Showing posts with label Bulgur Wheat. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Bulgur Wheat. Show all posts

I made something up and it was a success.

Down to my last 3 sweet potatoes and having the idea of a chilli in my head as influenced by this, I foraged through the fridge, freezer and cupboards to come up with a vegetarian variation on a Mexican classic. What I created was not Mexican, more an amalgamation of Middle Eastern, Greek and something you'd find at a vegetarian hippy food tent at Glastonbury. (For which I have tickets, YES!!!!)

The white speck on the left is annoying me, too.

 It might look like there are a lot of ingredients, but as per they are interchangeable/omit-able and all reasonably inexpensive.

Sweet potato and spinach chilli with bulgur wheat and various Greek toppings.

Makes 3 servings (I know 3 is weird but this is just what I used)

Main dish:
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil/normal oil/butter
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 3 medium sweet potatoes, diced with skins on
- 1 stick celery, chopped
- 1 heaped teaspoon minced garlic
- 1/2 chopped green chilli, seeds included
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper/chilli powder
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1/4 of grated nutmeg
- few drops balsamic vinegar
- few drops Worcestershire sauce
- 2 drops Tabasco
- 4 blocks frozen baby leaf spinach
- 1/2 can Foul Medames (some bean things I had in, probably best to use red kidney beans, borlotti beans or chickpeas)
- 1 tin chopped/peeled plum tomatoes
To serve:
- bulgur wheat
- olives
- feta
- pumpkin seeds

Heat the oil in saucepan and add sweet potatoes, celery, onion and garlic, cooking for around 5 minutes on a medium heat until the veg has started to soften. Add the chopped chilli and spices and let these infuse for another 5 minutes. Add all remaining ingredients and let simmer for around 45 minutes, until the sweet potato is soft. Stir occasionally and add frequent splashes of water to make sure it doesn't stick.



While this is cooking, you can make the bulgur wheat. I know this is not a staple household item but it's really delicious and very cheap, it's also a great healthier alternative to rice. However, if you want to just use rice that would also work well with this dish. Cook your wheat according to instructions - I put about 4 heaped tablespoonfuls per person in a saucepan, cover with hot water then boil for about 15 mins. Sieve to get rid of any excess water.

When both above components are done, arrange your bowl: bulgur wheat on the bottom, 3-4 big spoonfuls of chilli on top, and a bit of crumbled feta. I grilled mine in the bowl for about 10 mins, then sprinkled a small handful of pumpkin seeds and chopped olives over the top. These are perhaps not customary ingredient combinations, but in my opinion they work. Hopefully they will for you too!