Bulgur with Braised Kale

While most people are posting holiday cookie recipes galore I seem to be focusing on more nutritious foods of late.  This is partly due to my parents bringing over food every week and they want to make sure I eat healthy.  Of course I don't have a great deal of time to bake much (though banana bread has been made weekly as my husband does the groceries now and he somehow always seems to come home with a large bunch of ripe bananas).   

This recipe comes from my father who shares my love for kale and swiss chard.  Braised kale is a magical, magical thing.  Pasta with braised kale is still a favorite in our house but this recipe is definitely a close second.  You can adjust the ratio of bulgur to kale and make this more of a salad or more of a hearty side dish.  It's so filling it makes a great lunch by itself.  

1 cup bulgur

large bunch kale or swiss chard, ribs removed, leaves chopped

1 onion, chopped

salt, pepper, olive oil

Rinse bulgur (try and use #4 which you can find at most Korean or Middle Eastern grocery stores) and let drain.  Sautee onion in some olive oil in a large pot over medium heat.  Add kale, salt, pepper and saute for 15 minutes.  Add bulgur and saute for 1 minute.  Add 1 and 1/2 cup water and let come to a boil.  Lower heat and and cook for 15 minutes, adding more water if needed.  Bulgur should fluff out and absorb all water (notes: tastes better if home made vegetable stock is used instead of water).    

Sprout Salad

It may appear, from these recent postnatal posts, that I have been eating extremely healthy.  I can assure you that's not really the case. While I have been making sure I eat a good amount of fruits and veggies and protein, my appetite has been ravenous and I have had a huge sweet tooth.  Since breastfeeding, I have been eating twice as much as I had when I was pregnant.  But I do try and make an effort to get a lot of good nutrients in my system everyday.  This sprout salad is an energizing, refreshing, juicy and filling salad.  You can find sprouted mong at Whole Foods or some Korean or International grocery stores.  In the summer my mother sprouts her own whole mong which Whole Foods also carries (1 cup will double in volume: soak the mong for 12 hours and then drain the water and cover the container with a dish towel and keep in an oven.  Do not use a glass container as the idea is for the mong to sprout and grow in search of light.  In one and a half days you will have the sprouts).


2 cups sprouted mong
1 red pepper, chopped
1 orange pepper, chopped
1/4 c chopped spring onion
handful of dried cranberries
handful of chopped pecans or walnuts


Toss everything together and add juice from one lemon and about 2 tablespoons or so of olive oil. Salt, pepper.  Add a handful of chopped fresh cilantro or parsley if desired. 

Wild Rice and Spinach Salad

I believe the original credit of this salad goes to my cousin, Rashna, who always had this as a Thanksgiving side, so this year when my mother hosted Thanksgiving for our family it was on the table.  It's a nice fresh salad that I think goes so well with all the other warm, overcooked veggies you see at Thanksgiving.  But Thanksgiving aside, this is a perfect salad.  I love when I can combine a carb and a veggie and I have been consuming an insane amount of spinach lately as the iron is essential for me and my baby.  The proportions of the elements of this salad need not be accurate at all.  I like it heavy on the spinach, but you can certainly have it heavier on the rice or other ingredients.

1 6oz box long grain wild rice (Uncle Ben's) not quick cooking 

1/4 c finely chopped spring onions

4 cups chopped baby spinach

1 cup chopped mushrooms (any kind you like)

1/2 cup chopped cherry tomatoes

handful of chopped walnuts

handful of cranberries

Cook rice according to box and allow to cool.  Toss with other ingredients and then drizzle some olive oil, balsamic vinegar, add salt and pepper, a squeeze of fresh lemon juice and toss again.  Let flavors marry for an hour before serving.  

Ajwain Water

Behold.  The power of ajwain water.  For anyone who is nursing or planning on nursing anytime soon I highly recommend drinking ajwain water.  It's a natural digestive and infuses the breast milk as a homeopathic aid in stimulating proper digestion and relieving gas.  Of course I haven't conducted a scientific experiment of my own, but I  drink this everyday and my daughter seems content.  In India they would give the water directly to infants but of course in this country we are given such strict guidelines for what newborns and infants can consume (yet our children seem to have an abundance of health problems).  It is also said to help the mother heal after delivery.  I take 1 teaspoon of ajwain seeds and stir it into about 2 cups of water in a small pot and let this come to a simmer for a few minutes.  The water should become golden in color.  You can sweeten it with some sugar or honey if you like but I like the natural taste.  It's very herbal and lemon tasting, almost like thyme.  Strain the water to remove the seeds and drink warm or cold.  You can find ajwain seeds at any Indian or spice store or order some online.