Tabbouleh 4 College Cooking

Surviving holiday weight gain can be tough with Christmas and New Year's celebrations in a row--so much for resolutions and willpower challenge, right! But, your life and health do not need to be enslaved during those two weeks of frenzy feedings. With a few simple recipes you can counter the onslaught!

Tabbouleh is an awesome option especially the day you start your New Year's resolutions--to lose weight, to cook more at home, to eat healthier and cleaner, to save money, to be less constipated--any one will do as a reason to make more foods with bulgur and other grains!

Keep a few good salad recipes with you to minimize the sugar-laden desserts and heavy Hors d'Oeuvres. Some great ideas in addition to today's post include:

--Strawberry-Mint Wheatberry Salad

--Syrian Bulgur Salad with Dried Fruits

--Roasted Carrots & Farro with Harissa Vinaigrette

--Blueberry-Feta Tabbouleh with Mint Vinaigrette

Happy Holidays Everyone!! 

Simple Tabbouleh 4 College Cooking

Equipment:
Large mixing bowl
Cutting Board 
Chopping Knife
Sieve

Ingredients:
1 cup dry bulgur
1 1/2 cups boiling water
1 1/2 tsp salt
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/3 cup olive oil
1 cup fresh parsley, chopped

Add-Ins:
1/2 cup green onions
1 medium cucumber, peeled, seeded and chopped
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
1 red pepper, chopped
1/2 green pepper, chopped
Fresh ground pepper

Instructions:
1. Wash your hands.
2. Cover bulgur and salt with boiling water in a large mixing bowl. Let stand x 20-25 minutes. Drain.

3. Add lemon juice, olive oil, garlic and parsley to the drained bulgur.

4. Add veggies.

5. Season to taste with any additional lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper.
6. Feta is typically not included in your traditional Middle Eastern restaurant tabbouleh, but I had some left over and added it anyhow!
7. Left nothing go to waste!

Bulgur Salad 4 College Cooking

Resourcefulness--a skill you must have if you are limited on funds and income, ie college students or low-income families dependent on SNAP dollars or other government supplementation or just a small paycheck!

Finding foods that are nourishing and filling while easy to store (and/or easy to make) can be a HUGE challenge!! What do you do if all you have is a room...not even a hot plate or other basic cooking utensils? How do you even begin to think of eating well? Eating healthy? 

A fantastic ingredient that can fulfill many of these functions is...BULGUR WHEAT! It is cheap, made in 15-20 minutes, provides volume and nutrition; and finally, has endless variations limited only by the creativity of your mind! 

This recipe functions as a meal or an awesome side dish. Make it sweet or savory! Whatever you do, make this a regular during the week, and experiment! If you lack some of the ingredients for the salad (dried fruits and nuts can be expensive) or dressing...that is optional as well, and the salad can be eaten with a drizzle of oil and lemon juice...but if possible, try this with the apple vinaigrette!

(Adapted from Healthy Lives Healthy Kitchens Conference by combining a couple of recipes into a merger of my own)

Bulgur Salad 4 College Cooking

Equipment:
Large Mixing Bowl
Chopping Board
Knife

Ingredients:

2 cups bulgur wheat, light colored
1 tsp of kosher salt
Boiling water to cover bulgur wheat approximately 1/4"

Dressing / Vinaigrette:
1 medium apple (honey crisp, red delicious), finely diced
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
2 Tbls orange juice
1 Tbls red wine vinegar
1 Tbls olive oil
3 Tbls vegetable / canola oil
3 Tbls honey
1 tsp salt
1-2 tsp mint, finely chopped (optional)

Add-Ons / Flavor Bombs:
1/2 cup dried cherries and/or cranberries and/or currants (or fresh seasonal fruits)
1/2 cup dried apricots and/or dates and/or golden raisins
1/2 cup green onions, sliced to greens
1 cup fresh pomegranate seeds
(make sure you seed them yourself by cutting in half and pounding the peel with a knife to loosen seeds into a bowl)
1 cup feta, diced
1 cup toasted nuts (cashews, pine nuts, hazelnuts, walnuts, pistachios)

Instructions:
1. Wash your hands.
2. Combine bulgur wheat, salt, and boiling water into a large bowl.
3. Set aside x 20 minutes until tender and almost all of water is absorbed. Drain.

4. Combine apples, juices, vinegar, oils, salt, honey, and mint in a shaker or whisk in a medium bowl.
5. Add in flavor bombs, i.e. chopped dried fruits, green onions, feta.

6. Toss with dressing before serving.

7. Finish off with toasted nuts and another sprinkle of mint.

Salad For Supper: Blueberry Feta Tabboulleh

Summer is on its' way! For many of you, it's graduation and new beginnings while others are simply packing up for summer break, vacay, maybe some travel, and/or summer jobs...hopefully! 

However, if you are not headed home; or, you are staying in your off-campus pod or shared apartment, eating will remain something to consider in terms of cost, preparation and taste. The cheapest way to reduce your food bill is to prep in bulk and minimize meats--think Easy Fried Rice, using grains like bulgur or couscous, or using pastas which are cheap, but combine with veggies and proteins for some simple one-dish, nutritious meals for little effort!

Plus, summer markets will make variety a breeze when using grains because you can have savory or a touch of sweet or both! Combinations are endless so that tastebuds don't fatigue on the same thing night after night!

Cooking Light has published some great ideas recently with two and three combinations to drool over. Here is one to satisfy a meal, make as a side dish, or take to a dinner without breaking the bank or your appetite.

If you already love salads or you are trying to go meatless, this grain will become your best friend!

Blueberry-Feta Tabbouleh with Mint Vinaigrette

Equipment:
Mixing Bowl
Nutri-Bullet (or protein shaker, but you will need to chop mint finely)

Ingredients:
1 cup boiling water
1 cup cracked bulgur wheat

Dressing:
1/2-3/4 cup mint leaves
1/3 cup virgin olive oil
1 1/2 Tbls lemon juice
3/4 tsp of kosher salt
Black pepper

Add-Ins:
1 1/2 cups cucumber
1 1/4 cups blueberries
3/4 cup red onion, thinly and vertically sliced 
2 oz feta cheese crumbled

Instructions:
1. Wash your hands.
2. Combine boiling water and cracked bulgur in mixing bowl. Let stand covered x 25 minutes.

3. Place dressing ingredients into blender. If no blender, chop mint fine.

4. Prep your cucumber and onion.

5. Fluff your bulgur wheat.
6. Add blueberries, cucumber, onion, and feta. Toss to combine with dressing.

7. Adjust with lemon juice / salt and pepper to your taste.

Add this to any meal, grilled meats, or simply eat as a mid-day snack. 

Eat good food!