They call it Burgul or Bulghur or even Bulgar—I call awesomely wholesome!

There’s a trending topic on foodie twitter scene—to eat one new food each week. I like it! And from what I see, many adventurous and not so eaters and cooks decided to try a new vegetable each week. And it’s fine. But being a “grain girls” as my culinary student cousin called me, I want to introduce to my readers, and by instance to myself, a new grain each week…

I guess I already have one post on the subject this year. My last week can be counted in for lentils, although being legumes, are closely related to grains.

Why grains? Not only because I want to differ from anyone, but also because I like to encourage myself and, if I’m lucky, my entire family, to eat as much seasonal as possible. And this time of the year, although you still might find many vegetables in the supermarket, is the season of the grain!

Furthermore, adding whole grains to your diet is a good way to get health-boosting nutrition, vitamins and minerals without splitting your budget.

Also, I have already shared some recipes with whole grains in my previous posts about Barley and Millet and today I’m introducing Bulgur.

What is this strangely named grain? Despite its scary sounding name and rather long list of spelling variations—bulghur, burghul or bulgar—it is gentle parboiled wheat, cracked into three different varieties: fine, medium or coarse. Fine and medium can be used for stuffing grape leaves or vegetables, and my favorite—coarse bulgur—can be cooked into a wholesome pilaf. Bulgur is vastly used in Turkish and Middle Eastern cuisine—you most likely tried it in a salad, called Tabouleh and is considered a Whole Grain on this side of the pond.

It is also known as an ancient "instant" cereal. Because it's parboiled—that makes it partially cooked, the preparation time is half of its lookalike—cracked wheat. So, next time you want to switch up that rice-o-roni side dish routine, or swap your morning cereal, consider Bulgur for its awesome wholesome nutty taste, chewy texture and easy cooking.

I’m sharing a side dish made with frozen mixed bell peppers that is very easy and fast to prepare. The peppers add color and sweet flavor to this dish making it a perfect companion for almost any protein on your plate. I used dried oregano this time, but you can add any dried herbs of your choice. You can even garnish it with some fresh herbs. If you would like to use fresh peppers, please add an extra ½ cup of liquid to the recipe…

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Bulgur and Mixed Peppers Pilaf

Serves 4

1 T spoon olive oil

1/2 large onion, diced

2 garlic gloves, crushed

1 pk (14 oz) frozen bell peppers, do not thaw

1 t spoon salt

1 t spoon ground black pepper

1 t spoon dry oregano

1 cup bulgur

1 cup water/stock

• In a saucepan, heat oil over medium heat. Add onions and then garlic and cook for couple of minutes until onions are tender
• Add frozen bell peppers, season with salt, pepper and oregano and let simmer over medium heat until peppers are thawed, 2 to 3 minutes
• Add bulgur, toss it with the vegetables, pour water/stock and bring to boil over high heat
• Lower the heat to medium, cover the pan and let simmer until all liquid is absorbed. Turn off the heat but leave the pilaf on the stove, covered for another 3 to 5 minutes
• Fluff with fork, serve and enjoy!

An Act of Cilantropy

Before everyone gets busy with the Memorial Day festivities, I wanted to share this delicious alternative to catsup. One might find it more coarse in texture, but the splash of fresh flavor is undeniable, due to this wonderful herb called cilantro.

It is quite popular in Asian and Mexican cuisines. And I won't bore you with detailed information on the benefits of a plant with delicate fan shaped leaves. I will tell you one thing: do your taste buds—and eventually your health—a favor and try using cilantro. Practice some cilantropy towards yourself…

Cilantro leaves are so delicate and wilt fast, to keep them clean and crisp keep them in a bowl of ice cold water before cooking with it.

Plant some in your garden, or find organic cilantro in your market and try this simple recipe for a fresh home made condiment. It is generously versatile: use as a dip, or spread on burgers, kabobs, or add to pasta, hot or cold alike. The ingredient list of this spread was inspired by flavor combinations of Caucasian cuisine.

