Meatless Monday: Bulgar Taco Salad with Cilantro-Lime Dressing

It's been really amazing to me that Meatless Monday has become something my family (well, OK, maybe just Ben) looks forward to. I can count on him asking, "So, what's for Meatless Monday?" when he walks in the door. Keeps me on my toes to find appealing recipes!

I've had a bag of dry bulgar wheat in the pantry, and have been wanting to work with it, so I looked up recipes, and found one for Bulgar Taco Salad. I happened to have the other ingredients on hand as well, so it was an easy decision.

recipe adapted from Get Natured

If you've not tried Bulgar, you really should add it to your grain repertoire. When cooked, it is a chewy, dense grain that actually works very well in a meat-substitute dish.

To make the salad, you'll need:

• 1/2 cup dry bulgar wheat
• 1 15 oz can black or pinto beans, rinsed well **I used dark red kidney beans
• 1/2 cup corn
• 2 green onions, chopped
• 1 medium tomato, chopped
• 1 avocado, diced
• 4 cups lettuce **I used Boston/Butter lettuce, but it's really just a personal preference, just don't use Iceberg, please! ;)

1. Place 1 cup of water and the dried bulgar in saucepan, bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer until the water has been absorbed, and grain is tender (about 12-15 minutes). Uncover and let cool. *I boiled my bulgar in vegetable broth to up the flavor.
   
2. Combine bulgar, beans, corn, green onions, and tomato.
   

Cast of Characters for the dressing

Cilantro-Lime Dressing

• Juice of 1 lime
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1/4 cup cilantro, packed
• 1 tsp agave nectar or honey
• 1/4 tsp chipotle chili powder (adjust to desired level of spice)
• 1/4 tsp ground cumin
• 1/4 tsp coriander
• 1/2 tso Mexican oregano
  
• 1 clove of garlic, minced
• 1/4 tsp sea salt

Mix well, and add to the bulgar/veggie mix. Stir well to coat all the veggies.
Serve bulgar mix atop a bed of the lettuce, and top with diced avocado.

Nutrition Round-Up
* The bulgar wheat and kidney beans are great sources of protein, iron and fiber
* Tomatoes pack an antioxidant punch
* Avocados are good sources of fiber, folate, and Vitamin K, as well as Monounsaturated fat
info via here