bulgur salad with edamame and cherry tomatoes

i just have to share this recipe, it's delicious, healthy and simple - my favorite combo! it came from the june cooking light. you can go over to this link and copy the recipe or copy it straight from here.





i'll give my notes first: i was very interested in trying bulgur, but i couldn't find it at my grocery store, so i used a cup of couscous instead. if i find it in the future i'll try it, but for now the couscous was good. i didn't have dill, so i skipped that. and, i used lemon juice from the bottle instead of fresh b/c it's easier and i didn't have the full 1/4 cup and it tasted just fine. the notes from the magazine say to round out the meal with grilled chicken, lemony hummus and toasted 100% whole wheat pita wedges. we had some chicken and pita wedges. it also says fava beans can be substituted for edamame. matt and i loved the edamame! reese didn't love it, but she ate it (and survived! imagine that in a three year old's life. :). edamame may become a regular at our house since matson eat it up! he liked it plain as finger food and then bites of the salad.







Ingredients



* 1 cup uncooked bulgur


* 1 cup boiling water


* 1 cup frozen shelled edamame (green soybeans)


* 1 pound yellow and red cherry tomatoes, halved


* 1 cup finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley


* 1/3 cup finely chopped fresh mint


* 2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill


* 1 cup chopped green onions


* 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice


* 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil


* 1 teaspoon kosher salt


* 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper





Preparation



1. Combine bulgur and 1 cup boiling water in a large bowl. Cover and let stand 1 hour or until bulgur is tender.



2. Cook edamame in boiling water 3 minutes or until crisp-tender. Drain. Add edamame, tomatoes, and remaining ingredients to bulgur; toss well. Let stand at room temperature 1 hour before serving.





Nutritional Information



Calories: 208, Fat: 10.5g (sat 1.3g,mono 6.7g,poly 1.2g, Protein: 6.3g,Carbohydrate:
25.4g, Fiber: 7.1g, Cholesterol: 0.0mg, Iron: 2.2mg, Sodium: 332mg, Calcium: 59mg

healthy banana-blueberry muffins

here's the promised muffin recipe.

it took me a little while to remember where i got it, but it finally came to me - everyday food. they are really good. i like to make a batch and put them in the freezer. i pull some out, nuke 'em in the microwave and have a good breakfast. reese loves them. it is a good treat the morning after she's eaten a good dinner.



Ingredients


* 1 cup whole-wheat flour (spooned and leveled)

* 3/4 cup all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)

* 1/4 cup wheat germ

* 1 teaspoon baking soda

* 1/2 teaspoon salt

* 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature

* 1/3 cup granulated sugar

* 1/3 cup packed light-brown sugar

* 2 large eggs

* 2 ripe bananas (about 1 pound)

* 1/3 cup reduced-fat (2 percent) milk

* 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

* 1 cup frozen blueberries



Directions


1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners. In a bowl, whisk together flours, wheat germ, baking soda, and salt.

2. In a large bowl, beat butter and sugars with a mixer until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. In another bowl, mash bananas with a fork (you should have 3/4 cup); stir in milk and vanilla.

3. With mixer on low, alternately add flour mixture and banana mixture to butter mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture; mix just until combined. Fold in frozen blueberries.

4. Divide batter among muffin cups. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean, 25 to 28 minutes, rotating pan halfway through. Let cool in pan 10 minutes; transfer muffins to a rack to cool 10 minutes more.