So, apparently, Jennifer Aniston has a go-to salad, and it's blowing up on TikTok right now.
The ingredients are very similar to what would be in a Tabbouleh — which I love — so I knew I had to try it. Here's how it went:
I started by gathering my ingredients. According to the TikTok, the recipe calls for bulgur, chickpeas, feta cheese, cucumbers, red onion, mint, parsley, and pistachios.
First things first, I cooked my grains. I realized most of the recipes online didn't have specific measurements for the ingredients, so I decided to cook a fourth of a cup of the bulgur-quinoa mixture — I thought that would be more than enough for one person.
I followed the directions on the package and cooked the bulgur just like rice, bringing the water to a boil. After the water was bubbling, I turned down the heat and put a lid on the pot.
While the grains cooked, I started to cut my vegetables. I sliced two mini cucumbers and set them aside in a bowl.
I then diced half of a red onion, trying as best as I could to make sure the pieces were uniform and thin, because there is nothing worse than a big raw onion chunk in your salad.
After the onions, I grabbed a generous handful of the parsley and gave it a good chop.
Next up was the mint — don't ask why I bought a whole plant, but I plucked off about a dozen or so leaves and then sliced them into little ribbons, using the ~mint chiffonade~ technique.
After the herbs, I crumbled the cheese. I used the entire block of feta, which was 5.3 ounces.
By the time I was done with the feta, the grains were fully cooked. (About 15 minutes had passed.) I turned the heat off and let the mixture absorb the steam with the lid on.
Back to the cutting board, I chopped up half a cup of pistachios and added it to the bowl.
Last but not least, I drained and rinsed the chickpeas and added them in!
I decided to go outside for ~better lighting~, hence the table change. But here it is — all there's left to do now is mix.
Ta-daaaaa! Look at that color palette.
Selfie with my beautiful bowl of salad! According to the people of TikTok, Ms. Aniston didn't use any dressing, so I decided to honor her choice and try it sans condiments.
After taking the first few bites, I did think it was a little bland, so I added some freshly squeezed lemon juice and a dash of salt and pepper — and it was DELISH!
It definitely has that healthy, earthy taste, but in a good way.
I totally get why this is her favorite! (BTW, the measurements I used made about five servings, so adjust accordingly!)
