Tasty Bulgar Dishes

Posted by Caley on July 20th, 2009 at 10:05am

When you are trying to save money, eat healthy AND save the environment, occasional vegetarian suppers are the way to go. My boyfriend and I eat vegetarian at least four days/week. I’d love to give up meat entirely, but I really have a hard time getting enough iron and protein eating 100% vegetarian. I start to feel low-energy if I go too long without meat (especially since I eat eggs very rarely). I’m sure if I managed my diet more closely with more plant-based proteins, this would not be a problem. Nonetheless, meat is tasty and hard to give up! At least when I do eat meat, I generally stick to fish or poultry, with red meat about once/month to satisfy serious cravings (in my mind that craving means I need iron, but perhaps I’m deluding myself and I just want a cheeseburger when grumpy).

I love it when a new vegetarian creation makes me really excited, and my discovery of bulgar wheat is the reason. Bulgar wheat is the size and texture of couscous, but with a nutty flavor. I cooked the bulgar in a mixture of vegetable stock, white wine, cumin, coriander, lemon peel and dried chili flakes. (Simmer for 8 minutes, remove from heat, cover and let sit for another 20 minutes.) When it was done, I added fresh rocket, roasted cashews and sun-dried tomates. YUM! Did I mention that all the ingredients for a dinner serving two with PLENTY of leftovers cost less than 5 dollars?

Here are a few other bulgar recipes to get you started:

Bulgar Tabouli- There are great flavors in this salad (perfect for packed lunches) and the addition of chickpeas for protein.

Three Grain Casserole- Bulgar, pearl barley (another favorite, especially in stews) and brown rice combine with black beans for a hearty casserole.

Tags: bulgar, casserole, salad, vegetarian

Under Budget Cooking Tags: bulgar, casserole, salad, vegetarian