Gone for a Swing!

On the Monkey Bars that is!  Today I am over at From the Monkey Bars sharing a favorite eggplant recipe that is quicker than takeout (or your money back!).  Please visit me there!

Tabbouleh

I have three food dislikes.  Tuna fish - just can't get over the smell enough to even try it.  Back in my office days, I silently cursed the person who ate tuna for lunch in the office kitchen and stunk up the whole place.  Olives - I don't know, just have never been able to get into them.  And tomatoes - just always worry that I'll get a mealy one, so I generally avoid them.

With the exception of tuna fish, I like foods made from olive and tomatoes.  Olive oil is a staple in my pantry (and I'd gladly dip loads of fresh made bread in it).  I like ketchup with my fries, salsa with my chips and prefer tomato sauce to cream sauce on my pasta.  But the actual tomato plain, I just can't do.  Unless...... it's in *my* tabbouleh (I didn't actually make up the recipe.  I got it from a vegetarian cookbook years ago and haven't the faintest idea what it's called.  All I remember was that it was square-shaped book). 

There is no shortage of tomatoes here.  In fact, you only have to locate one person selling a small kilo of tomatoes in order to find 4 dozen others selling the exact same kind of tomatoes for the same exact same price right next to them (more on this curious developing country phenomenon later).  But what there isn't much of is cherry tomatoes!  So when I do find them, I go straight to the parsley, cucumbers and green onions at the farmer's market and head home to make this recipe:

Tabbouleh
1 cup cracker bulger wheat
1/2 tsp salt
1 large bunch Italian parsley
5 green onions, cut into thirds
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup olive oil
1 small cucumber, diced
1/2 pint cherry tomatoes

1) Place bulger, 1/2 tsp salt and 1 1/2 cups water in a sauce pan and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to simmer, cover and cook until al dente, about 13 minutes

2) Cut off main parsley stems, then cut remainder of bunch into thirds.  Combine parsley with green onion and finely chop in food processor.

3) In large salad bowl, whisk together 2 tbsp lemon juice, olive oil and salt & pepper to taste.  Add the bulger, parsley mixture, cucumber and tomatoes and stir to combine.  Salt & pepper to taste.  Chill.

The picture isn't of the tabbouleh on its own.  I don't have much patience for pictures when a fresh batch is made.  Rather this was the result of having run out of pita bread to eat it with but having some salad greens on the verge of wilting in my fridge. And since all that green stuff just looked too healthy, I grilled up a few slices of halloumi cheese to put on top.  You know, for protein ;).

Yellow Squash Monster

Found this ginormous yellow summer squash (and it's even organic!) at the farmer's market this week.  First time I had ever seen summer squash here, usually just zucchini and butternut and all kinds of varieties of pumpkin.  I used one-half of it and made this zucchini curry from The Kitchen Witch.  Tasty indeed!

Just wait until you see the size of the avocados!  But they won't be truly in season until next year, around June.

Recipe: Hard-to-Mess-Up Autumn Soup

I love butternut squash, known as pumpkin here.  As if it hadn't endeared me enough with its luscious twilight orange color (one of my favorites, see My Wedding 2005).  Then it has to go and be all delicious and versatile and what not.  Not to mention dirt cheap here ($1.30 for 2.2 lbs!)

Although its technically spring here at the moment, butternut squash is available here in all its autumnal brightness (I actually get a little tingle up my spine when I make that first cut into its skin and see that vibrant color!  Geez, Becky, get out much?).  Cooking and recipe searching/swapping has become one of my most favorite hobbies here so I thought I would take the fruits of some of my labors out of my kitchen and day dream that they just might land in yours.

Today I will start with an original recipe, for butternut squash of course.  But down the road, most recipes will probably come from other (see blogroll of favorite recipe sites).  I think I will turn this into a weekly series where I share what's cookin' in my kitchen.  Will try to make it seasonally appropriate for your Northerners that don't have things like year round butternut squash and avocado's the size of pineapples.  Hope you enjoy!

Hard-to-Mess-Up Autumn Soup

2 large zucchini’s, chopped into ½ inch chunks (about 4 cups)
2 lb butternut squash (or other pumpkin) chopped into ½ inch chunks (about 4 cups)
1 large yellow onion, diced (about 1 ½ c)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/3 c bulger wheat
2 tbsp tomato paste
4 – 6 cups water
1 tbsp fresh curly parsley
1 tbsp fresh basil
1 tbsp fresh oregano
(if fresh not available used 1 tsp dried.  You pick herbs, anything works)
Optional: 1 – 2 links savory Italian sausage
2 cups baby spinach
Fresh sweet corn
Fresh green peas

1) Pour oil into deep pot and tip in onion and garlic.  Saute until soft.
2) Add butternut, zucchini and mix with onion.  Saute for about 2 min
3) Add bulger wheat and coat vegetables.  Toast for about 1 min
4) Add tomato paste and water (sometimes I use 1/2 water, 1/2 chicken stock)
5) Cook for about 20 min, until butternut is soft.  Add fresh herbs and cook for another 10 min. 
6) At this point, if making ahead, I stop cooking and store the soup.
7) If serving immediately, add the optional ingredients.  I almost always make this with sausage for a little protein and savory boost.  Depends on what I have available.  If pre cooked sausage, I add in with herbs.  If uncooked sausage, I will cook it first in a pan before adding to soup (with herbs).  If using spinach, throw in just before serving and cook until leaves wilt.  Same with fresh corn and/or peas, throw in just before serving until heated through.
8) One of the great things about this soup is that it gets better with age.  Makes great leftovers and just gets thicker every day.  As a veg option, I suppose you could use quinoa for protein or also red lentils.