Bountiful Bulgur Salad
A light festive whole grain salad that is a treat for family and great for company. Consider serving with butternut squash soup and sauteed onions with dark greens for a healthy meal that is a delight to look at. Salute!
On the stovetop, heat the water to a boil, add a pinch salt and the bulgur, stir once, cover and set aside to absorb water and cool, (approximately 1 hour).
While bulgur is cooling, prepare the dressing by slowly whisking oil into vinegar and adding ginger, shallot and shoyu. Allow dressing flavors to meld at least 15-30 minutes. When bulgur has cooled, place in a salad bowl and add apricots and or grapes, pecans, celery and parsley. Mix well. Add dressing and mix well.
Allow to sit for at least 15-30 minutes before serving to allow flavors to absorb. Serve. Also excellent as a leftover the next day!
Bulgur is a wonder grain! It is a wheat, thereby containing gluten, that is used in many Mediterranean grain salads because of its nutrient qualities and ease of preparation. Since bulgur has been parboiled and dried, it is cooked much like couscous, but is more nutritious than either couscous or white rice. Bulgur is high in fiber and low in fat, has high antioxidant properties and is rich in iron, phosphorus, zinc, manganese, selenium and magnesium. It also has the ability to decrease the negative effects of nitrates on the body, thus is good to pair with processed foods that are high in nitrates, like hot dogs (although note that it would be even better to get those high nitrate foods out of your diet!).
Tags: Grains