Chickpea Ragout

2 Tbs olive oil
1 Tbs dried minced onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp ground cumin
2 cans (15oz each) chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 can (14oz) diced tomatoes
1/2 tsp dried thyme
2 tsp honey
2 tsp lemon juice
1 cup vegetable broth
1/2 cup water
1 cup bulgur
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

1) Add the broth and water to a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then add the bulgur, mixing thoroughly. Reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes, or until all liquid is absorbed and bulgur is tender.
2) Meanwhile, heat the oil in a heavy saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the onion and garlic, stirring for 1 minute. Sprinkle with cumin and stir to mellow.
3) Stir in chickpeas, tomatoes, thyme, honey and lemon juice. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, season with salt and pepper, and simmer for 4 minutes.
4) Taste the chickpeas and adjust the seasonings as needed. Stir in the parsley. Serve over bulgur in shallow bowls.

Review: I originally wanted to make this last night, as I was feeling lazy and this is a quick dish. However, Mike had class late and I couldn't figure out where he put the chickpeas (turns out, in the pantry with the front of the label hidden!). The recipe originally calls to be served over couscous. Alas, couscous has been banned from "the diet." It went well with the bulgur and didn't have any particularly strong taste. Next time I may add more cumin to spice it up.

Bulgur Primavera

1 bunch asparagus, cut into 1-inch pieces
3 Tbs coconut oil
1/2 lb green beans, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 zucchini, quartered, , cut into 1-inch pieces
1 1/2 cups frozen peas
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup bulgur
1 cup vegetable stock
1/2 cup water
3 scallions, chopped
salt and pepper
2 Tbs butter
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
2 Tbs dried chives
2 Tbs chopped fresh basil

1) Add the broth and water to a small saucepan. Heat to boiling, then add the bulgur, mixing thoroughly. Reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes, or until all liquid is absorbed and bulgur is tender. Add the butter, chives and basil, mixing thoroughly.
2) Heat the oil in a large skillet over high heat. Add the garlic and scallions, cooking for one minute. Then, add the asparagus, beans, zucchini and peas, and stir fry for 3-4 minutes until they are bright green and just starting to soften. Season with salt and pepper.
3) Stir the bulgur and vegetables together in a large bowl. Stir in the Parmesan cheese and serve at once.

Vegetable & Hazelnut Loaf

2 Tbs coconut oil, plus some for greasing the pan
2 Tbs dried minced onion
1 garlic clove, minced
2 celery stalks, chopped
1 Tbs whole wheat flour
15oz can strained diced tomatoes
2 cups bread crumbs
2 carrots, grated
3/4 cup toasted hazelnuts, ground
1 Tbs dark soy sauce
2 Tbs chopped fresh cilantro
1 egg, lightly beaten
salt and pepper

1) Oil a 1-lb loaf pan. Preheat the oven to 350F.
2) Meanwhile, heat the oil in a heavy-bottom skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic and celery and cook, stirring frequently, for 5 minutes. Add the flour and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute. Gradually stir in the tomatoes and cook, stirring constantly, until thickened. Remove the skillet from the heat.
3) Put the bread crumbs, carrots, hazelnuts, soy sauce and cilantro in a bowl. Add the tomato mixture and stir well. Let cool slightly, then beat in the egg and season with salt and pepper.
4) Spoon the mixture into the loaf pan and smooth the surface. Cover with foil and bake at 350F for 1 hour. Turn the loaf out onto a serving dish, slice and serve immediately.

Review: As evidenced by the below photo, I didn't have much success in getting the loaf to be solid. The bottom stayed in the pan, while the rest oozed out. Hmm, didn't seem to affect the yum factor, though. I'm not sure what went wrong, but we couldn't slice this and ate it with a spoon. Although, that seems to happen every time I make a loaf. I may just give up on the idea. Better luck to anyone who'd like to give this a try!

Toasted Pine Nut & Vegetable Bulgur

1/2 cup dried green lentils
1/2 cup pine nuts
1 Tbs olive oil
2 Tbs dried minced onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 zucchini, sliced
15oz can diced tomatoes
14oz can artichoke hearts, drained and quartered
1 cup bulgur
1 cup vegetable stock
1/2 cup water
3 Tbs chopped fresh basil
pepper

1) Put the lentils into a pan with plenty of cold water, bring to a boil, and boil rapidly for 10 minutes. Reduce the heat, cover, and let simmer for 15 minutes, or until tender.
2) Meanwhile, toss pine nuts into a small skillet over medium heat. Turn frequently, and watch constantly as they brown quickly. Tip the pine nuts into a small dish once they're evenly browned.
3) Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat, add the onion, garlic, and zucchini and cook, stirring frequently, for 8-10 minutes, or until tender and the zucchini have browned slightly. Add the tomatoes and artichoke, and heat through thoroughly for 5 minutes.
4) Meanwhile, in a stockpot, add the bulgur, stock and water. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat, cover and simmer for 10 minutes, or until fully cooked.
5) Drain the lentils and stir into the bulgur. Stir in the basil and season well with pepper. Mix in the vegetables and pine nuts. Serve at once.

