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Monday, June 4, 2018

Recipe Review from 5/28/2018 Part I

Memorial Day weekend gave me the opportunity to explore a "3 Day Gut Health Makeover" menu by Cooking Light.  Gist of the menu is, to give the bacteria in your digestive system a re-boot or boost, by eating a combination of high fiber and high pro-biotic foods.  I just thought the recipes sounded good, I had the time, and the menu was perfect for the long weekend.   I didn't follow the menu exactly - we went out for lunch once, and the portion sizes were a bit all over the place so there were leftovers that needed to be eaten.  Which meant, a three day menu stretched out to a week plus.

Because this is rather recipe intensive review, I broke this up into three parts over three separate reviews.  Actually four reviews - part of this slid over into next weeks meal plan. 

The Meal Plan:
Sat  (L) Tabbouleh with Avocado   (S) leftover taco salad
Sun (L) leftover tabbouleh   (S) leftover tabbouleh with hummus sandwich

Mon (L)  green pea fritters and salad  (S) Chickpea pasta with peas
Tues (L) out     (S)  Kale Salad with chickpeas and berries

Wed - Summary Lentil Soup
Thurs (yoga) - leftovers
Fri - Broccoli mac n cheese


Smokey Roasted Chickpeas  (Ckng Lght June, 2018)  gluten free, vegetarian
Easy, tasty, interesting as a topping in several recipes. 
 
photo from cookinglight.com
1 (15-oz.) can unsalted chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Preheat oven to 400°F.

Spread chickpeas on several layers of paper towels, and pat dry. Spread in an even layer on a small rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Drizzle with oil, and shake pan to coat. Bake at 400°F 30 minutes.

Remove pan from oven. Sprinkle chickpeas evenly with paprika, salt, and cayenne pepper; stir well. Return to oven, and bake at 400°F until chickpeas are very crisp and crunchy (but not burned), 15 to 20 minutes.

Cool completely; store in an airtight container up to 1 week.


Simply Seasoned Bulgur (Ckng Lght, June 2018) gluten free, vegetarian
This dish is for the Bulgur Breakfast Bowls and Tabbouleh with Avocado below; Wasn't as "fluffy" as some other variations I've tried, but still easy enough.

photo from cookinglight.com
Makes 4 - 1/2 cup portions

1 1/3 cups water
2/3 cup uncooked bulgur
2 teaspoons olive oil
3/8 teaspoon kosher salt

Bring 1 1/3 cups water to a boil in a small saucepan over medium-high. Stir in bulgur; cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer 12 minutes. Remove from heat, and let stand, covered, 10 minutes. Uncover. Drizzle with oil, and sprinkle with salt. Fluff with a fork to combine.


Strawberry Bulgur Bowl  (Ckng Lght, June 2018)  gluten free, vegetarian
This dish is from a 3-day Gut Health Makeover from the June issue of Cooking Light.  The recipes intrigued me, plus I had a long weekend what with Memorial Day, so this seemed like something to try.   One note - I skipped the almond milk and used regular.  I'm not a fan of "fake milk" for myself. 

This was a nice change from oatmeal.  I added a splash of almond extract to boost the almond flavor.  You can easily substitute another berry for strawberries in this.  I liked how the dates provided the sweetness - something I might explore with our oatmeal.   Recommended.

photo from cookinglight.com
1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk  (I used regular milk)
2 dates, pitted and finely chopped 
3/4 cup Simply Seasoned Bulgur
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup halved small strawberries  (or fresh berries of choice)
2 tablespoons unsalted roasted almonds, chopped

Place almond milk and dates in a small saucepan; mash dates with a fork to break them up and incorporate them into milk. Add Simply Seasoned Bulgur. Cook over medium, stirring often, until mixture just comes to a simmer. Remove from heat, and stir in vanilla.
Spoon bulgur mixture into a bowl. Top with strawberries and almonds.


Tabbouleh with Avocado  (Ckng Lght, June 2018)  gluten free, vegan
This uses the bulgur made in the recipe above. 

I didn't measure the ingredients exactly, plus I had doubled to serve two of us, and somehow I ended up with enough to make three meals.  I really liked this variation on tabbouleh, but then I really like avocado.  The chickpeas were a nice addition, adding a bit of spicy crunchiness.    Recommended. 

photo from cookinglight.com
2/3 cup chopped English cucumber
1 medium tomato, chopped (about 2/3 cup)
1/2 cup Simply Seasoned Bulgur
1/3 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley  (I forgot the parsley)
1/4 cup finely chopped lacinato kale
2 tablespoons finely chopped red onion   (I omitted)
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 ripe avocado, chopped
1/3 cup Smoky Roasted Chickpeas


Combine cucumber, tomato, Simply Seasoned Bulgur, parsley, kale, and onion in a medium bowl. Drizzle with lemon juice and oil, and sprinkle with salt; toss well to combine. Gently fold in avocado. Arrange tabbouleh in a serving bowl or on a plate; sprinkle evenly with Smoky Roasted Chickpeas.

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