Mediterranean Chicken Bulgur Salad

Most of these recipes were born on evenings when no meal was planned. That meant rummaging through the pantry and seeing how dinner might be contrived. A few favorite ingredients to have around the house for such nights: fresh herbs, raisins, nuts, seeds and onion. These can add texture, taste and nutrition to family fare when it’s too cold and rainy to go to the market.

Cooking time: 40 minutes

Serves baby and 2 adults*

2 cups of Bulgur

2 chicken breasts from Basic Chicken Breast for Baby Recipe [see Dec 16, 2008 post] shredded or cut into 1 inch pieces

Extra virgin olive oil

2 Tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice

2 Tbsp Balsamic vinegar

1/2 cup chopped scallion or red onion

1 chopped tomato

1 carrot, chopped

1 apple, chopped

8 pitted olives, chopped

1/2 cup seeds [like sesame and pumpkin]

1/2 cup shelled pistachio [optional]

1/2 cup of avocado [optional]

2 Tbsp sherry vinegar.

1/2 cup chopped coriander

Salt and pepper to taste

Coarse sea salt

Cook bulgur**, and while bulgur is cooking, prepare other ingredients as suggested below. 

For Baby: Remove half of the cooked bulgur, puree and set aside for baby’s lunch and dinner for the next 2 days. Bulgur should be served with protein and a vegetable. For older babies, no need to puree.

For Adults: Mix Balsamic vinegar with 1 Tbsp of lemon juice, drizzle over chicken breasts and set aside. Chop vegetables, and then add scallion, tomato, carrot, apple, seeds, nuts and olives to the cooked bulgur [better if added when bulgur is still warm]. Dress bulgur with remaining lemon juice, sherry vinegar and 1 Tbsp olive oil. Add salt to taste and a generous amount of freshly ground pepper. Add chicken, toss, sprinkle coriander on top, drizzle with olive oil and a few granules of sea salt. Serve at room temperature.

*To serve 4, add another cup of bulgur, two more chicken breasts, and double the seeds and vegetables

**Cooking bulgur depends on whether the grain is finely or coarsely ground. If there are no cooking instructions, start with 2-1 ratio of water to bulgur. Bring to a boil and simmer, but keep adding water if needed. Cooking time will be between 10-30minutes. Bulger should be soft and fluffy. It’s really hard to ruin Bulgur so if you’ve never made it, don’t be afraid to try.