"mmmm....bulgar wheat salad." Said no one ever.
But guess what? It's actually delicious. As much as I boast about being a rare bloody steak loving girl, who enjoys smoking brisket on the weekend, I absolutely love salads, of any kind. Since I was little, my mother made individual salads for everyone in my family, every single night. To this day, studies should be done on her brain to understand how she remembered everyones specific needs. Not only did she remember what we each preferred, but she adapted as my brother and my taste buds changed over time. My salad toppings matured from canned black olives, that I usually pegged to each of my fingers, to kalamata olives. Store bought shredded mozzarella cheese, to gorgonozola. And, what I'm most proud of, Hidden Valley Ranch dressing to her delectable homemade balsamic vinaigrette. No disrespect to Hidden Valley. You still hold a honorable place in my heart. But even now, no matter how hard I try, I am unable to replicate my mother's salad dressing. It's what keeps me coming home.
That being said, one of my favorite cooking adventures is making and trying out different salads. Salads don't have to always consist of lettuce. Did you know that? I love making bean salads, pasta salads, tuna salad. Wait is the common denominator in my love of salads mayonnaise? Nah, it's actually vinegar. One time in college, I couldn't stop drenching my salads in red wine vinegar, that I actually looked up my cravings on the internet, wondering if I had some sort of deficiency. No joke, a Web MD page suggested that my desires might actually be a sign of brain cancer. So jury's out for that problem. Will keep you posted on my status.
Bulger wheat is super fun because you don't have to actually cook it. You just pour it in a bowl, and drench it with boiling water. It's amazing. It's a perfect change up for rice and quinoa. I'm obsessed with Mediterranean flavors and that was definitely the inspiration for this recipe. However, I took this as kind of a "clean out the pantry" type of meal so I added in a bunch of other ingredients that were lying around my fridge. This meal can last the whole week and you can even mix it in with some arugula and top it with your favorite salad dressing to give your regular lunch or dinner a boost.
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups bulgur wheat
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup cherry tomatoes diced
1/2 cup fresh corn
1/4 cup diced red onion
2 lemons juiced
fresh black pepper (to taste)
5 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon dijon mustard
1/2 tablespoon honey
1/2 cucumber diced
1 head of broccoli chopped
1/2 cup feta cheese
Method:
Add 1 teaspoon kosher salt to 1 ½ cups water and bring it to a boil. Place 1½ cups bulgur wheat in a bowl and pour over the boiling salted water. Let sit for 30 minutes. When bulgur is finished, fluff it with a fork. Dice vegetables and add to the bulgur wheat salad when fully cooled. In a small bowl, mix together olive oil, lemon, vinegar, honey, mustard, and black pepper. Drizzle dressing over the salad and toss to coat. Add feta cheese and mix to combine.
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