Salmon, Sweet Potato, and Tabouli

I apologize for my lack of posts this week and last week.  I have no excuse for last week.  This week, Jacob and I had a stomach bug.  The very thought of food made me toss my cookies.  But, we are both feeling much better today.  In fact, my improvement has been so dramatic that I was able to go to the store and buy olives and raw fish.

Tonight for supper I made baked salmon.  I also baked some sweet potatoes in the oven.  We ate those with cinnamon, brown sugar and butter.  (Traditionally, I have been a fan of real butter for its flavor and performance in recipes.  Recently, I have felt a need to cut cholesterol and have switched to Smart Balance 50/50 butter blend.  I really like it, so far.)

For the much anticipated salad, I made tabouli.  I based mine on a recipe in Whole Foods for the Whole Family.  It was really good and simple to make.  We decided it will be even better tomorrow when all the flavors have had a chance to intensify.  You can add other fresh vegetables like mushrooms or peppers and fresh herbs like mint.  Art sprinkled his with feta.


Ingredients
1 cup bulgur wheat, soaked for 1 hour in 1 cup of water, drained
1 medium cucumber, peeled and diced
1-2 cups diced grape tomatoes (or, any tomatoes)
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp dried dill weed (or, 1 Tab fresh)
pepper to taste

Whisk lemon juice, olive oil, salt, dill, and pepper together in a small bowl.
In a medium bowl, combine bulgur wheat, cucumber, and tomatoes.  Stir in dressing and toss to coat.  Chill until ready to serve.

My mom- who is in town!- ruled the meal a success.  We all thought the flavors of each dish complemented one another quite well.  Jacob promptly spit out the tabouli, but he enjoyed a few bites of salmon before he was ready to get out of his chair and play.