Red Bird Cabin

My new fave grain is Bulgar Wheat… which is basically parboiled, dried, cracked whole wheat. You’ve probably had it before in Middle Eastern Tabbouleh (Tabouli) salad, but I’ve been experimenting with some tasty new ways to prepare it (recipes are below). Bulgar wheat has a great nutty flavor and a delicate texture similar to couscous (but it’s much healthier than couscous since it’s the whole grain). You can find bulgar wheat in most gourmet & health food stores.

2 Simple Ways to Prepare Bulgar Wheat
1) The HOT Way: In a bowl, pour 2 cups of boiling water over one cup of bulgar wheat. Wait 15 minutes & drain the water (with a super-fine mesh sieve or use the pot lid).
2) The COLD Way: In a bowl pour 2 cups of cold water over 1 cup bulgar wheat. Wait 2 hours and drain the water.

From the top left... Red Bird Tabbouleh, Lemony Chickpea & Cilantro Tabbouleh on a Lettuce Leaf, Caramelized Onion & Cherry Tabbouleh w/ Teriyaki Salmon, Dinner is Served

Red Bird Tabbouleh (a twist on the classic tabbouleh)

• Prepare 1 cup of bulgar wheat (see above) & then mix in all the following ingredients…
• 1 small chopped cucumber
• large handful chopped cherry tomatoes
• 1 bunch chopped fresh parsely
• 1 bunch chopped fresh mint
• 1 large bunch minced green onions
• juice of 1-2 lemons (to taste)
• 1/8 to 1/4 cup of olive oil
• salt & red pepper (to taste)
• mix in 1 large handful of crumbled feta at the end

Lemony Chickpea & Cilantro Tabbouleh (great light lunch)

• Prepare 1 cup of bulgar wheat (see above) & then mix in all the following ingredients…
• 1 can of chickpeas (garbanzo beans)
• juice of 1-2 lemons (to taste)
• zest of 1 lemon
• 1 minced jalapeno (to taste)
• 1 large handful cilantro chopped
• 1/8 to 1/4 cup of olive oil
• salt & pepper (to taste)
• top with crumbled feta

Carmelized Onion & Cherry Tabbouleh (awesome with teriyaki salmon)

• Prepare 1 cup of bulgar wheat (see above) & then mix in all the following ingredients…
• 1 bunch chopped fresh parsely
• 1 cup chopped red onion… in a pan, saute w/ olive oil until caramelized
• 1/2 cup chopped dried tart cherries (sub cranberries if you can’t find dried cherries)
• 1/8 to 1/4 cup of olive oil
• 1 large swirl of honey
• 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 cup slivered almonds (optional)
• salt & pepper (to taste)

I came up with this Spring-themed variation of Pesto last night… and it was delicious.  Instead of the usual pine nuts, I subbed in cashews.  Then I added in grated lemon zest and a splash of lemon juice. (FYI, you could really use any type of nut to make pesto.) I chose cashews for this one because they’re subtle… allowing you to taste the lemon.

Spring Pesto

Here’s the basic recipe:

• 1 large bunch of basil
• 1.5 cups of cashews
• a couple glugs of olive oil & water
• grated zest of one lemon
• 1 tablespoon of lemon juice
• 1 garlic clove
• salt & pepper to taste

Just toss all the ingredients into your food processor or blender and blend for about 2 minutes. If it’s too thick, add more olive oil and water in equal parts until it reaches a pea-soup consistency. (Mine was a little too thick - next time I’ll thin it more.) Drizzle it over chicken, tofu, salmon or pasta!