Summer finally climbed the mountain and arrived in Idyllwild over the weekend. The last few days have been filled with plenty of sunshine, a bit of afternoon thundercloud huffing and puffing, and heavenly evenings, perfect for serving dinner on the deck.  Hubs is the chef of the household, and no one can come close to grilling just about anything you can think of with absolute perfection. But, from time to time, I like to take over the kitchen and prepare a light meal.

This afternoon I put together a tabbouleh salad. It’s easy and extremely fast to prepare. You need a bit of extra time, however, for soaking the wheat (1 hour) and letting the flavors blend in the fridge (1 more hour) once everything else is added. Here’s the recipe:

2 cups bulgur wheat (presoaked for one hour in 2 cups of water in large bowl)

3 cups fresh parsley, finely minced

1/4 cup mint, finely chopped (optional)

3 green onions, finely sliced

1/4 fresh ground black pepper

1/4 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp sea salt

2 medium tomatoes, seeded and diced

3 tablespoons lemon juice

3 tablespoons olive oil

1/4 cup toasted pine nuts (optional)

1/4 cup crumbled goat cheese (optional)

sliced cucumber for garnish

romaine lettuce leaves

After the bulgur is soaked, softened, and water is absorbed, add the remaining ingredients (except toasted pine nuts and goat cheese) and chill for one hour to blend the flavors. Toss before serving. Mound the tabbouleh on leaves of romaine with slices of cucumber to the side. One of my earliest memories of helping my mother in the kitchen was peeling cucumbers, scoring them vertically with fork tines, and then slicing very thin so they would have pretty “lacy” edges. Sprinkle goat cheese crumbles and pine nuts on top.

My daughter Melinda, a wonderfully creative cook, gave me the following terrific recipe for roasted fresh beets.

Preheat oven to 400-degrees. Scrub and trim the whole beets. (No need to peel them, the skins will easily slip off after roasting.) With an apple corer, scoop a hole large enough to stuff with blue cheese. Return a potion of the removed “core” to plug the whole. Drizzle beet with olive oils and sprinkle with salt and pepper  before wrapping each in a small square of aluminum foil. Place directly on oven rack and roast until fork tender (at least an hour). Serve hot, or prepare a day ahead, refrigerate overnight and serve chilled with tabbouleh. Delicious either way!!

Tonight we’re having tabbouleh salad (without goat cheese) with Melinda’s beets, and fresh-picked corn on the cob, drizzled with melted butter. (Hey, we’re not having meat so we can indulge!)

As my hubs would say, “You can’t beat beets!” As I would say, “You can’t beat a light and healthy veggie dinner on a warm summer’s night.

Hope you enjoy!

Blessings of love, joy, and peace to all!