The reason I chose One-Dish Dinners as the current theme for this month's Monthly Mingle is quite obvious. I think the routine in our family is not much different to many other families around the world. A tightly scheduled week with school, job, activities, hobbies filling up the major part of the days. Then we need to sleep and eat in between too. Dinner at our house is really the main meal of the day. It's the time where the three of us come together and spend 45-60 minutes talking about the day, discussing topics for the next day and just basically taking "time-out" with each other.
So, for me I like to make a small event out of each dinner.
No, I do not cook up a 5 course meal every night. I think in the long run it would not only become tedious but I also think spoiling someone too much is not too advantageous ;-)
What I do like to do is cook up a healthy and delicious tasting meal that looks like it could be a part of a 5 course menu. Often it's those one-dish wonders that save me. I can often prepare part of the dish in advance so, at dinner time all I really need to do is throw the ingredients together in one pot.
Although we are omnivorous, we do not eat too much meat. When I look at our meal plan, as a matter of fact, we will have meat maybe once a week and then it is often chicken or fish. So the cooking time for dinner is drastically reduced when I am just steaming vegetables or baking a fish.
My most favorite dinners contain bulgur, couscous, quinoa and other types of grains. Rice is so yesterday! LOL! These grains push the nutrition level up a notch, are often quick to prepare and taste delicious. Furthermore, they are so versatile and can be paired with anything - chicken, fish, meat or just vegetables. You can have it as a side or as the main part of your meal.
My little trick is cooking the grains in strong stock. I use vegetable stock - normally one that I prepared myself but more often than not I turn to instant organic vegetable stock. I actually prefer the instant type for cooking the grains as it adds a strong flavor.
In this dish I used Bulgur. I love the stuff and buy it in kilo packs! It even precedes couscous on my list. It has a wonderful nutty flavor and has a higher nutritional value than rice or couscous. Flavored with a strong vegetable stock, onions and a tiny hint of garlic the bulgur alone is a real treat, but with mixed vegetables, topped with feta and drizzled with some good olive oil - this is a phenomenal dish. So, even if it's not a 5-course menu and only a one-dish wonder, trust me this dish will have your family eating out of your hands.
Important: The Monthly Mingle Guest Host Calendar is almost full for 2008. I only have November open so if anyone would like to host in November please contact me. You'll find the details here.
Ingredients
Printable version of recipe here.
500g mixed vegetables of choice, cut or chopped into bite size pieces and steamed for 5 -6 minutes - I used broccoli, carrots, corn, parsnips and cauliflower
3/8 l vegetable stock
300g bulgur
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
3 small springs rosemary, coarsely chopped
3-4 springs thyme, coarsely chopped
1 can (425 ml) cherry tomatoes
200g feta cheese, cut into cubes - I used herb flavored feta
Salt and pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
Method
To prepare the bulgur add 1 tablespoon of oil into a large pot and sauté the garlic and onions. Add the bulgur and sauté for another minute. Pour in the stock and cook the bulgur according to the instructions on the packet. Normally it will take somewhere between 10 to 12 minutes.
After the bulgur has cooked add the can of tomatoes with the juices, salt and pepper to taste and allow to simmer for another 6-8 minutes. This allows the bulgur to soak in the juices and softens the tomatoes.
Now throw in the steamed vegetables and herbs, stir well. Mix in the feta and drizzle with the remaining olive oil. Serve hot as a side or as a main, garnished with some herbs.
Verdict
Simple but healthy, effortless but satisfying. It's the essence of one-dish dinners and of what is important for my family and me. I do not have to tell you that this dish tastes good - just look at it! You already know it does ;-) Soeren loves this type of food, it makes a fantastic alternative to pasta. Tom enjoys this because it is light and not crammed with calories. He will normally have a big lunch so he prefers light and healthy dinners like this. I like it because it's easy to prepare and tastes brilliant. The vegetables are still crunchy and the herbs provide a beautiful fragrance.
When I chose the theme for this month's event I was thinking of all my blogger gals and guys who are busy throughout the week. I hope the roundup this weekend will provide you with useful inspiration for your family dinners too. See you there!
Reminder!
Folks, come one! We all are constantly discussing our fresh fruit and vegetables on our blogs. We're all inquisitive and want to see what's beeing used in your kitchens. Join us for the Eat Fresh event and share your fresh produce!
You can see who's eating fresh on our Eat Fresh list!
Deadline: March 31st, 2008
You might enjoy these great dishes too:
Spicy Arabian Chicken with Couscous | |
Bulgur with Mushroom Mix | |
Chickpea Pumpkin Tajine With Coconut Couscous & Coconut Chutney |
All photographs and written content on What's For Lunch, Honey? © 2006-2008 Meeta Khurana unless otherwise indicated. | All rights reserved | Please Ask First
Feta looks awesome, I love that cheese combined with Spinach. Great looking dish Meeta.
ReplyDeleteHappy Monday to you, hope you had a great weekend!:)
This dish looks amazing!
