Last month my son Ryan asked me, “What do you do with bulgur wheat Mom?”  He had purchased a 5 pound bag of bulgur wheat at a local farmers market in Santa Cruz near his college campus. “Well, it was cheap, and it looked…well,  interesting.”  Ah…bulgur wheat trumped the Top Ramen! Fortunately, I’m a huge fan of bulgur wheat because it fits right into the healthy, Mediterranean style of eating that I love and promote.  And the bulgur provided the perfect ingredient to make a healthier meal.

The beauty of this whole grain is that it cooks quickly and is wonderful in recipes as a meat replacement not only because its hearty texture but it also provides protein.  Combine it with other healthy Mediterranean -style ingredients like vegetables, legumes, olive oil and reduced fat feta and you have a delicious, meatless meal any Mediterranean Mama would be proud of!

Here’s a great recipe you and you roommates can make and have extra portions for lunch the next day too.  It’s a Mediterranean-style meal you can make in less than 20 minutes all for less than $3.00 per serving…easy, quick, nutritious and delicious!

And if you are interested in finding out more about the health benefits of the Mediterranean diet,  add this link to your blog reading http://www.oldwayspt.org/blog.  My personal dietitian post is being featured on their blog on May 22, 2012.

Lemony Greek Garbanzo Salad                                Makes 5 Cups (or about 3 medium bowl servings)

Ingredients:

  • ¾ cup bulgur wheat
  • 1 ½ cup water
  • ½ red onion, chopped
  • ½ cucumber, diced (not peeled)
  • ½ cup cherry tomatoes, halved
  • 1 15 oz. can garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
  • 2 tablespoons fresh dill, chopped or 1 tablespoon dry
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil or canola oil
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice
  • ¼ cup crumbled reduced fat Feta Cheese
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Add bulgur wheat and water to a medium sized pot and simmer for 15 minutes. When done pour into a medium sized bowl and let cool.

When the bulgur is cool, add the red onion, cucumber, tomatoes, garbanzo beans and dill to the bowl and toss. Combine the olive oil and lemon juice and pinch salt and pepper in a small bowl.  Add oil mixture to the salad and toss until well combined.  Gently fold in the feta cheese.  Keep chilled until ready to serve.  Garnish with fresh dill.

Nutrition Information per Cup: 176 Calories, 6.5 g Fat, 22 g Carbohydrate, 6g Fiber, 340 mg
Sodium, 6.5 g Protein

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