Our daily bread

The kids are back in school. Yes, indeed it is true, and I could wax lyrical for some paragraphs on how completely fabulous that is! Why yesterday I had so much time, that I managed to clean out the freezer. That is a good thing.... well having DONE it is a good thing. DOING it wasn't actually much fun, and also the cause of some chagrin, given that I discovered some tubs of lovingly homemade pureed baby food in the bottom of that huge chest freezer, baby food that we have had no need for in this house for 7 years (and don't plan on having a need for again).

The one downside of the back to school extravaganza is the return of the dreaded packed lunch. I am sure some children eat everything their mother dutifully wraps in cling wrap and gently places in Tupperware with gusto and gratitude. My children, meanwhile, have all three decided that they don't eat sandwiches. What? They like bread (in fact it is one of our staples in this house, and we get through a truckload each week). They like ham. They like cheese. However, a ham and cheese sandwich? Nope. I'm not sure when logic kicks in, but I can reliably say that it hasn't reared its head in my 8 and 12 year olds as yet. The optimist in me likes to think that it will soon enough, even if only to counter-balance the less attractive attributes of puberty like sweaty armpits, acne, feet the size of Texas, and the ability to grow visibly by the minute. The satirist in me suspects that logic may kick in the day they leave for college and no longer need a packed lunch. Whatever happens, it made the latter half of the last school year somewhat challenging, particularly when there were no left-overs I could stuff in a thermos.

The only two courses of action I have come up over the summer months with are (a) to sneakily introduce sandwich-like items into their lunchboxes, and (b) to be more stubborn than they are and continue to throw the odd obvious sandwich together and hope for the best. Thus far this week we have tried solution (a) and they had wraps, with lavash bread spread with cream cheese, turkey, cucumber and spinach. They ate these with no complaints. Buoyed up by this success, tomorrow I plan to be less subtle in my subterfuge and give option (b) a whirl, giving them what can only be dubbed a sandwich, but which is made with such delectable ingredients that they cannot resist its charms.

You can't have a sandwich without bread, so this recipe is for one of the most delicious breads I have ever made with my bread machine. The original recipe hails from the instruction book that came with my Zojirushi bread machine (which next to my Kitchen Aid mixer is one of my best friends in the whole world). I amended it a little to make the flavor more suited to our tastes in this family. Moist, and subtly flavored, it is just begging to be used to make a sandwich, so fingers crossed...

Cheddar and Onion Bread
Makes a 2lb loaf in a bread machine

1 1/4 cups (300 ml) water
4 1/4 cups (544g) bread flour
2 TBSP (23g) sugar
2 tsp (11.2g) salt
2 1/2 TBSP salted butter
1 1/4 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup (40g) finely chopped red onion
2 1/2 tsp active dry yeast

1. Place the ingredients in the bread machine pan in the order shown above. The cheese and onion can be added at this point - you don't have to wait for the end of the first part of the machine's cycle.
2. Set the bread machine for the regular white bread cycle.

Rhubarb, rhubarb, rhubarb!

You've got to love food where the name itself is delicious. Rhubarb is just such a food. Try saying the word without smiling! Sadly, it seems to be sorely underused in my adopted home here in California, and is not often available in the supermarket. Moreover, the Farrars' fingers are a whole spectrum removed from green, so growing it doesn't seem like a practical, or should I say 'fruitful' (hehehe) enterprise. When it does appear in the supermarket, I look at it wistfully, conjuring up memories of my mum's rhubarb fool or rhubarb pie, and then walk on by, confessing that, never having actually made any of these dishes myself, I wouldn't know what to do with it. This week, I decided to break the cycle of rhubarb-related disappointment, and bought a bunch. Since then, it has been staring up at me from the vegetable drawer, and whispering softly 'use me', in a manner that would make even Lewis Carroll proud.

Now that the kids are back in school (hang on a minute, let me just pause for a quick delirious cheer and dance around the kitchen...... OK, back now), I have a bit more time to dabble in the kitchen, so I decided to fiddle around and make some rhubarb muffins. I have to say, the result is rather delicious. These little morsels don't just whisper, they shout "Eat me in large quantities with a cup of tea!". Eat your heart out, Alice! And then we may have to look for more salad recipes to repair the damage, or you'll never get back out of that rabbit hole...