ReplyDeleteI just bought some bulgar, but have never prepared it before. This recipe looks like a great place to start! Thanks!
I don't think I've had bulgur since I was a child - I really need to revisit it!
ReplyDeletethis looks so appetizing. I have never tried bulgur before but I sure will look for it when I go grocery shopping next time.
ReplyDeleteI am alll for one-dish meals and loveee anything with feta.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the great recipe :)
Sues
That's the kind of dish I love to eat at lunch time :)
ReplyDeleteBeautiful and healthy!
Looks lovely Meeta!
ReplyDeleteIts a lovely dish , full of nutritions , pics looks amazing Meeta. Will try making it sometime . It looks so tempting , I couldn't wait till i get Bulgar from store here.
ReplyDeletebtw , i just sent you entry for M m, plz check if you get it , the first time i sent it it bounced back .
Thanks.
this looks great - I haven't cooked alot with bulgar but have had a few good meals with it that make me think this looks like a fantastic idea I must try
ReplyDeleteLooks fantastic lovely and fresh
ReplyDeleteHey Meeta! Great dish! Perfect for the mingle.
ReplyDeleteMmm...! Feta and spinach is such a classic combination... and then you get the grains! Perfect meal!
ReplyDeleteAnn at Redacted Recipes
A winning recipe for a vegetarian like myself who consumes grains with virtually every meal. Nothing better than feta, except perhaps creamy goat's cheese and mushrooms.
ReplyDeleteSuch a great thing that you gather as a family for dinner and really talk to one another...the benefits will be huge as your children become adults.
ReplyDeleteThe recipe has such great flavors combined...Yum! Your photos with the addition of lettering have been so beautiful...I just haven't thought to comment on them before.
This sound great! I haven't had bulgar in ages. Time to change that, although I think I'll try this with basil and some artichoke hearts, perhaps some roasted walnuts or almonds.
ReplyDeleteI sometimes forget how easy it is to cook vegetables and still make them look fantastic. Your family is very lucky to have you as their wonderful cook!
ReplyDelete5 dishes in a meal!? You must be kidding! I'll be too tired to feel famished. The most I do is two and one-dish meal is quite common at our dinner table.
ReplyDeleteLove the feta topping the whole hearty dish! Hugs to my soul sister :)
ReplyDeleteThis would be delicious with quinoa or couscous, or fregula sarda, too. I think the feta really makes the dish.
ReplyDeleteSuch a healthy and colorful dish, wow.I am inspired....
ReplyDeleteMeeta, I like the new look of your website! (new to me at least!) :)
ReplyDeleteMmm, this looks and sounds delicious! I'm a huge fan of one pot meals; you're right that during the week a satisfying dish like this is the best.
ReplyDeleteI remembering fixing bulgur for the first time probably 30 years ago. It was a veggie skillet dish. I had it just 20 minutes from ready and some thing happened that required we would not eat for another hour. I popped it all in a very low heat oven with lid on and when we came back
ReplyDeletedinner was ready and it was fabulous! I wish I remembered what it was.
Yours looks must wonderful Meeta.
Meeta darling, I love the new header. I love the way each of the photograph looks like the cover is a glossy food magazine. I love it all. You are a food artist!
ReplyDeleteThank you everyone for your comments. I am glad you all are liking this dish. Bulgur is the way to go and for those who have not gotten around to try it - please do you will forget rice very quickly LOL! With the veggies and feta it is simply awesome.
ReplyDeleteBTW - the feta has herbs in it not spinach!
Hey Meeta, I've an award for you on my blog
ReplyDeletemeeta, can't see your posts on taste of india. do you know why? or did i miss them?
ReplyDeleteSounds heavenly to me :) And composition is beautiful!
ReplyDeleteMargot
I haven't eaten bulgur in ages and ages. This dish looks right up my alley. I'm also an omnivore, who tends to eat meat about 3 or 4 times a year. The rest of the time it's mostly fish and veggies, with occasional organic chicken thrown in for good measure.
ReplyDeleteAnd, of course, your photography makes me want to take fork to screen! LOL!
This looks so delicious Meeta! One-pot dishes are the best! Not so much to clean up afterwards ;)
ReplyDeleteHope to make it to Eat Fresh this season! I'm just entering summer...
Mmm this looks so good, I love dishes like this and adding feta does wonders (I LOVE feta!!). The photos are mouthwatering, lovely!
ReplyDeleteMeeta, this looks *great*! I've been trying to play with some different types of grains lately in order to make my vegetarian lifestyle a little more healthy and a little less "bread and cheese." I know my co-op has bulgur, so I'll have to try it. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteThis is so simple and looks gorgeous! Love the colours - definitely trying it! ^__^
ReplyDeleteThat looks tasty and healthy.
ReplyDeleteit looks so tempting... I bought a lot of beetroot this winter and I think I made juice out of most :-)
ReplyDeleteit looks so tempting... I bought a lot of beetroot this winter and I think I made juice out of most :-)
ReplyDeletebest food i ever see.... it will be tasty very nice blog .
ReplyDelete