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Wednesday, February 17, 2010

Just Take My Word for it...

Happy Humpday! The week's almost over already...can you believe it?
I woke up to a beautiful blanket of snow, and was ready to play with a [small] portion of my Bob's order that I received yesterday. 


I actually ordered a ridiculous amount of grain-y things...but I decided to start here! I've got to pace myself, though - unfortunately, I can't open them all at once! I have a "thing" about that, hah.
What better way to try them with a new "combo," too?


How about some plum oats?!
The Mix: 2 T. Barley Flakes, 2 T. TVP, 1/4 c. almondmilk, 1/2 c. brewed coffee, goji berries, majority of a chopped plum, cinnamon
On the Top: caramelized plum, pineapple chia seed "icing," dates, toasted coconut, toasted almonds, ground flax, pom. strawberry jam, and white choco. coconut PB.


mmm! quite good :)I just wish the plum was a bit more ripe. The slices I warmed up in a skillet with some maple syrup were okay, but the chunks in with the cereal were a bit tart. This was my first bowl in eons that didn't have banana!

Verdict on the barley flakes? Good! I still combined them with TVP because I really like to get a lot of protein at breakfast. That's why I do it with normal oatmeal, too. Hey, it's what works for me! These were quite voluminous - my bowl was almost too small! And I liked their chewy texture. Not too much of a taste difference, really. But that's okay! I love experimenting with new grains.


Lunch: carrot sticks and a panini wrap consisting of hummus, two fried eggs, spinach, red onion, red pepper, dill pickle, and a dash of the cheesy ranch sauce leftover from last night's dinner.
Snackage during work: homemade "trail mix" [kashi H2H, total, Snyder's butter snaps, dates, raisins, walnuts, crumbled mate bar, crumbled kashi bar. basically, the whole cupboard.] huuuuuge orange, and that white container is some almondmilk for coffee 
Snackage on the drive in: spelt toast with PB, jam & dates, nanner.

good foodage.

The mac at work finally got up and running around noon today. Luckily, nothing was lost and it was something I don't understand and can't even recite back to you all because I am terrible at understanding computer dynamics. lol! But, it was just mr. mac's time to have a freak out. He just chose me as the crash dummy :)

I had dinner ideas involving a sweet potato, an apple, and chicken or chik'n planned, just wasn't sure what exactly, so thoughts were rolling around in my head for the afternoon. Eventually, my beloved bulgur came into play, and I decided I'd try a lemony bulgur salad with sweet potato, apple, and chicken.

It sort of held true...
[disclaimer: i sincerely apologize for the poor quality of my dinner photos lately! I feel like they all look the same lately, and not very appetizing. I really can't wait until it's light out both morning and night! that will be a huge help. So, until then, take my word for it: I'm not just eating a bunch of gross stuff! haha]


(I realized I forgot dressing for my spinach shortly after these pictures. I didn't feel like re-shooting just for that)

Anyways! Now that those disclaimers are out of the way, this was really good. Promise
I ended up just hoping it'd turn out good and made extra, thinking it'd be a really good wrap filler. I definitely am glad I made that call! Here's what I did - just use the seasonings to your taste - that's what I did, so don't have exact measurements.

Creamy Sweet Potato and Bulgur Salad
-1/2 c. cracked bulgur wheat [I use hodgson mill's bulgur with soy]
-1 c. water + 2 T as needed
-diced red onion, about 1/4 c.
-dab of butter
-handful baby spinach, torn
-diced carrot
-1 small sweet potato, or 3/4 med., cooked and cubed
-1/4 c. raisins
-1/4 c. walnuts or almonds, opt.
-minced garlic
- salt and pepper
-lemon pepper
-dash nutmeg
-dash curry powder (opt)
-dried basil
-1/4 c. greek yogurt
-1 t. raspberry dijon mustard
-2 T. unsweetened applesauce
-1 T. lemon juice

Toast the bulgur and red onion in small amount of butter and minced garlic until fragrant - about 10 m. Season with salt, pepper, lemon pepper, basil, and nutmeg.Add water and spinach and carrots and simmer until tender / water is soaked up. Add in raisins.
Meanwhile, mix together greek yogurt, applesauce, lemon juice, mustard, basil, lemon pepper, and curry powder (if desired). 
Once bulgur mixture is ready, add your cooked and cubed sweet potato. Allow to cool for a bit before combining the dressing and bulgur. Mix in nuts, if desired.

I didn't end up using all of the dressing - use your judgement! And hopefully I remembered everything...heh.
I had it with a naan cooked in lemon pepper. I just sprayed the cast iron skillet, sprinkled it with lemon pepper, and then slapped the naan bread down. The lemon pepper really added to it, I must say! (both the naan and the salad)


I was too lazy to  roll my naan dough out. I guess it's not very naan-like, but I'll still call it that.
Hopefully I haven't made everyone lose their appetites! I promise it was quite satisfying, however! Creamy, refreshing goodness. I eat a lot of spicy foods - as you all well know - and sometimes forget how much I enjoy food that isn't spicy, as well. For some reason it seems more satisfying and healthy, lol.

I think I've gotten so distracted so many times throughout the course of this posting, that I really hope it makes sense. I've got a lot running through my head - shooting a senior portrait tomorrow, and need to get my photos ready for our first critique, too. And need to take advantage of a bunch of BOGO sales at price chopper! Food is always a priority, ya know ;)

Anyways - that is all from my end. 
What's your favorite Bob's Red Mill product? Or, what's a grain you love, or one you really want to try?

8 comments:

  1. I really need to branch out from plain oats. I tried Bob's Red Mill 7 Grain Hot Cereal. It was delicious! But I ran out and haven't bought it again because oats are just so much cheaper!
    There are so many I want to try though! Have you tried oat bran?

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  2. Yep - I actually much prefer oat bran to oatmeal, actually!
    I've got the 5 grain cereal from Bob's Red Mill - they have so many - there was even a 10-grain! I found them all so interesting. I'm a nerd. lol.

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  3. Okay I need to try barley and bulgar - I've obviously had barley before in soups and things, but I need to make it besides in a soup. I just bought wheat berries, but haven't made them yet. I was thinking about trying to sprout them, but wish I decided on Monday when I had off for an entire week. Going to make flat breads later!

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  4. Yum, that breakfast looks great, if only I could eat a photo!!
    Tried cooking with bulgur for the first time last night, but it didn't go too well and ended up a little bit bland - but a lemon bulgur salad sounds very good indeed. Got lots of bulgur left, so will definitely be giving it a try. What other things can you do with it?? x

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  5. Wow, all these look healthy and delicious!

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  6. Hi Annie,
    I agree Bulgur can be rather bland when just cooked alone! I often treat it like a stir fry, and add salt, pepper, a bunch of veggies, an egg or two, and whatever seasonings I'm feeling at the time! It can also be made into a tabouleh salad, or used as a replacement for anything you'd ordinarily use rice for :)

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  7. I love how you pack all of your snacks! I need to start doing that and just leaving some in my car... :)

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  8. Great ideas for bulgur - thanks jess :)

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