10g protein. Plus omega-3s and omega-6s for healthy hearts and brains, iron, manganese, thiamine, and lots of other goodness.

They’re a cute little nutritional powerhouse, and they’re delicious in this tabouli.

But honestly, how could they not be delicious in this tabouli when there are ingredients like copious amounts of parsley, a bit of mint, some lemon juice, a bit of veggies, and a wee bit of seasoning?

This is the kind of dish that just shines in its simplicity. It’s stupidly simple, but ridiculously flavorful and addictive.

Wahoo! I highly suggest enjoying this tabouli in salads, on cheese plates, with crackers, in pitas, or on its own with a fork or spoon.

I love it. You’ll love it. I know it.