Bulgur Wheat with Mushrooms and Beans

Bulgur wheat has a wonderfully nutty flavor and is ready to eat in 15 minutes. It goes beautifully with all kinds of cooked vegetables. I made this dish last weekend to accompany chicken in apricot sauce. Lee and Henry arrived for dinner after spending the day building raised beds for Lee's garden. They were tired and hungry. The bulgur wheat was warm and comforting and tasted great with the chicken.

2 cups water

1 cup bulgur wheat (medium grind)

2 tbl. olive oil

1/2 lb. mushrooms (e.g. baby portobellos, shitakes, creminis), wiped clean and quartered or sliced

1 15 oz. can red kidney beans, well drained

salt and pepper to taste

3 tbl. chopped dill

In a medium saucepan, bring 2 cups of salted water to a boil. Add bulgur wheat, reduce heat to a simmer, cover and cook for 15 minutes or until all water is absorbed and bulgur wheat is tender.

While bulgur wheat is cooking, heat olive oil in a large skillet. Add mushrooms and toss occasionally, over medium high heat, until the mushrooms are just cooked through. Do not crowd the skillet or the mushrooms will steam.

When the bulgur wheat is ready, fluff it with a fork and add the sauteed mushrooms and drained kidney beans to the saucepan. Over medium low heat, toss all ingredients and cook until mixture is warmed. Season with salt and pepper and garnish with dill.

Serves 6

Notes: Replace the red kidney beans with chick peas, navy beans or any cooked bean that you wish. I recommend Eden Organic brand.

Cottage cheese added to this dish makes it a satisfying meal served along with a salad. The combination sounds strange but tastes good. Try it.

Quinoa Salad

I have been asking my friend Lourdes to give me a traditional recipe from Bolivia to post on my blog.  I've never seen a Bolivian restaurant or cookbook and am very curious about the cuisine of that country. Lourdes came to my rescue last week with a recipe for this lovely dish and two boxes of Quinoa.  I made Quinoa Salad for a July 4th lunch and it was a hit. Usually quinoa needs to be washed before cooking to remove a protective coating.  But Lourdes gave me Ancient Quinoa Harvest Brand which is prewashed and ready to cook. Pronounced Keen-Wa, this grain was a staple food of the Incas and is protein rich and loaded with iron, potassium and other minerals. 

1 cup quinoa

2 red tomatoes (medium size)

1 red pepper

1 yellow pepper

1/2 red onion

1/2 cup chopped cilantro (parsley can be substituted)

fresh juice of 1 1/2 limes

Serves 4

Cook the quinoa as the package directs (cooks in 15 minutes)

Chop all vegetables in small squares. Mix all of them with the cooked quinoa.  Add the cilantro and lime juice and toss.

NOTES: Lourdes suggests serving the salad with grilled fish or chicken. I took her advice and served it with grilled salmon.

The salad is light and fresh tasting.  Notice that it contains no oil. The cilantro and lime juice give it a very special flavor.  

Yellow Rice with Carrots, Raisins and Sesame Seeds

I love the flavors of Indian food. I look for cookbooks in the library on Indian cuisine and try all kinds of recipes or do my own improvisations with the ingredients I have on hand. This recipe comes from a Madhur Jaffrey cookbook whose title I didn't make note of.  Ms. Jaffrey's style is relaxed and informal, which fits me just fine. The rice is beautiful and goes well with chicken or fish. My version calls for brown basmati rice, which Henry and I both prefer.

2 cups brown basmati rice

2 tbl. vegetable oil

1 stick cinnamon, 1 inch long

1/4 tsp. celery seed

2 tsps. sesame seeds

1 tbl. golden raisins

1 carrot, peeled and coarsely grated

1/4 tsp. turmeric

1 tsp. salt (or to taste)

Measure out rice and set aside. Heat the oil in a heavy pot over a medium flame.  When hot, put in the cinnamon and celery seeds.  Stir once and put in the sesame seeds.  Stir once and put in the raisins.  Stir once and quickly put in the rice, carrot, turmeric and salt.  Saute the rice for 1-2 minutes or until it turns translucent, turning the heat down a bit if it sticks.  Now add 2 2/3 cups of water and bring to a boil.  Cover tightly, turn heat to very low and cook for about 35 minutes or until done. Turn off heat and let pot sit, covered, for 5 minutes.  Mix gently and remove the cinnamon stick before serving.

Serves 6

Notes: I use Lundberg rice which does not need rinsing or soaking beforehand. Some basmati rice requires washing in several changes of water, draining and then covering well with water to soak for 30 minutes. Drain the rice thoroughly before using. Read the directions.

I often add a can of well drained black beans to the rice during the last 10 minutes of cooking. Consider cooking extra so that you can turn the leftover rice into rice salad the next day.

Minty Tabbouleh

My daughter-in-law Alison reminded me about a recipe she introduced into our family repertoire, Minty Tabbouleh.  The dish makes an appearance at many family gatherings.  It is refreshingly delicious, can be made in advance and is a much healthier alternative to mayonnaisey salads.  The recipe comes from The Silver Palate New Basics Cookbook by Julie Rosso and Sheila Lukins.  I am old enough to remember when the Silver Palate was a small gourmet shop on the Upper West Side. I was too intimidated to ever enter the shop but peeked through the window to see what sophisticated people were eating.

1 heaping cup bulgur

1 cup cold water

1/2 cup fresh lemon juice

2/3 cup extra virgin olive oil (I use much less- maybe 1/3 cup)

1 cup coarsely chopped fresh mint leaves

1 cup coarsely chopped fresh Italian parsley

1/2 cup coarsely chopped red onion

2 tsp. minced garlic

1 tsp. freshly ground pepper

1/2 tsp. salt

4 ripe plum tomatoes, seeded, and cut into 1/2 inch dice

1 large cucumber, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1/2 inch dice

fresh mint leaves for garnish

Combine the bulgur, water, lemon juice and 1/3 cup olive oil in a large bowl.  Mix well and set aside for 30 minutes at room temperature.  After 30 minutes, fluff the mixture with a fork.

Add the mint, parsley, red onion, garlic, pepper and salt.  Toss well with a fork. 

Add the tomatoes and cucumber and toss again.  Adjust the seasonings if necessary, and add additional lemon juice and/or olive oil, if desired.  Allow to stand, loosely covered, for at least 30 minutes for the flavors to come out.

Garnish with fresh mint leaves and serve.

Serves 6 to 8

Notes: Minty tabbouleh is wonderful served with an assortment of middle eastern appetizers such as hummus, babaganoush, vines leaves and feta cheese. Pita bread is, of course, essential. 

Alison is thinking about substituting quinoa for the bulgur wheat.  My guess is that will work very well.