Every 6 months or so, I do a pantry cleanse, where I plan all my meals around what is in my pantry for a certain amount of time. Once I run out of an item, I am out until the cleanse is over. I am only allowed to buy milk, eggs and produce.
The idea behind a pantry cleanse is, obviously, to use what you have. Beyond that, a pantry cleanse forces you to become more creative and stretch your culinary boundries as you run out of things.
On June 1st, I started a 2 week pantry cleanse. As I was sorting through my pantry, I came across a partially used bag of bulgur. I have no idea why I bought it or what I used it for. It was there and I had to find a use for it.
I started my search for something to do with bulgur by googling it. The most common result was for Tabouli, a bulgur salad. That was disappointing because I have tried Tabouli before and wasn’t a fan.
I tried the recipe I found on the Whole Grain Gourmet because it was different from the typical tabouli recipe in its addition of cinnamon to the dressing and total lack of cucumbers. The flavors are clean and bright. The salad didn’t get watery and the flavors didn’t get diluted. All in all, a very satisfying summer salad.
Tabouli
Ingredients
1/4 cup bulgur
3/4 cup parsley, minced
2 TBS mint leaves, minced
2 1/2 TBS green onion, minced
1 small tomato, seeded and diced
Dressing
2 TBS olive oil
2 TBS lemon juice
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp cinnamon
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 cup boiling water
In a medium bowl, combine the boiling water and bulgur, cover, and let sit for 30 minutes. Mean while, mince or dice the vegetables. Place in another bowl. In small bowl, combine all the dressing ingredients, mix well. Combine the vegetables and dressing, toss to coat. Refrigerate for at least one hour before serving.
Adapted from The Whole Grain Gourmet
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