Rhubarb Muffins
Makes 12 regular sized muffins

1/2 cup plain fat-free Greek yoghurt
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 TBSP, plus 2 tsp, unsalted butter, divided
2 TBSP canola/sunflower oil
1 egg
zest of one small orange (1 1/2 tsp), divided
2 TBSP fresh orange juice
1 1/3 cups AP/plain flour
1 cup, plus 1 TBSP, brown sugar, divided
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup finely diced rhubarb (1/4" dice)
1/4 cup finely chopped walnuts
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C).
2. Line the cups of a regular 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners.
3. Melt 2 TBSP butter in a medium-sized bowl. Add yoghurt, vanilla extract, oil, egg, 1 tsp of the orange zest and all the orange juice. Whisk together to combine.
4. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, I cup of the brown sugar, baking soda and salt.
5. Add the yoghurt mixture and stir until just combined. Add rhubarb and fold in.
6. Fill each of the muffin cups 2/3 full with the batter.
7. In a separate small bowl, melt remaining 2 tsp of butter, then stir in remaining 1 TBSP of brown sugar, walnuts, cinnamon and remaining 1 tsp orange zest.
8. Distribute this evenly over the top of the muffins.
9. Bake for 25 minutes in preheated oven, until tops of muffins are golden brown and spring back when touched lightly.

It's all in a name

When he was just a toddler, my youngest son had a habit of wandering up to men in the park and grabbing hold of their hand, hugging them, or even climbing on to their laps. At the time, in my awkward embarrassment, I used to joke with the unwitting recipient of said attention that "I think he's looking for a better family to adopt him!". Unfortunately, not all the confused grandfathers and horrified fathers were well versed in the value of sarcasm, but fortunately none of them had CPS on speed-dial. Thus my son is still 'stuck with' us.

I used to think that if I served up salad for dinner, my children might well clamor to be adopted by a more nutritiously filling household. "What do you mean "salad"? Salad with what?" they would cry, their poor under-filled stomachs grumbling in unison? Then, in my wild imagination, they would trawl parks, find warm laps to climb on to, and whisper in unsuspecting (but hopefully well-fed) ears "What is the food like in your house?" or "Do you get French fries where you live?".

Fortunately, I discovered that with a bit of creative descripting and accessorizing, salad can be a main course or entrée. Let me demonstrate:

"What's for dinner?"
"Salad"
= sulky huff, slammed doors and parental divorce proceedings instigated at earliest convenience

"What's for dinner?"
"Chipotle Chicken with Romaine, Tomatoes and Avocado" {NB only insert latter vegetable in cases where child does not consider avocado the food of the devil}
"Wow - that sounds great. Can I lay the table for you, or otherwise help in any way?"

And if you want to take things to the next level, then accessorizing is key:

"What's for dinner?"
"Chipotle Chicken with Romaine, Tomatoes and Avocado and a side of Refried Bean Nachos"
"Have I told you lately how awesome you are, mummy dearest? Why, I feel sorry for the children I meet in the park. All they get is French fries... Oh, and by the way, after dinner, is it OK if I tidy my room?"

See? Now we're talking!

Chipotle Chicken with Romaine, Tomatoes and Avocado
adapted from Cooking Light
Serves 6 as a main dish

Dressing:
2/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro/coriander leaves
1 1/3 cups sour cream
1 TBSP minced chipotle chile in adobo sauce
2 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp chili powder
2 1/2 TBSP lime juice
1/2 tsp salt

Salad:
6-8 cups shredded romaine lettuce
3-4 chicken breasts
2 cups halved cherry/grape tomatoes
1 cup diced peeled avocado
2 15oz cans black beans, drained and rinsed
1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar/Mexican cheese blend

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Roast chicken breasts on pan coated with cooking spray. Set aside to cool, then shred/chop.
2. Prepare dressing by whisking all ingredients together in a bowl. Taste. If you like it spicier, then add a little of the adobo sauce from the can, or more chili powder.
3. In a large bowl, combine lettuce, cooled shredded chicken, tomatoes, avocado and black beans. Toss with dressing, then sprinkle cheese over top. NB this recipe makes more dressing than you will need, but the remainder will keep in the fridge for a couple of days.

