This healthy recipe comes from the March, 2010, issue of Food and Wine magazine. It seems like an ideal dish to take to work for lunch, or to include in a picnic spread.
Ingredients:
- 2 cups coarse bulgur, rinsed
- 2 cups hot water
- 1 medium zucchini, diced
- 1 medium carrot, diced
- 1 small red onion, diced
- 1/2 red bell pepper, diced
- 4 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, divided*
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
- 1/2 medium cucumber, peeled, seeded, and diced
- Crushed red pepper
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 400ºF. In a large bowl, cover the bulgur with the hot water. Cover the bowl with a plate and let stand until the water has been absorbed and the bulgur is tender, about 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, on a large rimmed baking sheet, drizzle the zucchini, carrot, onion, and bell pepper with 2 tbsp olive oil. Season with salt and pepper and toss well. Roast for about 15 minutes, until the vegetables are slightly softened; let cool.
Fluff the bulgur with a fork. Stir in the tomato paste. Fold in the roasted vegetables, lemon juice, cucumber, and the remaining 2 tbsp olive oil*. Season with salt, black pepper, and crushed red pepper. Serve at room temperature or slightly chilled.
*I would probably not use the full 2 tbsp of olive oil called for at the end of this recipe. You may want to start with one tbsp and see how the salad looks before adding the second tbsp, so you don’t end up with an overly oily meal.
unruly25
kklochan
