Meatless Monday Revisited

One of my goals for 2011 was to go meatless every Monday...and I gotta say, I've been rocking this goal (let's not talk about the gratitude goal though...ahem).  Hubs is totally on board...and besides one or two minor slip ups on my part, we've been 99.9999999% perfect!  And actually really liking it.  It's forced me to be more experimental with food, and look at more recipes that incorporate other sources of protein such as beans and tofu.  The one thing that I've noticed on Mondays is that my protein intake is lower than my target so I'll have to find more recipes that provide a better ratio of carbs/protein/fat.  Generally when I'm looking at a recipe, I'll look to see if the protein and carb ratio is roughly equal as a guideline. 

So....since we're talking about Meatless Monday, I've got a great new recipe that I discovered in one of my new cookbooks, Whitewater Cooks....

This book is a compilation of recipes from the Fresh Tracks Cafe at the Whitewater Winter Resort just south of Nelson, and has had fantastic reviews.  In fact, when I was in line up to buy this cookbook, the cashier waxed poetic about this book and the second one called Whitewater at Home.  Strangely, the recipes seemed more complicated and "fancier" than the original Whitewater...curious.  They have a to-die for potato salad that has no mayo and is deeelish (Hubs loves it), and this awesome summer salad that I tried and I really like.  This salad would taste great in a whole wheat wrap or pita smeared with some hummus and topped with sprouts...yum.  I've flipped through the cookbook and I think this one is a must-have for any vegetarian...a lot of the recipes are meatless and I've read that the veggie burger is amazing.

Tabbouleh and Chickpea Salad - from Whitewater Cooks

Serves 4 - 5

Salad
1.5 cups bulgur wheat
1/2 cup red onion, diced
1 cup tomatoes
1 cup cucumber
2 tbsp fresh mint, chopped
2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
1/2 cup pine nuts, toasted
1/2 cup feta cheese, crumbled
1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1/4 cup green olives, sliced
salt and pepper to taste

Dressing
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
zest of one lemon
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp cumin
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1 tsp dijon
1/2 cup olive oil

Place bulgur in a bowl and pour 3 cups of boiling water over it.  Stir once and let it sit for about 20 minutes or until tender.  If there is any water left drain it out in a colander.  Add all other salad ingredients to the cooked bulgur and toss to combine well.  Whisk together dressing ingredients and season to taste with salt and pepper.  Pour the dressing over the salad and toss well.

My adjustments - I didn't use bulgur but make it with brown rice...for some odd reason, my grocery store doesn't carry bulgur!  Gah...and I was too lazy to go drive to another store to find it.  I also cut the oil back to a scant 1/4 cup as I thought 1/2 cup was a lot of oil, even though I'm sure it would be super tasty. 

Two thumbs up on this recipe...I think this cookbook will become one of my favourites very soon.