Refried Bean Nachos
Serves 6 as an 'accessory'

3/4 of a large 12 oz bag of tortilla chips
1 15 oz can refried beans
1 1/2 pt carton of pico de gallo
2 cups Mexican blend cheese (or cheddar)

1. Spread tortilla chips over the base of an ovenproof dish (mine is 12" diameter)
2. Use two spoons to drop spoonfuls of refried beans over the chips, then spread them lightly over the top, so that every visible chip has at least a bit of the beans on it.
3. Use a slotted spoon to distribute the pico de gallo over the top (you don't want too much liquid, so you may have to squeeze the pico de gallo a little bit to extract much of it. Otherwise your chips will go soggy (and your children may threaten to leave home))
4. Sprinkle cheese evenly over the top.
5. Preheat the broiler (or grill, if you are in Europe), and broil/grill for 10 minutes until cheese is melted and bubbly.

Let's talk mud

There is a lot I could say on the subject, trust me. I could wax (less than) lyrical about the mud my dog tracks into the house after a digging session in our backyard (I'm pretty sure he is trying to escape to the neighbors in the hope that they will adopt him and spoil him more than we do). I could talk about the mud my sons track into the house after cross-country races or soccer practices (although to be honest, living in the dry climate of Northern California, I would feel like something of a hypocrite - it's more like dust, rather than mud). But no, Mississippi Mud is what we are talking about here.

Mississippi Mud is famous for a number of reasons - did you know, for example, that there is apparently such a thing as Mississippi Mud Volleyball? In case you think I'm joking, then here is the proof...

...proof that there are some seriously warped individuals in this world, anyway.

Or, if you want more than one way to immerse yourself in Mississippi Mud, then you could try the Mississippi Mud Mania race, where you can amuse yourself by attacking an obstacle course crossed with a mud bath:

I'm not so sure she actually is amused, to be honest. Not least because it appears she just got a mouthful of Mississippi's mud.

Her mistake of course was opting for the wrong kind of Mississippi Mud. What she should have done, is had a mouthful of this:

 

Looks a lot more tasty, doesn't it :-)

 

Seriously, having done my research, and tried both Mississippi Mud Pie and Mississippi Mud cake over the years, I was delighted to find a recipe for Mississippi Mud Cupcakes. Like their larger cake and pie cousins, they contain an abundance of chocolate, and I found a delicious and simple marshmallow frosting to adorn the top. If you feel you must go and exert yourself in ooey-gooey mud, at least reward your efforts with one of these (after taking a shower, or three).

 

 

Mississippi Mud Cupcakes

(adapted from Southern Living)

makes 12 regular size cupcakes

 

1/3 cup unsalted butter, softened

2/3 cup sugar                

2 large eggs

1 cup AP flour (plain flour)

1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup light sour cream

3/4 tsp baking soda (bicarb. of soda)

4 oz dark chocolate

2 oz chopped toasted pecans

 

Marshmallow Frosting

(From Food and Wine Magazine)

This makes plenty, and probably more than you will need for 12 cupcakes

 

2 cups granulated sugar

6 TBSP water

4 large egg whites (at room temperature)

pinch of cream of tartar

pinch of salt

 

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C). Line the cups of a 12 cupcake pan with paper liners and set aside.

2. Put chocolate in a food processor and pulse until finely chopped.

3. Beat butter at medium speed until light and fluffy, then gradually add sugar. When well incorporated, add eggs, one at a time and beat after each addition.

4. Combine flour, cocoa and salt in small bowl. In a separate bowl, combine sour cream and baking soda. With mixer on low speed, gradually add the flour mixture alternately with the sour cream mixture, starting and ending with the flour mixture.

5. Add half of chopped chocolate and stir in.

6. Add batter to paper cups, filling each 2/3 full.

7. Bake in preheated oven for 18-20 minutes, or until a pick inserted in the center of a cupcake comes out clean.

8. Allow cupcakes to cool completely.

9. To make frosting: add sugar and water to a saucepan and bring to a boil over a moderately high heat, stirring constantly until sugar has completely melted.

