This is exactly what it’s called….Beefed up Tabbouleh. It’s beefed up in the fact that it’s served with beef on the side, but also it’s tabbouleh plus more! The photo doesn’t really do it justice, I should’ve put  a bit more love into it….but photography is not my strong point! I’ve been doing this salad for years and I always make it differently, but this one I loved so much I had to share. As much as I love traditional tabbouleh I know it’s kind’ve a bit like olives…you other love it or you don’t. So to pimp it up a bit I’ve added lots of other goodies in there. My BG who is always the willing guinea pig, loved it and said he’d eat it 3 nights a week. It’s super easy too. High in iron, B vitamins and the parsley is good for cleansing the blood! I put mine in lettuce cups as I’m watching my carbs at the moment; not completely, as I go a bit Mental Megs without them, but BG had his on a wrap. The girls had just plain salad with theirs, like carrot, avocado and tomato, but all the things I was putting in my tabbouleh anyway. 3 different versions in one meal to keep everyone happy.

THIS SERVES 3-4

• 500g beef (or lamb) thinly sliced
• 2 tsp cumin
• I x bunch parsley
• handful of mint
• 2 tablespoons sunflower seeds
• 10 x cherry tomatoes
• 1 x grated carrot
• 2 x tablespoons feta (omit if dairy intolerant)
• 1/2 avocado, sliced
• 2 x tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 lemon,juiced
• 1 cup baby spinach
• 1 x broccoli head
• 2 x tablespoons chopped almonds
• 4 x wholegrain wraps or lettuce leaf cups, however you are having them.
• Season decently with Himalayan salt n pepper

Yoghurt Cumin Sauce

• 1/2 cup Greek yogurt
• 1 tsp maple syrup or honey
• 1 tsp cumin

(Mix the sauce all together in a lil bowl; it should have this slightly sweet, creamy, aromatic taste. It might need a tiny bit more honey or maple syrup depending on your taste.)

In a fry pan or BBQ cook the beef with a little bit of olive oil or spray oil. Sprinkle the cumin and a little bit of lemon juice over the beef. Cook on a medium heat for approximately 5 minutes or until the beef is cooked to your liking. (Don’t cook the hell out if it, it can be carcinogenic if it’s at all burned!)

In a food processor blitz parsley, mint, carrot, almonds and broccoli or chop/grate them up finely if you don’t have one. (Blanch the broccoli in some boiling water if you prefer, but it doesn’t really need it. You could also toast the almonds in a little bit of oil and salt if you want, but again I don’t think they need it in this salad.) Combine all of this with the baby spinach. Slice the cherry tomatoes in half,  then slice the avocado in to small pieces. Sprinkle the almonds and sunflower seeds over the top, then add the feta. Juice the lemon and mix with the olive oil, then drizzle all over the salad.

For the sauce, just mix the all ingredients together in a little bowl. (I use this sauce as one of my staple dressings also -it just goes with everything)

Assemble in a wrap or lettuce cup. If I’m using a lettuce cup I definitely need 2 though! Meat down the bottom, yogurt cumin sauce over the meat, then the tabbouleh on top. It is a bit messier in the lettuce cups but so are wraps any way. It is all about the lettuce that you choose, I’m finding iceberg (depending on the lettuce) or Cos or Butter lettuce work best to wrap stuff in.