Bulgur and Bean Salad

It's finally nice weather here, and so I decided to make this spring recipe.

1 cup bulgur

15 oz can of black beans, rinsed and drained

15 oz can of kidney beans, rinsed and drained

15 oz can of whole corn kernels, rinsed and drained

3 long scallions (green onions) finely chopped

1/2 red bell pepper, finely chopped

1/2 orange bell pepper, finely chopped

1 medium cucumber, finely chopped

2 plum tomatoes, finely chopped

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

2 cloves of garlic, minced

1 tsp chili powder

1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

1/4 tsp black pepper

1/8 tsp salt

1/2 cup of EVOO

1. Cook bulgur according to package - 1 cup of bulgur in a sauce pan with 2 cups of cold water. Medium heat until it boils, then simmer for 12 minutes. Let cool for a few minutes in sauce pan and then move into a very large bowl to separate bulgur and let cool well. (Refrigerator works, too)

2. In a small bowl, mix red wine vinegar, garlic, chili powder, red pepper flakes, black pepper, salt, and EVOO.

3. In large bulgur bowl, place all vegetable ingredients and mix well.

4. Pour dressing over bulgur and mix well.

In the future, I would add 1/2 - 1 cup of finely chopped parsley to this spring mix.

The original recipe calls for the ingredients to sit for a while, but I tasted it right away and it was delicious!

Marinated Bell Peppers

I needed an asian side dish and had bell peppers, so here's what I made

Ingredients:
1 red bell pepper
1 orange bell pepper
2 yellow bell peppers
1 tbspn of minced garlic
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 tbsp EVOO
2 tbsp fresh chopped parsley
salt and pepper to taste

1. Preheat oven to 450
2. Place peppers on rack directly to cook. roast for 15 minutes, turning every five minutes. Use some kitchen tongs to turn the peppers. Be careful at the ten minute mark as the peppers may be juicy and easily split.
3. Put them in a paperbag and allow the heat to steam the peppers while they cool. This process will take about 15 minutes. Trust me, don't short change this time because it is invaluable to the next step
4. Wash the peppers in cold water and remove the thin outer skin. Also remove the steam and clean out the seeds from the inside. Place in a colander to rinse as you are working on the other peppers.
5. Lightly pat dry the peppers afterwards. They'll be much tastier if there isn't a lot of water to detract from the ingredients.
6. While the peppers are drying, take out a medium bowl and mix up the other ingredients.
7. Add dry peppers to oil mixture in bowl.

For original recipes click here