10. In a large bowl, beat the egg whites, cream of tartar and salt together until it reaches the soft peak stage.

11. With the mixer on medium speed, carefully and slowly pour in the hot sugar syrup. Continue to beat the frosting until it is cool and billowy (about 5 minutes).

12. Immediately spread the frosting on the cupcakes. Then top with remaining chopped chocolate and toasted pecans.

 

 

 

 

 



A gastronomical combination made in heaven

There are many gastronomical combinations which do more than just hit the spot. They careen headlong into the spot with a delicious explosion that excites the taste buds and satisfies the appetite. As in my previous post, lime and coconut is undoubtedly one (in both sweet and savory dishes), as is pecan and cinnamon, bacon and...well... pretty much anything, tomato and basil, and, if you are my youngest son, cheddar cheese bagels and nutella. I know, I know... let's just say we don't agree on all our favorite combinations in this house. It could be worse, as a toddler, he loved to dip bananas in salsa, while everyone else around the table tried not to dry-heave. Fortunately he grew out of that one!

Today's choice culinary combo is banana and chocolate. I'm dribbling as I type, quite frankly. I've been making banana muffins for years, and there is nothing like the smell of banana-laced goodies baking in the oven. It fills the house with a warm comforting smell. Now, imagine that smell overlaid with chocolatey deliciousness, and it might just tip you over the edge. You could simply add chocolate chips to a basic banana muffin recipe, but if you want to take your baking to the next level, go the whole hog and add cocoa too. Going halves when chocolate is involved just isn't a reasonable response.

The recipe comes from Camila Saulsbury's 750 Best Muffin Recipes. One day, I would like to meet Camila and give her a sticky, floury hug. The book is delicious.

Chocolate Banana Muffins
Makes 48 mini muffins, or 12 large ones

1 1/2 cups AP/plain flour
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking powder
1 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 1/3 cups mashed ripe banana (about 3 bananas)
1/3 cup vegetable/canola oil
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C).
2. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa, baking soda, salt and baking powder.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together mashed bananas, oil, sugar and egg.
4. Add banana mixture to the flour mixture in the larger bowl, and stir until just combined. Fold in chocolate chips.
5. Spray cups in a muffin/cupcake tin of chosen size. Use a scoop to fill cups 2/3 full with muffin batter.
6. Bake in preheated oven for 18-20 minutes (mini muffins) or 20-24 minutes (regular size muffins), or until a toothpick inserted in a muffin comes out clean.
7. Cool in tin for 3 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

You put the lime in the coconut...

One of my resident cookie monsters

... by now, you should know my love affair with citrus. Is there anything more summery and delicious? I ask you. (It's rhetorical though - please don't feel like you need to answer, because quite frankly, you're going to get the recipe whether or not you agree.) Well, it occurred to me the other day that it had been some time since I baked AND that I had some limes sitting in a bowl on the island that were threatening to go to waste. So I decided to kill two birds with one stone, so to speak.

I am not the most creative of people (this is the point where you protest...profusely). Seriously though, thanks for all the compliments you are giving me from your desk at this moment, I'm sure, you lovely people... but I am generally a recipe-tweaker, rather than a recipe-inventor. Yesterday however, faced with my limes, and a jar of coconut oil I picked up at Trader Joe's in a fit of "Oooh-that-looks-interesting-I'm-sure-I-could-use-that-for-something", I had a moment of creative genius however, and fiddled around to create a cookie recipe, which came out rather well, if I do say so myself. If you can't find any coconut oil, then just use another stick of butter and call them Lime cookies. I hope you enjoy them as much as we have so far :-)

Lime and Coconut Cookies
(Makes 35-40 3" diameter cookies)

Cookie dough:
4 cups AP flour (= plain flour)
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 stick/4 oz unsalted butter, softened
5 oz coconut oil (cool enough so that it is as solid as the butter)
2 cups granulated sugar
2 large eggs
zest of 3 limes

Glaze:
1 cup powdered/icing sugar
lime juice (around 2 limes)

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
2. Make cookie dough: beat butter, coconut oil and sugar in a mixer until pale and fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Add lime zest and combine.
3. Mix together flour, baking powder and salt, then, with mixer on low, gradually add to the butter/oil/sugar mixture.
4. On a floured surface, roll out dough to 1/4" thickness, then use round cookie cutter to cut out cookies.
5. Transfer cookies to an ungreased baking sheet and bake until edges start to brown (around 18-20 minutes).
6. Transfer cookies to wire rack to cool completely.
7. Make glaze: in a small mixing bowl, combine powdered sugar with enough lime juice to make a glaze that is runny enough to drizzle. Drizzle over the cookies with a spoon, then leave to set before serving, or storing.

