I first tried out this recipe when I was living in a co-op here in Berkeley (in my first semester of grad school). We always had lots of whole grains and beans on hand, and were also always trying to come up with recipes that were suitable for the vegetarian/vegan members of the co-op. This one, probably adapted from the Moosewood Cookbook (?) was so good I had to write it down. :)
The finished result isn't the most beautiful-looking thing in the world, but it is really satisfying and has a rich flavor, even though it's pretty darn healthy. To wit: I made it tonight and my husband asked me how much parmesan cheese I'd put into it! I think he was fooled by the creaminess of the dish; the lentils kinda fall apart while cooking and make it seem like there must be cream or cheese or dairy of some kind in there. The bulgur maintains enough of its grain to give it a nice texture. Cooking the "pilaf" in chicken (or veggie) broth also gives it extra body. The zucchini contributes a mild flavor, and some nice green color.
This dish goes really well with fish or lemon-pepper chicken (due to the lemon in it), but it has enough protein from the lentils to be eaten as a vegetarian main dish.
The recipe (and nutrition info!):
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4 c. chicken or vegetable broth
1 c. bulgur
1 c. lentils
1 onion, diced
1 bay leaf
1 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp. allspice
1/4 tsp. (several grinds) fresh black pepper
juice of 1 lemon (~1 Tbsp.)
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1 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 large zucchini (or 1 each medium zucchini and yellow summer squash)
1 clove garlic, minced
zest of one lemon (~1 tsp.)
~1 Tbsp each parsley and cilantro
Combine all ingredients in first group (except lemon juice) in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce heat to low and cook ~35 minutes, or until all the liquid is absorbed, creating your "pilaf". Stir in lemon juice. NB: there's really no way to retrieve the bay leaf from the pilaf, so look out for it when serving!
While the pilaf is cooking, chop up garlic and zucchini. Heat oil in skillet over medium heat. Add ingredients in second group (except parsley and cilantro) to the skillet with a pinch of kosher salt and saute 5 minutes. Stir sauteed zucchini into the cooked pilaf. Serve topped with parsley and cilantro.
Makes 6-8 servings.
Full nutrition info HERE (at NutritionData.com).
Sunday, April 15, 2007
Pink lentil and bulgur pilaf with zucchini
Wednesday, October 25, 2006
Roasted root vegetables (two by two)
I was serious when I said I love fall food. This side dish really couldn't be easier, and the simple preparation allows the flavors of the food to really come through - perfect when the flavors in question are sweet potatoes and yams!
You can vary the proportions as you like, but I think two of each is a nice balance:
2 large carrots, peeled
2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled
2 medium yams, peeled
2 medium red potatoes
1 medium apple (optional, but delicious)
olive oil
salt
black pepper (also optional)
Preheat the oven to 400°. Peel all your veggies, and cut them into 3/4" cubes, or as close to that as you can get. The red potatoes take a little longer to cook than the other veggies, so cut those into slightly smaller pieces. Throw it all together in a casserole dish, toss with olive oil, salt and pepper, and bake about 10 minutes.
Slice the apples and add them in at this point. Cook another 20 minutes until the veggies start to get tender (when you poke them with a fork they should yield without a fuss) and the apples are almost falling apart. If they're still hard at this point, stir them around a little bit and check again in 10 minutes, then every 5 minutes after that. If it takes longer than an hour, there's something wrong with your oven.
This is a great any-night side dish; it works especially well with roast chicken (that unidentified brown creature next to the veggies is actually a chicken thigh in apple cider gravy) or pork. If you're having company, dress it up with a sprig of rosemary - a 2" stem laid on top of each plated portion, or a couple of stems in the casserole dish, will make you look like a culinary genius.
Wednesday, June 14, 2006
Eat your vegetables
As much as I love to cook, most of the time I get home from work and don't want to spend more than maybe half an hour on dinner. But I still want something that looks like a meal and is reasonably healthy. So dinner usually follows my 'rule of three' - (1) protein source [chicken, fish, tofu], (2) vegetable, (3) whole grain [brown rice, quinoa]. Sometimes I combine the three, like in a stir-fry over rice, but it looks so nice and wholesome and All-American Dinner-y when you prepare them separately.
I like to keep my veggies simple; if you buy good fresh produce, it doesn't need much help to taste good. Here are a few of my favorite easy sides:
Microwave steamed garlic broccoli
broccoli
1 clove garlic
salt and pepper*
Remove the peel from your clove of garlic, then mince and mash it. (To remove the peel, lay your knife blade flat on the clove and pound it with your fist a couple times. Mashing the garlic with your knife blade after mincing releases more flavor, but you don't have to do this.)
Cut up your broccoli heads into bite size pieces and stick them in the bowl with the garlic. Add 1-2 Tbs. water (depending on how much broccoli you're making; 1 Tbs. per cup of broccoli is good), a little salt and pepper, and cover with plastic wrap. Microwave 30 seconds on high. Stir and check doneness, microwave additional 10 seconds if it's still too stiff. Repeat until you reach the desired softness.
This method also works for kale, spinach, green beans...
[Note: I cannot emphasize enough how using freshly ground pepper will change your life. It's totally different from pepper shaker pepper. Seriously, go out and buy a $5 grinder. Right now.]
'Grilled' asparagus
asparagus
olive oil
salt and pepper
half a lemon or about 1/2 tsp. lemon juice
Cover a cookie sheet in tinfoil (this is optional, but it means you don't have to wash the cookie sheet when you're done). Spread a thin layer of olive oil over the sheet [I actually buy a spray can of olive oil from Trader Joe's, which is perfect for this purpose]. Snap the big ends off of the asparagus, and then lay the spears out on the tinfoil. Drizzle or spray with olive oil, sprinkle liberally with salt and freshly ground pepper. If you have half a lemon, slice it thinly and place the slices over the asparagus. If not, sprinkle a little lemon juice over them instead. Stick these under the broiler for about 5-10 minutes (when the tips start to get dry, they're done), and serve.
If broiling isn't your thing, you can cook them in a saucepan instead. Heat up the oil (or 1/2 Tbs of butter) on medium heat, put in the asparagus and lemon slices, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and cook 5-10 minutes until tender. This method ALSO is great for kale or green beans.
Glazed carrots
1/4 lb. carrots (2-3 medium)
1/2 Tbs. butter
1/4 c. ginger ale OR
1 Tbs. sugar + ~2 tsp. freshly grated ginger + 1/4 c. water
pinch salt
This is a bastardized version of Alton Brown's very good Ginger Ale glazed carrots - we made this recipe so often that we wanted a cheaper alternative to fancy and expensive ginger ale. Anyway.
Chop the carrots width-wise (into 'medallions'). Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat, add the carrots and ginger ale (or sugar/ginger/water). Cover and bring to a boil. Once boiling, stir and reduce heat, re-cover and let simmer 5 minutes.
Remove the lid and turn up the heat, cooking another 5 minutes (or until the liquid has boiled off) with occasional stirring/tossing. Salt and pepper to taste, of course, and serve ASAP. The ginger ale/ginger+sugar leaves a nice sweet glaze on the carrots.
