Acorn Squash Chickpea Bulgur

Acorn Squash Chicpea Bulgur adapted from Meatless Monday
1 cup bulgur*
2 medium acorn squash, cut in half & seeds removed
1 14.5 ounce can chick peas, drained, rinsed & dried
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 tablespoon butter
2 cups baby spinach
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 teaspoons cinnamon
½ teaspoon paprika
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
*found in the grain section of most grocery stores.

Directions:  Cook bulgur wheat according to package directions.
Place the seeded squash halves on a microwave-safe plate. Pour 1 teaspoon water in each of the 4 squash cavities. Microwave on high for 15 minutes, or until the squash’s flesh softens. Scoop the softened flesh from the outer shell and transfer it to a bowl.

Heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Add the chickpeas and sauté, stirring often, for about 4 minutes, or until they start to brown. Set aside.

In the same pan, heat the remaining tablespoon of the olive oil and 1 tablespoon of butter over medium heat. Add squash by the spoonful, about 2 to 3 tablespoons per scoop. Cook for about 5 minutes on each side, or until lightly browned.

Drain any excess water from the bulgur and transfer it to a large serving bowl. Add the chickpeas, squash and baby spinach. Toss lightly to wilt the spinach. Season with the lemon juice, cinnamon, paprika, salt and pepper. Toss gently to combine and enjoy.

Modifications:
-I didn't have any spinach so I used romaine lettuce.

Here is what you will need:

Cook the bulgur wheat according to package instructions.



Split open the squash and scoop out the inside.

Place the squash in a microwave safe bowl.  Add 1-2 Tbsp of water to each squash.  Microwave for 15 minutes.

Once the squash is finished, scoop out the flesh.  Note:  It will be VERY HOT!

Drain and rinse the chickpeas/garbanzo beans.  Toast them in a pan with olive oil for 3-4 minutes.  Take out and put in bowl.

Add the butter and the sqash.  Brown the squash on each side.

Add to the chickpeas.

Add the bulgur wheat and the cut up spinach.

Season with the lemon juice, cinnamon, and paprika.

Here's what you'll end up with:

Our Thoughts:

It's no surprise that when I saw this dish contained both bulgur wheat and squash that I had to try it. 

After making this dish I think there are a couple of things that I would change.  First, I would go ahead and cut the edges of the squash off and cut up the squash into cubes before cooking it.  I don't feel that I got as much meat out of the squash after cooking it because it was so hot.

Secondly, I think I would leave any green whether it be spinach or the lettuce out.  I don't think it really added anything to the dish either in taste or texture.

I loved the addition of the chickpeas in this dish.  The crunch texture was a good contrast to the soft sweetness of the squash.

Hope you enjoy!

April

Chicken "Fried Rice"

I am obsessed with bulgur wheat.  Here are a couple of my favorite:  Bulgur Wheat with Sauteed Vegetables, Turkey Manicotti

A couple of weeks ago, Scott suggested that we try to make it into a "fried rice" type dish.  I thought this was a great idea so yesterday I tried it.

Chicken "Fried Rice"

1-1/2 lbs chicken breast, diced

Stir fry vegetables

3-4 cloves of garlic, minced

1/2 onion, sliced

2 cups bulgur wheat

4 cups water

2-3 Tbsp olive oil

1 egg

1/4 cup teriyaki sauce (to taste)

Here's what you'll need:

Disregard the soy sauce, sesame seed oil, rice wine vinegar.  I was going to use it to make a sauce but I could never get it to taste right so I just went with teriyaki.

Cook bulgur wheat according to directions.  It is a 2:1 ratio so I used 4 cups of water and 2 cups of bulgur.

I minced 3-4 cloves of garlic and sliced up 1/2 of an onion.

Dice up the chicken into bite-sized cubes.

Put the bulgur on to boil and let it boil for 10-15 minutes.

Saute the onions and garlic in 2-3 Tbsps of olive oil in either a wok or a hot skillet.

Add the chicken.

Once most of the water has cooked out of the wheat, pour it over into the pan with chicken, onions, and garlic.

Move all of it over to one side and crack the egg.  Scramble it up and mix it in with the rest of the mixture.

Add the vegetables.  If you use canned, make sure to drain.  I used frozen.

After letting the veggies cook for a couple of minutes, I poured about 1/4 cup of teriyaki sauce and mix it together.

I really wanted to have the wheat crisp up like a fried rice so I pushed it all down into the skillet and let it cook for 2-3 minutes.  I then scooped it all around and pressed it all down again and let it cook for another 3-4 minutes.  This really gave the wheat some crispiness.

This is what you'll end up with:

Our Thoughts:

This dish was so good and so healthy.  If you dont' know anything about bulgur wheat and you are trying to eat more healthfully, I encourage you to do some research on it.  I love it.

I am really glad that I pushed the wheat down into the skillet to really let it crisp up.  It gave it the crispiness of Chinese fried rice and even Kanin really liked it.  He ate 3 helpings!!

