Fresh from the garden

With the theme of the month being tomatoes, I had my tomato game on. I went to my local farm stand and bought the most beautiful cherry tomatoes. I selected 2 pints of cherry tomatoes that came in vibrant colors — reds, yellows, oranges, and various shades in between. I tasted just a few, as I knew I wanted to use them in my bulgur salad which I would be making that evening. I brought them home, placed them on the counter and went to work on something unrelated to food and the kitchen. My bad! I got back and the tomatoes were gone. I found only remnants of the tomatoes which included a few green stems, a couple odd shaped misfits, and essentially empty containers. I can only blame myself for this rookie mistake. In my house, if I want to make sure something does not get eaten, I put a note on it that says “Do not eat” or I hide it. Neither measure is fail-safe, but rather my feeble attempt at preserving food that might be needed at another time. With my cherry tomatoes gone and my desire to post this luscious salad, I carried on using the two vine tomatoes I had bought a couple days earlier. Not that they were castaways by any stretch, but more a way of saying, beware of hungry family members because they are always out there lurking, ready to grab anything they find that is quick and easy. And who wouldn’t want to eat these beautiful tomatoes. I know they were tempting me.  I will come back another day soon with a tomato post. The consolation prize is that at least the offender was eating healthy instead of tapping into a less healthy snack option!

Now, on to the main event, the bulgur salad…

For this salad, use any grain you have on hand or use your favorite. This recipe happened to call for bulger, but I could have easily used brown rice, quinoa, amaranth, couscous or a variety of other options. What I learned about bulgur is that it is wheat that has been parboiled, dried and cracked into small bits. It cooks quickly and can be added to soups, stews, salads, and more. Use a gluten-free option if you can’t eat wheat.

I got this recipe from one of my newest favorite cookbooks, Forks over Knives, which is just great. It is a collection of plant-based recipes that will keep me entertained for a long time. 

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups bulgur
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
1 medium cucumber, halved, seeded, and diced
3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
4 green onions (white and green parts), thinly sliced
Zest and juice of 2 lemons
2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
1/4 cup rosemary and parsley, finely chopped
Salt and pepper to taste

Method

1. Bring 3 cups of water to a boil in a medium pot and add bulgur. Remove the pot from the heat, cover with a tight fitting lid, and let it sit until the water is absorbed and the bulgur is tender which will take about 15 minutes.
2. Spread the bulgur on a baking sheet and let it cool to room temperature.
3. Transfer cooled bulgur to a bowl and add all the remaining ingredients.   Mix well and let sit for 1 hour before serving so that flavors have some time to blend.

Bulgur is a great grain if you want to switch it up