Bodacious Bulgur

Happy St-Jean Baptiste, Happy Canada Day, Happy 4th of July – no matter what holiday you’re celebrating you’re probably enjoying your celebratory days off. With the summer heat FINALLY upon us, enjoying family and friends company is at the forefront which usually means that people are starting to light up there BBQ’s and grill just about anything in site.

Having recently been invited to a Non-BBQ BBQ (half way through prep my friend realized that her BBQ was still hibernating in her shed), I offered to bring a healthy and low fat side dish to accompany her culinary creations. A new bulgur salad that I recently discovered online at Fresh Direct was my choice. Midway through my recipe I threw in my apron and gave it a bit of a free styling twist – it was a dangerous attempt, but the final result was a success!


At first glance, other BBQ attendees thought this was a cous cous concoction – not so much. That’s like mistaking a piece of White Bread for a piece of whole wheat bread with multi-grains.

So, What is Bulgur? Bulgur is what's left after wheat kernels have been steamed, dried, and crushed. This cereal grain has been a food staple for years because it offers an inexpensive source of low-fat protein, making it a wonderfully nutritious addition to your low-calorie meal plan.

High in fiber and protein, and low in fat and calories, bulgur is another food that offers bulk and nutrients to fill you up without adding pounds. One thing to keep in mind, a cup of bulgur has fewer calories, less fat, and more than twice the fiber of brown rice. (quoted from http://recipes.howstuffworks.com/natural-weight-loss-food-bulgur-ga.htm)


This recipe produces an unusual but exquisite salad! Its easy to make, tastes amazing and is a great dish to introduce your friends and family to a healthier cous cous alternative.


Ingredients

3/4 cup Light Bulgur – Medium Grind #2

1 cup boiling water
1 teaspoon salt
1 pinch of Pepper
1-2 tsp of Cumin
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
3 tbsp of fresh chopped mint
½ cup green seedless grapes cut in half
½ cup Pistachio Nuts
½ cup Cranraisins
½ cup Golden Raisins
½ cup Chopped Dried Apricot
3 green Onions/ Shallots

Directions

1. Combine the bulgur and salt in a heatproof salad bowl and pour in the boiling water. Cover tightly and let sit for 30 minutes. The bulgur is similar to cous cous as it requires minimal cooking and it will increase in volume by two times or more. After 30 minutes, drain remaining water and fluff it with a fork.

2. Stir in the cumin and the olive oil. Stir well to make sure that cumin and oil are distributed evenly.

3.Put dried apricots, golden raisins and cranraisins in microwavable bowel and add enough water to cover the bowel. Cover the bowel with saran wrap and microwave the dried fruit for 1-2 minutes in order to soften the dried fruit with the steam. Remove from microwave and let it sit on the counter for a few minutes, drain any remaining water.

4. Add the grapes, pistachio nuts and shallots to the bulgur. Add the dried apricot, raisins and cranraisins once they are not too wert.

5. Adjust the seasoning with pepper and cumin, if necessary. This salad can be served cold, hot or at room temperature.

Yieds: 4-5 side dishes.

Enjoy,
Cara Braude