Tabbouleh Salad

Tabbouleh is a dish that originated in the Middle East. It's main ingredient is bulgur.

Bulgur is made from soft wheat kernels that have been cooked, dried and then cracked.

Thus cooking it is simply a matter of rehydration. Bulgur can be use as a breakfast cereal, in soups and of course in the famous salad Tabbouleh.

Ingredients

Bulgur 1 cup

Water 2 cups (boiling )

Cherry tomatoes quartered 1 cup.

Olive oil 1/4 cup

Green onion finely chopped 5 (about 1/2 cup)

Lemon juice 2 tbsp

Finely chopped parsley 1/2 cup

Chopped fresh mint 2 tbsp

Salt 1 tsp

Pepper 1/2 tsp

Ground all spice 1/8 tsp

In a medium saucepan pour 2 cups of water, bring to a boil and add the bulgur and stir.

Remove from heat, cover and let stand for 20 minutes.

Until all the water is absorbed. Pour the bulgur into a medium bowl.
Quarter the tomatoes, chop the green onion, add the lemon juice,oil,salt,pepper, ground allspice and stir well.
Serve on it's on or as a side dish. My family loves it as an addition to chicken wraps.

Chickpeas and Tomato Salad with Basil Mustard Dressing

Salads are my favorite think to eat. If I don't have salad one day well.......it's not a good day.

This chickpeas salad it's delicious, crunchy and packed with proteins. A great choice for lunch.

Ingredients

Can of chickpeas (garbanzo beans) rinsed and drain 1 (19 oz)

Tomatoes cubed 3 (large) or you can use cherry tomatoes halved(equivalent to 3 large tomatoes)

Thinly sliced celery 1/2 cup

Diced red pepper 3/4 cup ( about 1 medium)

Shallot finely chopped 1 (optional)

salt 1/4 tsp (or to suit your taste)

Basil mustard dressing

Olive oil 2 tbsp

White vinegar 2 tbsp

Chopped fresh parsley 2 1/2 tbsp

Chopped fresh basil 2 tbsp

Dry mustard 1/4 tsp.

Rinse and drain the chickpeas well. Dice the shallot finely , diced the red pepper and the celery. Put everything in a medium bowl.

Toss them together.
In a small bowl combine all the ingredients for the dressing. Season with salt if desired. Stir well. Pour over salad and toss well.

Refrigerate for 2 hours for the flavors to blend.

This salad keeps in refrigerator for 3 days

Enjoy.

Asparagus and Artichoke Sauté with Smoked Tofu and Tarragon Vinaigrette

Today was a wet cloudy day and with rain on and off. Boring day as my son Brandon pointed to me every 10 or 15 minutes. So we did something to shake the boredom. Cooking and baking is always fun. I have to thank him for all the pots, pans and all the mixing bowls he washed today.

This recipe that I made today is a Giada de Laurentiis original which I adapted to my taste.

Ingredients:

Olive oil 2 tbsp

Shallot large finely minced 1

Clove garlic finely minced 1

Mushrooms sliced 8 ounces

Asparagus sliced into 3-inch pieces 1 bunch

Package frozen artichokes harts (thawed ) 1 (8 ounce)

Sweet cherry tomatoes halved 1/2 pint

Salt 1/2 tsp

Freshly ground black pepper 1/4 tsp

Smoked tofu cubed 1/2 cup (optional)

Tarragon Vinaigrette:

Olive oil 6 tbsp

White wine vinegar 3 tbsp

Chopped fresh tarragon leaves 2 tbs

Salt 1/2 tsp

Freshly ground pepper 1/4 tsp

To Sauté the vegetables:

Warm the oil in large skillet over medium heat add the minced shallot and the garlic and cook for 2 minutes until tender.

Add the mushrooms and cook stirring often for 5 minutes or until the mushrooms are golden.
Add the asparagus and the artichokes harts and cook for another 5 minutes or until the asparagus is tender.
Turn of the heat and add the tomatoes, salt and pepper.

For the vinaigrette:

Put all the ingredients together into a jar with tight lid and shake well. Pour over the sautéed vegetables and toss gently. If using tofu, just sprinkle over.

You can add cubed ham or any other combination you like.

Summer Pasta Salad

This colorful creamy salad is great for a light lunch, or served as a side dish next to grilled chicken.

Ingredients:

Box of rotini pasta (or the pasta of your choice) 16 0z (454 g)

cooked according to the package instructions

Red medium bell pepper diced 1

Yellow medium bell pepper diced 1

Orange medium bell pepper diced 1

Green onion diced 1 bunch (about 8 to 9 spears )

Snow peas trimmed and cooked 6 oz (170 g)

Cherry tomatoes 10

Creamy cider dressing:

Light mayonnaise (or light ranch salad dressing) 1/2 cup

Low fat sour cream 1/2 cup

Dijon mustard 1/3 cup (if you are not a fan of the mustard taste reduce the quantity to suit your taste)

Apple cider vinegar 2 tbsp

Granulated sugar 1 tsp

Black pepper sprinkle

Diil weed finely chopped 1 tbsp plus extra to sprinkle

Cook pasta according to the package directions. Until pasta is cooking, dice the washed peppers, dice the green onion and finely chop the dill weed (for the dressing). When pasta is cooked drain and place in a large bowl. Mix with the rest of the ingredients and the cherry tomatoes.

Cook the snow peas boiling for 3 to 4 minutes until cooked but still firm, drain and plunge in very cold water to stop the cooking process and help preserve the green color. Add to the salad.

Dressing:

Combine all the ingredients and mix well. Drizzle over pasta and toss. Chill for at least 10 minutes to help the flavors blend. Sprinkle diil over top just before serving.

Variations to this pasta.

Try adding some diced ham or left over chicken cut up in bait sizes for a great lunch.

Serves 6 to 8 as a side dish.