BTW, the broccoli was great with the earthiness of the wheat.  I should have just added a whole bag of broccoli but I also added peas, carrots, and corn.

Of course, you could do any type of Asian marinade or sauce but Scott loves teriyaki so that is what I used.

This pan was full if it gives you any indication of how much everyone liked it. 

Hope you enjoy!

April



Bulgur Wheat with Sauteed Vegetables

Bulgur Wheat With Sautéed Vegetables from RecipeZaar
1 cup Bulgar wheat
1 1/2 cups vegetable broth
1 large yellow bell pepper, diced
1 large red bell pepper, diced
1/2 red onion, diced
6 medium mushrooms, of your choice sliced
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon granulated garlic
1/2 tablespoon dried basil
salt and pepper

Directions:  Simmer the bulgur in the broth, uncovered, for about 15 min, mixing occasionally.  Add granulated garlic and basil and stir thoroughly, then set aside so bulgur can absorb any remaining liquid.  Sauté the onions and mushrooms in 1 tbsp of the olive oil until onions are softened and starting to turn translucent.  Add bell peppers and continue to cook until peppers are crisp-tender.  Season with salt and pepper.  Add the bulgur wheat to the pan with the vegetables and toss to combine, breaking up any lumps.
Drizzle with remaining olive oil (or alternatively, stir in some butter). Taste for seasoning and adjust accordingly. Serve immediately while hot.

Here's what I started with:

Here's how I did it:

#1 1 1/2 cups of chicken broth into a pot and added 1 cup of bulgur wheat.

#2 I let this simmer for about 15 minutes.

#3 While the wheat was doing its thing, I diced a red pepper, yellow pepper and red onion.  I sliced up 6 mushrooms, too.

#4 After about 15 minutes, I added the basil and the garlic powder to the bulgure wheat and pulled it off of the heat so that it could soak up all of the broth.

#5 While the wheat was soaking up the juices, I put some olive oil in a pan and threw in the onions and mushrooms.

#6 Next, the peppers went in and cooked until they were crisp-hard.  Then, I poured the bulgure in with the veggies, mixed it up and let it meld together for about 8 minutes.

The Finished Product:

Review:

I have totally found my new obsession!  I absolutely love this bulgur wheat stuff.  I think it is so delicious, crunch, nutty, natural--HEALTHY!!  It was great with scrambled eggs and it is great with these veggies.  I cannot wait to find more recipes using bulgur wheat recipes.

I served this with Bruschetta Baked Chicken.

Hope you enjoy!

April

Turkey Manicotti

Turkey Manicotti from Taste of Home Magazine
1/4 cup bulgur
2/3 cup boiling water
3/4 lb lean ground turkey
1-1/2 cups (12 oz) 2% cottage cheese
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
14 uncooked manicotti shells
1 jar (28 oz) meatless spaghetti sauce
1 cup (4 oz) part-skim mozzarella cheese

Directions:  Preheat 350 degrees.  Place the bulgur in a large bowl; stir in boiling water.  Cover and let stand for 30 minutes or until the liquid is absorbed.  Drain and squeeze dry.

In a nonstick skillet, cook turkey over medium heat until no longer pink; drain.  Add the cottage cheese, basil oregano, salt, pepper and bulgur.  Stuff into uncooked manicotti shells.  Arrange in a 13x9 inch baking dish coated with cooking spray.

Combine spaghetti sauce and water; pour over shells.  Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until shells are tender and sauce is bubbly.  Uncover; sprinkle with mozzarella cheese.  Bake 5 minutes longer or until cheese is melted.

Here's what I started with:

Here's how I did it:

#1 I boiled 2/3 cups of water.

#2 I measured out 1/4 cup of bulgur.  I added the boiling water to the bulgur, stirred it and then covered it.

#3 I preheated the oven to 350 degrees and put the ground turkey in a frying pan and browned the turkey.

#4 After the turkey was browned, I added the sour cream, the basil and oregano.

#5 I strained/drained the bulgur of water and added it to the turkey.

#6 I filled the uncooked manicotti with the turkey mixture and lined them in a 9x13 baking dish.

#7 I spread spaghetti sauce over the noodles and covered it with tin foil. 

#8 It went in the oven for about an hour.

#9 I took the tin foil off, spread Italian cheese over it and then let it melt.

The Finished Product:

Review:

I was so excited to cook with bulgur wheat.  I don't think I have ever even tasted it.  I found it really easy to cook and it tasted good, too.

The meat mixture was actually better by itself than it was in the noodles with the sauce and cheese.  Scott and I agreed that the turkey/cottage cheese/bulgur combination would be great as a breakfast food, either by itself or maybe mixed in with some scrambled eggs.  In fact, we liked it so much that I saved the leftover meat for breakfast in the morning!

Another added bonus is that this dish was pretty healthy.  I couldn't find whole wheat noodles at Schnuck's but they are probably available at Trader Joe's or Whole Foods.

Overall, a successful dish.

Hope you enjoy!

April

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****(4 Stars)--This dish was good. There wasn't a whole lot that we would do differently. We will have it again.