Using up leftover salad

Welcome to this week's Frugal Follies Frugal Tip!

Last night, I made a tossed salad with lettuce, celery, carrots, and tomatoes as a side dish to go with our dinner.  My daughters and I ate some, and I left the rest in a bowl to serve to my husband once he got home from work, as he was working late.  When he came home, I heated up the plate of food I had saved for him, but forgot about the salad...

...until I opened the refrigerator this morning.  Since I hadn't covered the salad, it was already starting to deteriorate: the lettuce leaves were already limp and starting to turn brown on the edges.  It was edible, but not really appetizing.  What to do with it?

I decided to make some tabbouleh.  I put the salad in my food processor with the metal chopping blade in and chopped it well.  I also chopped up some parsley leaves and sliced a few scallions thinly.  Then I boiled 2 cups of water and added 1 cup of bulgur wheat.  (You can find this either in the supermarket's rice and pasta aisle or in the flour and breadcrumbs aisle; I use the Goya brand.)  I covered the pot, turned the pot to medium-low, and cooked until all the liquid was absorbed, about 15 minutes.  Then, I combined the chopped veggies with the bulgur wheat, added a few drizzles of olive oil, a few drops of lemon juice, and some salt, pepper, and garlic powder.

Voila! I turned something that might have gone to waste into a delicious dish.  Now that's frugal!

If you would like a more detailed recipe that doesn't use wilted salad as an ingredient, click here for my tabbouleh recipe.

For more frugal tips, please go to my Linkup Parties page and check out the bloggers listed under Frugal Tips Linkups.  There are lots of great ideas on each blog and I'm sure you'll find lots of wonderful tips!

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