Tabbou-Tabbou-Leh

Simple and Delicious. Here's a great, healthy meal and/or side dish that has it all-whole grains, raw vegetables, protein, good fats. Yesterday I made tabbouleh, a Mediterranean dish and it turned out great. I started with "Bob's Red Mill" Quick-cooking Bulgar, which is 100% whole grain wheat. I actually used the recipe on the bag, which is quite simple and requires no cooking at all. To begin, I combined 2 cups of water with 2 cups of bulgar and put it aside to soak for an hour. Then, I finely minced a bunch of parsley, chopped about 1/4 cup of mint, sliced 3 green onions, seeded and diced 2 tomatoes and combined these ingredients in a bowl with salt, pepper, cumin, and lemon juice and stirred them together lightly. I then placed that mixture in the fridge for an hour. When it was done, I combined the bulgar and the vegetable/herb mix with olive oil and placed it on top of romaine leaves and cucumber slices (shown in picture). I tasted the mix and though it was okay, I had to put my spin on it. When we were ready to eat, I took the tabbouleh mixture and put it back in a bowl and added a can of chick peas, rinsed, chopped red onion, more black pepper and salt to taste, and took the cucumbers and romaine, chopped and added them. Then I stirred up the entire mixture, and it definitely was kicked up a few notches and served as an awesome, wholesome, healthy dinner. You can find bulgar in your local supermarket. I got this particular brand at Jewel, and I will definitely make this again. Here's a tip: Be innovative: Add chilled, grilled meats such as chicken breast and salmon fillets and/or other veggies such as broccoli, carrots, chopped almonds (oooooh I'm doin that next time), kalamata or black olives, etc. What I did here since I never made this is followed the recipe (thus duplicating success), and then when I learned the jist of it I tweaked it and made it my own. That's the main idea here. Please post your comments and variations of this dish and/or other salads--I'd love to try them out! Thanks for reading and have a great night!

Mikey's Fire Chili

In a medium-large pot, brown 1.5 lbs 93/7 ground turkey. Strain fat and set turkey aside. Using the same pot, heat 2-3 tbsp. olive oil and saute about 1.5 cups chopped onion. When onion is just starting to soften, add 1/4 cup minced garlic, 1-2 chopped jalepenos, 1 chopped bell pepper, 1 cup chopped carrots, 1 cup chopped celery, and add the ground turkey and toss well. Add 1/2 cup chili powder, 1/4 cup hot paprika, 2 tbsp black pepper, 2 tbsp salt, 1 tbsp ground sage, 1 tbsp dried basil. Toss to coat all meat and veggies with spices. add 4 cups hot water, 1 large can crushed tomatoes. Heat to a soft boil, cover and reduce heat. Simmer for 30 minutes, then add 2 cups sweet corn, 1 cup quartered baby bella mushrooms, and 2 cans of black or pinto beans. Simmer for 20 minutes more. Season to taste and serve.

Tips:

• Use what you have on hand. I made some of the ingredients vague for a reason. I've been using red onion, but you can certainly use a sweet yellow or brown onion if that's what you have.
• I recently bought minced garlic in a jar that I keep in the fridge, and it works great, tastes good, and is easier and faster to use than cutting it fresh.
  
• From making bbq rubs all summer, I've learned to use quality chili powders and paprikas. The cheap stuff really doesn't taste like anything. Further, try searching for these in your neighborhood mom-n-pop grocery stores. I use a Thai chili powder from an asian market, and it is hot and tastes great. A nice hot paprika to use is Szeged Hungarian paprika, which you can find at your major supermarkets as well.
• When I made this chili, I actually didn't have black beans or pinto beans. I didn't feel like taking a quick run to the store, but I did have 2 cans of black-eyed-peas, which I threw in, and it turned out great.

Remember to be innovative and resorceful in your kitchen, and try to use what you have. A few simple vegetables and ingredients is all you need to create a variety of dishes. Enjoy! Post feedback please if you've used this recipe! Thanks!

Full Dinner - Pork Chops, Bulgar Pilaf, Garden Salad

Hey all - Thanks for the feedback about the breakfast smoothie-hope you enjoy it as much as I do. Well, here's the dinner I made last night. It was a hit...I don't think there's anything left. First of all, I'd like to preface these recipes by saying that 95% of the food I buy is from Costco. I love Costco because they have extremely high quality standards, and the bulk buying makes it more affordable for my family and saves some cost. I would highly recommend anyone who's buying for 3 or 4 or more to shop there.

