Tabouleh salad

Good morning, veggies!  Looks like as summer nears closing, we're FINALLY starting to get some hot weather here in Vancouver - this is by far the worst summer for weather I can remember, but I guess better late than never?  While it's still nice out, I wanted to blog my friend Sadie's recipe for tabouleh salad - perfect for summer: full of fresh flavour, nice and light and perfect for hot weather/picnics/barbecues, etc.

Tabouleh Salad

Soak 1 cup dry bulgur in 2 cups warm water for 30 mins. Drain.

Chop finely:

1 cucumber

1 red onion

4 large tomatoes (I like them seeded :))

1 handful fresh mint 

2 handfuls fresh cilantro (or parsley)

Add:

juice of 1 lemon

½ tsp Allspice

Salt and pepper to taste

We brought this on a weekend wine trip with us earlier in the year, and dare I say it was almost better the next day, after the flavours fully had a chance to mix together?? 

About a month ago, I had my friend J. over for dinner and she also brought a tabouleh salad, although instead of bulgur (and a few of the other ingredients listed above), she used quinoa and parsley (more traditional in tabouleh, I think). I really enjoyed the texture of quinoa in it, and it adds a little more protein than bulgur.  Choose whichever you like :)

1 cup uncooked Quinoa = 22 grams protein
1 cup uncooked Bulgur = 17.2 grams protein

Enjoy the rest of your summer, wherever you may be!

 (Pictured: Tabouleh salad, a crisp rosé, homemade hummus on fresh rosemary bread)

Spicy "shrimp" and broccolini

Hello lovelies!  I'm excited because I get to post about a recipe I haven't had for several years...well, since I stopped eating seafood.  There's a wonderful Buddhist restaurant here in Vancouver called 3G Vegetarian restaurant.  Last year one of the groups I belong to held a fundraising bake sale there, and a percentage of all food sales went towards the cause. Well.  Those Buddhists really know how to do mock meats! I can't seem to find a website for the restaurant (or its shop), but the phone number is 604-568-9008 and it's located on Cambie St.

I think I've mentioned before I'm not a fan of fake meats (Gardein, Field Roast, etc.), but this place was incredible.  They had the most amazing little "chicken" drumettes that really tasted like chicken! It was like I'd gone back in time 6 years. Their sweet and sour "pork" was also incredible.   Just this past week, we learned that the restaurant has a separate retail store where they sell all their "meats", so off we went on a sunny Saturday to take a look.

Well. They had EVERYTHING. Fake seafoods, game meats ("lamb"??, which a friend used in a stew and tasted like the real thing!), the drumettes, "pork", "scallops", you name it, it was there.  They also had a wonderful selection of vegetarian condiments, including a vegetarian Oyster Sauce that I really regret not picking up.

Last night, I used the fake shrimp we bought to make Spicy Shrimp and Broccolini - one of my favourite recipes from my seafood-eating days.  I'm not sure where I got the base recipe from, but I think it included cabbage instead of broccolini, and it's evolved over the years to the following:


2-3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/4 cup water
4 cups broccolini/broccoli rabe - flash boil for a few minutes, then remove from pot
4 cloves minced garlic
3 cups large "shrimp" or deveined real shrimp, if you're a pesceterian
2 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes
1 small-to-medium thinly sliced onion
1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro (optional)
3 tablespoons + soy sauce

Heat oil in the skillet over high heat. Place the garlic, pepper flakes, and onion into skillet and stir fry until the onion begins to turn translucent, making sure the garlic doesn't burn. Add the shrimp and broccolini and stir fry for several minutes more (fake shrimp is already cooked, needs only to be reheated. If you are using real shrimp, make sure to cook until it turns pink and curls). Add cilantro, soy sauce and water to the skillet. Stir-fry for about another minute, then serve over hot rice.

I have to admit that I probably added more chili flakes than called for, and I think I finally experienced last night what they call "heartburn", which I hear can appear (or worsen) in pregnancy.

I gotta tell you: I'm not a big fan.