Embracing the veggie burger

I realize that for some people you cannot have a burger without the beef, and I too am a lover of the classic hamburger. Yes, it was me that you saw digging in outside Five Guys just the other day, and yes, that was BBQ sauce dripping down my chin, and no, it probably won't come out of the shirt in the wash.

Nevertheless, I am also a fan of the alternative burger, whether it is chicken/turkey, or meat-free entirely. The only burgers I dislike, to be honest, are the ones that are meat-free, but trying to taste and look like meat. They never do, and invariably seem to taste like old shoes (or how I imagine old shoes would taste, at any rate). I like my veggie burgers to be made from veggies that are embracing their veggie-hood, not weird unidentifiable soy products masquerading as something they are not.

This particular burger is one made predominantly of white beans. Don't get me wrong, it doesn't look or taste like a hamburger, or have the texture of one. It does go in a bun, and two out of three of my kids did eat it with ketchup (predictably eschewing the delicious relish that their dear mother lovingly made to garnish the burger), but there is where the similarities end. However, if you open your burger-loving mind, and the taste buds connected to it, then I think you will agree that it is a tasty alternative indeed. In fact, since we are a family of five, and the recipe made 6, there was one left over, and my kids actually fought over it (while I sat back feeling self-satisfied, chomped away on the remaining relish, and checked we had enough ketchup left).

The recipe comes from Fine Cooking magazine, which I am a newcomer to. I think I have avoided buying it in the past because of the name. You have to feel pretty self-confident, or perhaps arrogant, to see yourself as a target customer for a magazine called 'Fine Cooking'. I'm not promising to be a regular customer from now on, but this was easy as well as fine, so maybe I'll delve into their pages from time to time.

White Bean Burgers with Tomato-Olive Relish (or ketchup...)
Serves 6

1/2 cup fresh basil leaves
2 cloves garlic
2 oz grated parmesan
2 15 oz cans white beans (I used cannellini), drained and rinsed
1 cup panko breadcrumbs
2 large eggs
salt
2 medium tomatoes, finely diced
16 kalamata olives, pitted and chopped
1/4 cup finely diced red onion
2 tsp aged balsamic vinegar
4 TBSP olive oil
6 wholewheat burger buns, toasted

1. In a food processor, pulse together the basil and garlic until finely chopped. Add parmesan, 1 cup of the beans, 1/2 cup of the panko, the eggs, 3/4 tsp salt and process until smooth and beginning to turn green from the basil.
2. Put remaining beans in a large bowl and coarsely mash them with a fork. Add pureed mixture from processor and mix well.
3. Spread remaining 1/2 cup panko on a large plate. With wet hands, divide the burger mixture into 6 equal portions, then shape each portion into a 3/4" thick patty. Coat each patty in panko, transfer them to a plate, and refrigerate for 10 minutes.
4. Make the relish: in a small bowl, mix together the tomatoes, olives, onion and balsamic vinegar.
5. Heat a large skillet over a high heat until very hot. Add olive oil and swirl to coat pan. Cook the burgers, flipping once, until browned (about 8 minutes total).
6. Serve burgers on toasted buns, topped with relish (or ketchup!)

Let the salad-fest continue

 

 

If all salads tasted like this one, I think I could live on salad. OK, as long as it was interspersed with the odd pizza, muffin, cupcake, side of fries.... etc. But you get my drift. Salads can be pretty delicious, and this one fits that bill. Again, to satisfy the appetites that gather around my table, I did have to add bread, but I managed to avoid partaking myself, thus rounding off my week of cutting down quite nicely. Those dusty scales in the bathroom are still glaring at me, but I do feel at least a little virtuous.

