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!

Taco Soup

My friend gave me this recipe in order to feed the truly hungry. I have to say, most of these ingredients came from Dollar General, so feel free to buy cheap. This combination also made a real ton of this chili-soup, so feel free to mix ingredients around

Ingredients:
1 pound ground chuck
2 cans dark kidney beans (water drained)
1 can corn (water drained)
1 can light kidney beans
1 can stewed tomatoes with onions and garlic
fajita spice mix
ranch dressing mix

1. In a big stock pot, add the ground beef and the fajita mix. Stir and cook until meat brown.
2. Add all the cans of ingredients and the ranch mix. Stir and add in 2 cans full of water (about 28 ounces).
3. Bring to a boil and let simmer until beans are a little soft. My friend said 30 minutes, but I basically let it go until I was done making dessert, making the quesadillas to go with this, and cleaned the kitchen.

I really think spicing the meat separately is important. It's surprising how flavorful the soup is and I think its the ground meat.

Serve with shredded cheese, crackers, and/or sour cream. If I was feeling fancier, I'd also recommend stir frying some onions with the meat (chopped thick). Also, some cilantro over the top would be delicious.