Thursday, September 14, 2006

bulgur, red pepper, and cannellini salad

1 cup dry bulgur
2 cups vegetable stock
1 can cannellini/white beans
1 red bell pepper chopped
1 small bunch parsley, chopped
1 clove garlic, pressed
1 tsp cumin
1-2 T extra virgin olive oil
2-3 T lemon juice (to taste)

Cook the bulgur in the vegetable stock. Once cooked, cool to room temperature and add the rest of the ingredients and season to taste.

chickpea salad sandwiches

Chickpea salad is a vegan take on the old standby of tuna salad. When you mash chickpeas with a fork, the texture is quite similar, and if you're like me and enjoy the supporting flavors more than the fish itself, this meal is just as good. If you want that fishy taste, you can experiment with different types of sea vegetables and find one you like.

canned chickpeas, well rinsed or cooked chickpeas
vegenaise, nayonaise, or another vegan mayo
celery, copped finely
onion, or scallion, chopped finely
anything else you feel like adding. I know some people like capers, I like sweet pickle relish, because that's how my mom used to make it :)

The most important step is to mash the chickpeas. I like to use the tines of a fork, but you could also use a potato masher. Then add the supporting cast, until you get the mix that you like. This is really best served with lettuce and tomatoes in a wrap or pita in my opinion.