One of our favorite restaurants here in Portland is the Habibi Restaurant downtown on Morrison. They share generational recipes featuring their Syrian and Lebanese ancestry. Delicious food. We bring all of our out of town guests (that’s 2 so far) to this spot.
My most favorite thing to get there besides the vegetarian mezza platter is their tabouli salad. Did you know there are a million ways to spell tabouli? Other correct forms are tabbouleh, tabouleh, or tabbouli – okay so at least 4 ways. Habibi’s version of this salad has the teensiest bit of bulgur in it but, in my tribute I left that out. In the future, I think I’ll add sprouted or even cooked quinoa, not a lot, just enough to give it a little color and texture.
Their salad is so good that I have a hard time deciding between the full on mezza platter or this salad. The mezza has a portion of this salad, but it never seems like enough!
Because we reasonably can’t eat there every day, this is my tribute to their deliciousness. The big trick, I think, is to letting it marinate overnight. That time allows the acids from the lemon juice and tomato along with the oil to really soften the parsley’s hearty leaves. Now, there are two types of parsley Italian flat leaf and curly parsley. Feel good choosing either one, they will both be delicious!
I love putting this detoxifying herb in smoothies and making them a star in their very own salad. Like this Toasted Sesame Parsley Salad.
Raw Vegan Tabbouleh Salad
Ingredients
- 5 cups chopped Italian flat leaf parsley (about 1 large bunch, bottom 2" stem removed)
- 1/4 cup thinly sliced mint
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 3 Roma tomatoes, small chopped
- 1/2 large onion, medium chopped
- juice from 2 lemons
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- ground pepper to taste
Instructions
- Add ingredients to a large bowl and mix to coat. Cover and store in the fridge overnight or at least 8-12 hours.
- Enjoy!
What is your favorite salad when eating out??
xoxo
Michelle, this looks great but I am not a parsley fan. I do love spinach salad with bacon, boiled eggs, and onions made right in my very own kitchen. It’s easy and served with garlic bread, is a meal. Our family of 4 eats a pound of spinach when eating this salad. Go easy on the bacon and it’s super healthy, too. Great pictures – as always.
I totally understand, I’m a recent convert (like the last 2 years) myself and used to only think of parsley as a garnish. This one might just change your mind 😉
I am a parsley fan but as you know, I will most likely eat the Habibi salad before making my own : ) What can I say…at least I blend my fruits and veg! Can’t wait to try Habibi, btw. Paul brought me back a deelish Greek Salad from a local pizza place…it was so yummy but heavy on the dressing and highly caloric, I am sure. Love your blog in all of its colorful glory! xo
You are awesome with your shakes! We must go soon to Habibi…maybe this Friday! Greek salad is one of my FAVES. xoxo