Kim's Red Radish Tabbouleh from The Kind Life

I have a yoga retreat tomorrow, so I wanted to make sure I prepared a healthy lunch I could eat at some point in the afternoon.  I decided on this tabbouleh dish, which was featured in Alicia Silverstone's The Kind Diet.

The Kind Diet is a great resource if you're curious about a healthy vegan diet, as well as if you're interested in exploring some more macrobiotic type dishes (aka, what Silverstone describes as "superhero" foods).   The book includes tons of recipes, as well as information about the health benefits of a vegan diet and some information about ethical veganism.

The recipe I chose to make is from the "superhero" section of the book.   It calls for bulgur, radishes, green onions, parsley, lemon juice, olive oil and sea salt.  My minor changes were cooking the bulgur to the package directions, using cilantro in lieu of parsley (had a lot in the fridge to use up!) and adding black pepper.  I also made sure to mix in the lemon juice, olive oil and seasoning while the barley was hot so that the salad would absorb its flavors better.  We'll see how it tastes tomorrow!

I also made a big batch of kale chips to share with some of my fellow retreaters.  This time, I went easier on the olive oil and let the kale chips cook on paper towels.  It seemed to help make them less greasy this time.  I also used my salad spinner to get the kale nice and dry before coating and seasoning it.

Sunday Night Dinner: Stuffed Peppers

Awhile back, I mentioned that I was looking forward to making stuffed peppers, and I finally got around to it this evening.  After researching a few recipes, I decided to wing it.

There's a number of variations you can do with stuffed peppers.  You can serve them cut in half, with each side of the pepper forming a little bowl, or you can take the top off and stuff the entire pepper.  Either way, you will want to make sure you scrape out the seeds and the inner white parts.  For this recipe, I elected to cut the peppers in half, figuring that it would be easier to store and transport the leftovers for lunch.  I seasoned the insides of the peppers with salt & pepper and put them in a baking dish coated with cooking spray.

For the stuffing, I sauteed red onions and mushrooms, seasoning them with salt and pepper, and let it go until the onions were translucent and the mushrooms were soft.  I then added sliced grape tomatoes, a can of cannellini beans, and four cloves of minced garlic.  When the garlic was fragrant, I stirred in some leftover bulgur and some rough chopped arugula, and seasoned everything with Italian seasoning.  I then took the filling off the heat and stirred in some mozzarella daiya.  Once the daiya melted into the filling, I stuffed the six pepper halves and then topped them with more daiya.

I covered the dish with foil and put it in the oven at 375 for 45 minutes.  When there were 10 minutes to go, I removed the foil to let the tops get a little crispy.

Peppers, mid-assembly proces

I can see many variations on this dish, using the formula of something with a meaty texture, a grain, beans, something to add creaminess, additional veg, and a green veg.  Here are some ingredients you can use in various combinations for your own stuffed peppers:

Meaty Texture: mushrooms, vegan sausage, vegetarian grounds
Grain: bulgur, quinoa, brown rice, couscous
Beans: black beans, pinto beans, chickpeas, kidney beans
Creaminess: daiya or other cheese alternative (vegan), boccatini, cotija, feta (lacto-ovo)
Additional Veg: zucchini, corn, onions, garlic, tomatoes
Green Veg: spinach, arugula, kale, swiss chard

My peppers tonight have more of a Mediterranean vibe  I can see a delicious Mexican version with onions, vegan chorizo sausage, quinoa, black beans, cheddar daiya or cotija, corn and spinach, seasoned with cumin, garlic and cilantro, perhaps drizzled with some tomatillo salsa.  You don't necessarily need to use a meat substitute or beans or a cheesy element - feel free to add or subtract any ingredients that you'd like!

Bulgur, Bulgur Everywhere

On my ongoing quest to try more whole grains, I decided to cook with bulgur tonight.  Bulgur is a form of whole-wheat that has been parboiled and dried while maintaining most of its wheat bran.  From a nutrition standpoint, bulgur is high in fiber and protein, and is also an excellent source of iron.  If you've had tabouleh, you've had bulgur likely without realizing it.  If you're looking for some other ways to use bulger, the New York Times did a nice article on it awhile back.

Since bulgur has been pre-cooked, it has a much shorter prep time than grains like wheatberries, freekeh or farro.  So, it's an ideal option if you don't have a lot of time.  My bulgur took about 15 minutes to cook.

While I was making the bulgur, I crumbled and browned Field Roast Grain Meat Company Smoked Apple Sage Sausage (vegan and soy-free) in some olive oil.  I then stirred in some chopped brussels sprouts and minced shallots and seasoned the mix with salt and pepper.  I then added some minced garlic, chopped grape tomatoes and a few shakes of red pepper flakes.  Since the sausage created a lot of brown bits in my pan, I deglazed it with some white wine.

I was worried that it was going to be a bit too spicy, but the mildness of the bulgur helped mellow the flavors our a bit.  Next time, I'd add more tomatoes, perhaps both red and yellow, for more color contrast.