Freekeh Salad

This freekeh salad features chewy cracked freekeh, crunchy celery, fresh parsley, and tomatoes, all topped with lemon juice and olive oil. These ingredients combine to make a delicious salad full of protein, fresh herbs, and veggies. It’s tasty and healthy!

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About this freekeh salad recipe

When I started out with this recipe, I intended to make freekeh tabbouleh. This recipe is kind of like tabbouleh, but it varies enough that I decided to call it freekeh salad instead. Tabbouleh has a lot more parsley, and while I like parsley, I prefer it in a supporting role rather than a starring role. Also, tabbouleh typically contains fresh cucumber and I’m not wild about cucumbers. In lieu of cucumbers, I opted for fresh, crunchy celery. I do love fresh tomatoes, especially colorful small tomatoes that look as good as they taste.

I’ve been on a toasted nut thing lately. It all started with my soba noodles with veggies recipe. For this freekeh salad recipe, I chose pine nuts and pumpkin seeds, dusted with just enough cayenne to add a little bite. They make a great addition to this salad.

Ingredients

• Cracked freekeh – whole-grain freekeh works too.
• Fresh parsley – adds fresh herb flavor
• Celery – chop fresh celery to add crunch to this salad.
• Tomatoes – use fresh, small tomatoes cut in two or diced tomatoes.
• Fresh chives – use herb scissors to cut chives into tiny pieces.
• Olive oil and lemon juice – extra virgin olive oil and lemon juice serve as the dressing for this freekeh salad.
• Pine nuts and pumpkin seeds – provide nutrients, protein, and healthy fatty acids.
• Onion powder – adds additional flavor.

Optional ingredients

• Cucumbers – use instead of or in addition to celery.
• Artichokes – are tasty served in this freekeh salad.
• Feta cheese – adds a sharp flavor and extra protein.

What is freekeh?

Freekeh is wheat that is harvested when it’s young and green. It is then roasted over an open fire and the straw and chaff are rubbed off. You can purchase it in whole grains or “cracked” which just means that it’s been chopped up. Freekeh is a low-fat, high protein grain that tastes great! If you’ve been curious to try it, this simple freekeh recipe is a good place to start. Read this article for more info about freekeh.

Making Freekeh Salad

1. Cook the freekeh

• Cook the freekeh according to package instructions or in an instant pot.
• If you use an instant pot, set the pressure cook time to 12 minutes for cracked freekeh.
• Let the freekeh cool to room temperature or refrigerate it for a cold salad.

2. Prepare the fresh ingredients

• Combine the fresh parsley and one tablespoon of olive oil in a food processor and pulse to make a paste.
• You can use the soft stems of the parsley as well as the leaves.
• If you don’t have a food processor, chop the parsley into small pieces and mix in one tablespoon of olive oil.

• Chop the celery and dice the tomatoes.
• Using herb scissors or a knife, cut the chives into tiny pieces.

3. Toast the nuts and seeds

• Coat the pine nuts and pumpkin seeds with a small amount of olive oil – just enough so the cayenne pepper will stick to them.
• Sprinkle cayenne pepper onto the pine nuts and pumpkin seeds and stir them.
• Put the nuts and seeds in a skillet on medium heat and stir until they are toasted. (Watch for seeds and nuts that pop out!)
• Set them aside to cool.

4. Mix the ingredients

• Put the cooked freekeh, parsley paste, lemon juice, and chopped celery in a bowl and mix these ingredients.
• Drizzle more olive oil into the mixture.

• Top with tomatoes and more fresh parsley.

• Serve with toasted nuts, optional feta cheese, and extra lemon slices and tomatoes.
• Slices of flatbread or naan go well with this salad.

What kind of parsley should you use in a freekeh salad?

Curl-leaf parsley works well in this salad, but flat-leaf Italian is also a good choice. In this recipe, what you use is a matter of personal taste and availability. I grow both kinds in my herb garden, but I always have more curly parsley, so I tend to use it more often. Whichever kind you choose, make sure it’s as fresh as possible for the best flavor. Parsley is available in the produce section of most grocery stores, so if growing herbs is not your thing, pick some up at the store.

Why add toasted pine nuts and pumpkin seeds?

Toasted nuts and seeds add a unique crunchy flavor to recipes and they are good for you. Pine nuts contain monounsaturated fats, magnesium, and vitamin E, all known to reduce the risk of heart disease. Along with pumpkin seeds, pine nuts are also high in antioxidants which serve to protect your cells from damage. Go here for more info about pine nuts and here for info about pumpkin seeds.