Lemony Bulgur Chickpea Salad

June 27, 2019

#food #yummy

I’m so tired.

I’ve been tired plenty during the internship, but how I feel right now is special. It is, as they say, next level. And, with a final on Thursday, four assignments to finish, and almost two weeks left in my current rotation, the feeling doesn’t promise to let up soon.

I’ve been at something of a loss for what to cook/eat. Dinner toast has happened (at least?) three times in two weeks. But I’ve always believed that it’s possible to make homemade, good-tasting food even when time, energy, or both are very, very short. And that belief hasn’t been challenged yet by the DI, in spite of ups and downs in my desire to make food.

This grain salad is a little piece of proof. It came together last week, on a particularly hot-for-late-May night, when I wasn’t quite in the mood for a cooked grain bowl and not quite in the mood for a dinner salad, either. That’s thanks in part to the quick-cooking nature of bulgur, and in part to the fact that, no matter what’s going on, I always have a can or a frozen container of chickpeas at home.

And so, this. A mix of cooked bulgur, zesty lemony vinaigrette, chickpeas, and herbs. I thought of it on my commute home from work, so I had a chance to pick up the mint. But if you don’t have mint, parsley (or parsley + basil, parsley + chives, parsley + dill) will be just fine. And in that case, this meal really is made up of ingredients that many of us are likely to have in your fridge and pantry already.

Because of a few, small, additions that make a significant difference—the fresh herbs, lemon zest, the nice texture contrast of creamy chickpeas and grainy bulgur—the salad registers as a little more special than it sounds. And, as always, it does well with modifications. If raw red onion is too pungent for you (I used only a little for the recipe), you could try chopped green onion tops instead. Once they’re in season, add sun gold or grape tomatoes. Or chopped cucumber. Or, if you’ve got some in the freezer, green peas.

You get the idea. Whatever you do, however you serve this simple gem, I hop you enjoy it.