GARDEN SALAD

Toss together in a large bowl:
Spring Greens
Romaine Lettuce
Fresh Spinach

Add:
2-3 carrots, diced
2-3 stalks celery, diced
1/2 large seedless cucumber, seeds removed, diced
4-6 baby bella mushrooms, rinsed and sliced
1 apple, cored, diced
1/2 red onion, chopped
1/2 C dried cranberries

Toss salad so ingredients are disbursed. Serve with Strawberry Vinaigrette

STRAWBERRY VINAIGRETTE

Put in blender:
3 large strawberries, fresh or thawed from frozen
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup white wine
kosher salt, to taste
black pepper, to taste
dried basil, to taste

Blend and tweak oil/vinegar to desired consistency.
Tip: Feel free to omit ingredients and/or add other ingredients such as walnuts, almonds, blueberries, etc. Get creative!

SAUTEED PORK LOIN CHOPS

I start with a full pork loin from Costco. I cut mine in half and freeze the other half for future use. Slice 8-10 3/4" thick chops from roast. Place chops in gallon freezer bag. Add directly to bag:

4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 tbsp kosher salt
2 tbsp black pepper
1 tbsp lawry's seasoned salt
2 tsp ground sage
2 tbsp dried rosemary
2 tbsp dried thyme (or oregano, basil, or other dried italian herb)
1 tbsp granulated garlic

Seal bag and toss so that all chops are coated with seasonings and oil. Remove air from bag and let marinate for about 20-30 mins. Spray large sautee pan with Pam and heat over med-high heat. When pan is hot, add pork chops and sautee for 4-5 mins per side, and cook until internal temp is around 160 degrees. Place cooked chops on plate and cover with aluminum foil until ready to serve. Serve with Bulgar Pilaf. Enjoy!

BULGAR PILAF

Rinse with warm water and set aside:
2 cups cracked wheat
Heat in medium saucepan:
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Add to heated oil:
1 C chopped red onion
When onion starts getting tender, add:
2 tbsp minced garlic
Add cracked wheat and toss to coat with onion, garlic, and oil. Add:
2 C hot water (tip: heat cold water, never use hot tap water)
2 tbsp chicken bullion
2 tbsp black pepper
2 tbsp salt
1 tbsp ground sage
1 tbsp cumin
1-2 jalepeno peppers, chopped (optional)
1 green pepper, seeds removed, diced
2 tbsp tomato paste
4-6 baby bella mushrooms, sliced
2 C frozen super sweet corn
1-2 tsp cayenne pepper (optional)

Bring to boil, cover, reduce heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes. Fluff with fork and taste for tenderness. Keep covered until ready to serve.


I hope these recipes turn out well for you and your family. I have been using cracked wheat as a grain source. It seems more dynamic than brown rice and is easier to prepare. This and many of my recipes are created as they make them, so these ingredients are what I threw in to the best of my memory. Feel free to explore new ingredients and modify as needed to what you have on hand. I'm all about being resourceful and using the ingredients you have on hand, so feel free to innovate...you may not always produce a great dish, but you will surely learn what works and what doesn't. Thanks for reading, and leave some feedback about this meal if you use the recipe!

Mikey's Breakfast Smoothie

This is what I've evolved my breakfast into. It is simple, delicious, packed with fruits, fiber, antioxidants, and some good protein and carbohydrates. I love it, maybe you will too!

Mikey's Morning Smoothie

8 oz soy milk (I like vanilla but plain works too, or sub with skim if you prefer)
4 oz orange juice (I juice fresh, but sub with tropicana pure premium if you prefer)
1 scoop (about 1/2 cup) low-fat vanilla frozen yogurt
4 frozen strawberries
1/3 cup frozen blueberries

Blend these ingredients in your blender until smooth consistency. Add:

1 cup Kashi GoLean cereal (sub granola if you prefer)

Pulse blend to mix but to maintain some crunchy chunks of cereal. Enjoy! Here are the simple nutritional values:

Calories: 468
Carbs: 90G
Fat: 6G
Protein 23G

Note: My fitness routine includes a lot of heavy endurance training, so breakfast is where I pack on the most carbs, which helps me push through workouts with plenty of energy to spare. I feed my muscles, too, and the fat is minimal. Though it is not listed, the Kashi packs some good fiber, but more importantly, the berries are packed with antioxidant vitamins, which are essential to feel and look your best, not to mention keeping you as healthy as possible.