Review: We doubled the lentils, because we really like lentils. We also let them soak for 24 hours, because we have a history of lentils taking over an hour to cook. This recipe made at least 4 servings (we eat big bowls) and we were amazed by how much food we had! This was hearty, but had a fancy taste to it. Plus, with so many dirty dishes, I felt like I made something extravagant.

Kidney Bean Bulgur

4 Tbs olive oil
3 Tbs dried minced onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup bulgur
1 cup vegetable stock
1/2 cup water
salt and pepper
1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
2 celery stalks, sliced
1/2 lb cremini mushrooms, thinly sliced
15oz can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
3 Tbs chopped fresh parsley
1/2 cup cashews

1) Heat half the oil in a large, heavy-bottom pan. Add the onion and half the garlic, and cook, stirring frequently, for 2 minutes. Then, add the bulgur, stock and water. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to simmer for 10 minutes (covered), or until fully cooked.
2) Meanwhile, heat the remaining oil in a heavy-bottom skillet. Add the bell pepper and celery and cook, stirring frequently, for 5 minutes. Add the sliced mushrooms and the remaining garlic and cook, stirring frequently, for 4-5 minutes.
3) Once the bulgur is done, mix the vegetables into the bulgur pot. Add the beans, parsley and cashews. Season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring constantly, until hot. Serve at once.

Review: We bought raw cashews from the bulk food bins. They became so soft in this dish, it was really amazing. This was a good hearty dish, that was originally a risotto recipe. I hate risotto, because I end up stirring for what feels like half a day. And, Mike has eliminated rice from the house because it has too many carbs. I've been tweaking a lot of recipes to utilize bulgur and they all have come out nicely!

Artichoke & Olive Spaghetti

2 Tbs olive oil
2 Tbs dried minced onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 Tbs lemon juice
3 zucchini, quartered and sliced
2 15oz cans diced tomatoes, drained
salt and pepper
2 Tbs tomato paste
14oz can artichoke hearts, drained and quartered
1 can small black olives
12oz spaghetti
2 Tbs minced basil

1) Heat 1 Tbs of the oil in a large skillet and gently cook the onion, garlic, lemon juice, and zucchini for 4-5 minutes, or until lightly browned.
2) Pour in the tomatoes, season with salt and pepper, and add the tomato paste. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and let simmer for 10 minutes. Gently stir in the artichoke hearts, basil and olives, and cook for 5 minutes.
3) Meanwhile, bring a large, heavy-bottom pan of lightly salted water to a boil. Add the spaghetti, return to a boil, and cook for 8-10 minutes, or until just tender, but still firm to the bite. Drain well, toss in the remaining olive oil, and season with salt and pepper.
4) Transfer the spaghetti to a warmed serving bowl and top with the vegetable sauce.

Review: This recipe originally called for baby eggplants quartered, but eggplant is something neither Mike nor I enjoy. My friend Teresa suggested substituting zucchini in eggplant recipes. I now think she's a genius. This was such a great dish, I couldn't even imagine it made any other way. I really liked the addition of olives. Yummy.

Radiatore With Pumpkin Sauce

4 Tbs unsalted butter
1 shallot, very finely chopped
salt and pepper
1 lb 12 oz pumpkin, unprepared weight
12 oz dried radiatore
generous 3/4 cup light cream
4 Tbs freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus extra to serve
2 Tbs chopped fresh parsley, plus extra to garnish

1) Melt the butter in a heavy-bottom pan over low heat. Add the shallots, sprinkle with a little salt, cover and cook, stirring frequently, for 25-30 minutes.
2) Scoop out and discard the seeds from the pumpkin. Peel and finely chop the flesh. Tip the pumpkin into the pan. Cover and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, for 45 minutes.
3) Meanwhile, bring a large pan of lightly salted water to a boil. Add the pasta, return to a boil, and cook for 8-10 minutes, or until tender but still firm to the bite. Drain thoroughly, reserving about 2/3 cup of the cooking liquid.
4) Stir the cream, grated Parmesan cheese and parsley into the pumpkin sauce and season with salt and pepper. If the mixture seems a little too thick, add some or all of the reserved cooking liquid and stir. Tip in the pasta and toss for 1 minute. Serve immediately, garnished with chopped parsley, with extra Parmesan cheese for sprinkling.

Review: I love pumpkin, but hate that I only get to eat it in the fall. I figured I could tweak this recipe and use canned pumpkin, since it's a sauce. I used two cans and eliminated 45 minutes of cooking! I probably should have used 1 can, since this came out mostly sauce. I used extra cream, instead of reserved cooking liquid to make it less thick. Unfortunately, Mike helped me cook and kept commenting on the color and texture, insisting it looked like baby poo. This led to us being fearful to taste it! It's not so bad, after we added more salt and cheese. I think it would have been yummier if I'd only used one can, as the ingredients weren't proportionate. I guess I'll just have to make it again!