Yogurt Cucumber Salad سلاطة الخيار باللبن

1 large cucumber
1 cup plain yogurt
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 clove of garlic crushed
1/3 cup parsley, chopped
1 teaspoon dried mint, or 2 tablespoons fresh chopped mint

Peel cucumber and cut lengthwise. Remove the seeds and chop the cucumber. Add salt, yogurt, crushed garlic, mint and chopped parsley. Stir and place in a bowl in the refrigerator for few hours for the flavors to blend.

Serve with rice, bulgur or with kabob.

Bulgur Wheat Pilaf البلغر المصلاوي

We usually add bulgur to cooked chicken or lamb and they both finish cooking together. With this method, the outcome of this pilaf is sticky. I found a better way to cook bulgur and that is to drop it in boiling water for a few minutes and strain it to discard the starches, then add to the sauce or vegetables you have prepared to finish cooking together. The outcome is fluffy.

1/2 cup onions, chopped
3 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup tomato sauce
1/2 cup water
2 cups water
1 1/2 cup coarse bulgur
1 teaspoon Arabic Spice( mixture of 7 spices)

Saute onion in olive oil and add salt, spices and tomato sauce. Stir and simmer for 5 minutes.
In another saucepan, bring 2 cups of water to a boil and drop the bulgur and stir. Cook for 10 minutes. Pour in the bulgur in a colander to drain. Add bulgur to the onions mixture. Add 1/2 cup of water and simmer on low heat for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and fluff. Serve with yogurt cucumber salad or pickles.
You can use 1/2 cup chicken stock instead of water.