I feel that people associate Minnesota only with heavy comfort foods. Hot dishes and meat & potatoes. In actuality, gardens are quite prevalent in Minnesota, resulting in many veggie based meals or at least veggie filled side dishes.
In my household, it’s rare to have a vegetarian meal. My guy is a meat & potatoes man & believes veggies are something to be used as a side dish. I, however, have never been a meat & potatoes girl. Don’t get me wrong, I love meat & potatoes. I love them together. But I love all food and vegetables have always been one of those foods. Since meeting me, my guy has probably eaten more vegetables with me than in his entire life before living with me.
I try to come up with tasty ways for him to eat them (as well as myself) even if it is just for side dishes. This isn’t a crazy vegetable dish by any means but it does incorporate the veggies from our garden this year in a way I haven’t made it in years. It’s sort of like a tab(b)ouli or tab(b)ouleh salad – pick your fave spelling – just modified for what I had on hand.
This can be eaten by itself or paired with some sort of meatball or yogurt chicken if you have a meat eater in your household as well.
Bulgur Vegetable Salad (makes 4 servings)
- 1 cup bulgur
- 2 cups water
- olive oil
- lemon juice
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1 zucchini, sliced into half moons
- 1/2 tsp garlic, minced
- 1 tsp each dried basil & oregano
- salt & pepper to taste
- dash onion powder
- 1/2 a cucumber, chopped
- 1 cup cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
- 1/2 cup feta cheese
- Place bulgur & water in a small pot. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer & cover. Cook for 20 minutes or until water is absorbed.
- Meanwhile, in a skillet sauté zucchini & onion in a small amount of olive oil until tender & slightly caramelized. Add garlic & cook for 2 minutes more.
- Drizzle the cooked bulgur with olive oil & lemon juice. Add the cooked vegetables & spices & stir to combine. Top with the raw vegetables & feta cheese. Drizzle with more olive oil & lemon juice if desired.
