Wednesday's recipe: A ridiculously fast salad . . . Tabbouleh!

When you are sick, nothing helps more than good food, preferably prepared by someone else. But if you have to make your own comfort food, try this faster-than-fast Middle Eastern (Arabic) salad. I have some in my fridge now. Good even for breakfast!

Basically, you make the cous-cous, pull the other ingredients together, throw them all in a bowl, mix and chill. What could be easier? This lasts three or so days in the fridge, so make a batch! Next time, add more garlic for a zippy taste and different seasonings. Experiment with this high protein and tasty dish.

STEP 1: Make the cous-cous. Boil 1-1/2 cups of water. Add 1 cup of cous-cous. Cover, remove from heat (or the microwave), and set aside while the cous-cous absorbs the water. 

STEP 2: Gather your ingredients and throw them in a large bowl:  
1 can garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
1 can sliced or chopped olives, drained
1 can corn, drained
2 chopped tomatoes
1/2 chopped cucumber
1/2 chopped green pepper
1 garlic clove, diced fine
1 cup parsley, chopped

STEP 3: Mix all ingredients with cous-cous. Drizzle dressing of 1/4 cup lemon juice (fresh or from a bottle) and 1/4 cup olive oil. Add salt to taste (usually about 1 teaspoon). Mix well. Put any leftovers in the fridge. This salad travels well, and truly, you can eat it for breakfast. It's vegetarian AND vegan and helps to keep the vampires away (if you are so inclined).

Tabbouleh salad with Mermaid (Camp 2013)