But kale can be tough when eaten raw, so many recipes advise massaging the green to soften its texture. I like to do things the easy way whenever possible, so I came up a hack to replace the massaging step: give it a bath in lemon juice. It works particularly well with the chopped curly kale in this recipe. (I’ve found that curly kale holds up better to the lemon juice than lacinato or baby varieties.) If you want to make a gluten-free version of this salad, replace the bulgur wheat with quinoa. Place one cup of quinoa in 2 cups of water, bring it to a boil and then reduce the heat to low, cover and cook for 15–20 minutes until all of the water is absorbed. Let it cool completely before adding it to the salad. Prep Time: 15 minutesTotal Time: 1 hour 15 minutesServings: 8–10 1/2 c uncooked whole grain bulgur wheat 3 med tomatoes, diced 1 lg bunch of parsley, chopped in food processor or by hand 1 bunch of curly kale, chopped in food processor or by hand 1/2 med white, yellow or red onion – diced 1/2 c fresh lemon juice 1 can (14 oz) garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained 2 Tbsp dried mint salt Place bulgur in a saucepan with 1 cup water and bring to a boil. Reduce the to low, cover and let cook until tender, 10–15 minutes. Meanwhile, place chopped kale and dried mint in a large mixing bowl with the lemon juice and mix well to ensure all of the kale has been coated with the juice. Let rest for about 15 minutes. After the bulgur is cooked and cooled, mix it and all remaining ingredients in with the kale and mint. Salt to taste, cover, and let sit in refrigerator for about 1 hour. Serve chilled. Amy Pruess is a recipe developer and the author of the blog Parsley in My Teeth. Follow her on Facebook. MORE: Michel Nischan’s Squash and Heirloom Bean Soup