The recipe for this one is a combo - underneath is a Tex Mex salad recipe I clipped from an 'Easy Sides' section in a recent Food Network Magazine. On top is some marinated flank steak aka carne asada, the marinade for which comes from a lovely little book called 500 Barbecue Dishes. It bills itself ambitiously as "The only barbecue compendium you'll ever need". Clearly the publisher doesn't know anyone with a cookbook addiction like mine. Let's just say, it isn't my only BBQ book, but it is a good one.

Tex Mex Salad with Carne Asada
Serves 6

Meat:
1/2 cup tequila
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup fresh orange juice
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup grated onion
1 tsp ground black pepper
2 lbs flank steak

Salad:
1 head iceberg lettuce, shredded
1 cup chopped plum/Roma tomato
1 cup chopped scallions/green/spring onions
1 cup chopped cilantro/coriander leaves
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Dressing:
1 cup light sour cream
3-4 TBSP lime juice
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp kosher salt

1. Mix up all the ingredients for the marinade, reserving 1/4 cup of the marinade in a separate tub. Pour remaining marinade into a Ziploc bag, add the meat and marinate for at least 4 hours, and preferably overnight. Turn the bag occasionally if possible.
2. To make the salad dressing: Whisk together sour cream, lime juice (to taste), sugar and salt in a small bowl.
3. Assemble the salad in a large bowl.
4. Remove meat from the bag and discard marinade. Cook the meat over a medium grill to your liking (me, I like my cooked animal not to bleed any more...), brushing it with the reserved marinade as you grill.
5. At last minute, toss salad with dressing.
6. Slice steak thinly and serve on top of a bed of salad on each plate. And if you want it to look even more beautiful, then sprinkle with additional cheese and cilantro :-)

Avoiding the d-word

I just returned from vacation, where my family and I spent a week eating ice-creams as big as our heads and put away a truck-load of kettle chips, amongst other treats. I confess that two of us also drank more wine and beer than we pro...o...o...bably should have. Holidays for me are all about over-indulgence, so I count this one as a success.

See what I mean? As big as her head...

Trouble is, reality strikes when I get home, in the form of the dusty scale in my bathroom. It looks at me, all disappointed and disapproving, so I step on it in a fit of optimism, hoping to be able to crow about still having the metabolism of a twenty year old. Except that I never get to crow, chiefly because I'm not twenty, and neither is my metabolism. After reality strikes, guilt comes a-knocking, and I start the inevitable internal debate on whether I should go on a... you know... I can't say it.. aargh... diet. And there, friends, is for me the dreaded d-word. I have never managed to go on a diet, as the thought scares me. Food is my life.

In truth, there are only three ways I have ever lost weight in my life: giving birth, breastfeeding and having stomach flu. None of these feels like an attractive, attainable, or sensible option in my current predicament however, so I am forced to resort to my usual course of action. No, not a d-d-d-diet, but a period of cutting down. Cutting down sounds so much more acceptable, doesn't it? It makes it feel like an opportunity to try out all those healthy salad dishes I've been clipping out of magazines and salivating over during the summer months. If I can just steer clear of the 750 Best Muffin Recipes book....

Last night was the inaugural cutting down dinner, and it was a dish which I will be returning to, and not just post-vacation-binge, as it was rather yummy, if I do say so myself. I found the recipe in a recent issue of Cooking Light magazine. It is high in fiber and low in fat (in case you are doing a d-word, then it has just 296 calories per serving). It would make a delicious meal on its own, and is perfect for a lunch-box, but I served it alongside a simple spinach salad and some bread (so that the kids at least could have some more carbs for their warp-speed metabolisms to process, while their aging parents reluctantly passed on the focaccia).

Chicken and Feta Tabbouleh
Serves 4 (serving size 1 1/2 cups)

3/4 cup uncooked bulgur wheat
1 cup boiling water
2 cups chopped, skinless, boneless rotisserie chicken breast
1 cup chopped plum/roma tomato
1 cup chopped hothouse/English cucumber
3/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
1/3 cup finely chopped green/spring onions
1/4 cup chopped fresh mint
2 TBSP fresh lemon juice
1 TBSP olive oil
1 tsp minced garlic (approx. 3 cloves)
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp ground black pepper

1. Cook bulgur wheat according to directions, then drain any remaining liquid and rinse in cold water to cool slightly
2. Combine chicken and remaining ingredients in a large bowl. Add bulgur wheat and toss gently to combine.