Tabbouleh

Last year when I first ventured into the vegan lifestyle I bought a bag of bulgur wheat on whim during one of my trips to the grocery store. It sat in my pantry for several months, I just didn’t know what to do with it.

One day during the summer I came across a recipe for tabbouleh that caught my eye. I decided to try the recipe and it was a hit with both my oldest daughter and myself. I made the tabbouleh as written a couple of times, but the amount of olive oil the recipe called for just did not sit well with me. Then summer turned into fall and winter and tabbouleh is such a fresh summery meal to me that I didn’t give it much more thought.

On my birthday my family took me out to dinner at a local natural eatery called Alladin’s. It was a favorite of mine during my high school vegetarian years so I knew it was a great choice for my birthday dinner celebration. As I was browsing the menu my oldest daughter pointed out that one of the appetizers was tabbouleh! It was served with pita bread and sparked my memory of how much I enjoyed this dish over the summer.

Shortly after my birthday dinner I came across a tabbouleh recipe on one of my favorite vegan blogs, Oh She Glows. I knew it was time to re-make my beloved tabbouleh recipe with less oil and fall in love all over again.

Adapted from: Oh She Glows

Makes 2-3 cups

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup Bulgur Wheat (can substitute another grain if you’d prefer)
• 2 cups vegetable broth
• 2-3 cups fresh Italian, chopped finely
• 1 tomato, chopped
• 1/2 cucumber, chopped
• 1 small carrot, chopped finely
• 2 green onions, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice (I had no lemons and used the bottled stuff, it worked fine)
• 1-2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• Kosher salt and black pepper, to taste

Method:

1. Place vegetable broth in a medium sized pot and bring to a boil. Add in the Bulgur wheat and reduce to simmer for about 20 minutes, or until tender.

2. While the bulgur wheat is simmering, chop all the vegetables and place into a large bowl. Once the bulgur wheat is cooked go ahead and add it into the bowl. Pour on the lemon and extra virgin olive and stir well. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

3. The tabbouleh may be eaten right away, but the flavors will intensify if allowed to sit in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.

**Tabbouleh will keep in the fridge in a covered container for up to 5 days.**

Magic Mushroom Soup and Gravy {vegan}

No, no, not that kind of magic mushroom!
I have made this soup numerous times, tweaking and adjusting each time, until I felt that I have finally found the perfect recipe. You will find that this soup is magical because it can also be used as a gravy, simply reduce the amount of liquid you add.

I’ve made this as a gravy and poured it over millet for a hearty winter-y meal, though any grain such as brown rice or quinoa would work wonderfully as well. This magical soup & gravy is a great vessel for greens too. I’ve used both kale and spinach successfully, you could use collards or chard, if that is your preference, simply add the greens in at the end of cooking.

Ingredients:
Adapted from New York in Green
Makes 4 to 8 servings

• 1 small onion; chopped
• 1 (4 oz.) container of wild bunch mushrooms (shiitake, cremini, oyster), sliced
• 1 (8 oz.) container of baby Portobello mushrooms, sliced
• 1 (8 oz.) container of button mushrooms, sliced
• 1/8-1/4 cup Bragg’s Liquid Aminos (add amount based on your preferred saltiness)
• 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary**, chopped
• 1 teaspoon lemon pepper
• 3/4 teaspoon paprika
• 1/4 cup flour
• 2 cups vegetable stock
• 2 cups unsweetened plain almond milk
  

Method:

• Sauté the onions in a little oil until they are soft and translucent, I used coconut oil.
• Add in all of the mushroom slices. Cook them down for several minutes; then add the Bragg’s Liquid Aminos, rosemary, lemon pepper, and paprika.
• Once the mushrooms are cooked down,stir in your flour. Do this quickly and once it is in don’t delay, stir it to ensure to no clumps form, creating a mushroom paste.
• Add in the stock once you get your paste at an even consistency, about 1/2 cup at a time. Bring the mixture up to a simmer.
• Keep adding the stock,1/2 cup at a time, bringing to a simmer each. Follow the same procedure with the almond milk, adding 1/2 cup at a time. Be careful always to only bring to a simmer, never to a boil. If the soup boils, it will “break” – the flour will separate from the oil it has bonded to, and each will float at the surface of your soup in weird little bubble pods instead of infusing it and making it creamy.
• Once all four cups of liquid have been added, let the pot simmer (simmer not boil!) for ten to fifteen minutes.
• Turn off heat; let sit five to ten minutes before serving.
  

**If you have dried dill, I highly recommend you try using it instead of the rosemary. Both will work beautifully, but I prefer the dill to the rosemary.**

Are you a mushroom fan? I love mushrooms. I will eat them any way I can get them, but this soup has become a favorite.

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