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Cilantro Dried Tomatoes Spread

Makes about 8 oz of pesto

1 bunch cilantro (washed and dried)

4 oz dried tomatoes

1/4 cup shelled walnuts

2 cloves of garlic

1-2 dried chili pepper, few black pepperocrns

Freshly squeezed juice of 1/2 a lime

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

• Place all the ingredients in a food processor and pulverize into a uniform mass.
• Serve it with whole wheat pita bread, on a burger, or as a dip.

The Ageless Sage

When coming across the word Sage many people, including me, have an image of an old wise man with a long white beard. True, this is one of the definitions of this word, however I will focus on its homophone, an herb that we well know as a perfect flavor for a Thanksgiving dinner also known as Salvia Officinalis.

I would like to encourage you to plant this evergreen perennial in your garden or in a planter on your deck. You won't regret it, for it will give you its aromatic velvety green leaves almost all year long. Why would you need them all year long, if sage is mostly used during fall/winter holidays? Because with taste like this and an extensive list of benefits, I'm sure you'll be tempted to use this ageless herb not only to compliment your Thanksgiving bird.

Names Salvia and Sage derived from latin "to save" because of the herb's healing properties.

Did you know that sage is considered a Female Herb? Drinking an infusion made with fresh or dried sage leaves can regulate the menstrual cycle, may reduce irritability during PMS and relax spasms or cramps. It also helps with excessive perspiration and hot flashes during menopause. I can affirm you the first one works whereas the second one I'm yet to test on myself. These sage qualities are due to its anti-depressant and estrogenic effects. Sage can also suppress excessive lactation for nursing moms.

I personally think that the aroma of sage is very feminine, too!

Besides that, as many medicinal herbs, sage has a good effect on the digestive system as it has anti-inflamatory and antibiotic properties. It is also beneficial for the liver function.

So go ahead, turn your garden or a planter into a medicine cabinet by planting this ageless sage for years to come.

I couldn't help to brew a cup of a wonderfully aromatic infusion to brighten up my mood that is damped with all this grey rain that we're having lately.

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Ageless Sage Infusion

Makes one 8 oz cup

4-5 sprigs of fresh sage leaves (including the stems)

1 cup (8 oz) boiling water

1 t spoon of honey (or any other sweetener of your choice)

• In the bottom of a tea pot or a cup, crush the leaves and stems with pestle or a spoon.
• Pour boiling water over the crushed leaves, cover and steep for 3 to 5 minutes.
• Strain, sweeten and indulge!

Instant Healthy Breakfast

This is a quick post about a new (at least for me) idea for instant breakfast. I love a bowl of warm quick oatmeal as my fist dish of the day but it seems not so quick when I try to enrich it with other ingredients. So I pack these little bowls of 1/2 cup of quick oatmeal, 1 T spoon of milled flax seeds, 1 T spoon of raisins and another T spoon of dried cranberries plus some crushed unsalted nuts and store it closed. Every morning I have a ready to go whole instant breakfast—I just transfer the mix to the serving bowl and pour 1 cup of boiling water. Mix and let stand for couple of minutes and viola—enjoy your instant bowl of wholesomeness!

Eatless Mondays

It is not a typo in the title. Yes, Meatless Mondays is a term that is more familiar in food blogging world. At the expense of sounding hypocritical, I want to make a rather daring proposition: Eat-Less Mondays—let’s proclaim this day of the week, however difficult it might be, a day of fasting, or eating less.

That is exactly what fasting means. Not starvation or deprivation but rather a restrain from certain foods or ingredients or eating at certain time and eating in moderation. While long-term fasting can be difficult and even dangerous to some people—little children, seniors, pregnant women, and people on medications—short-term could be easy and safe to follow. Back in my home country, it is known as Razgruzochniy Den’ or Unloading Day.

Furthermore, the Christian Lent—a kind of fast—that lasts 40 days begins this week. While fasting for 40 days may seem a difficult long-term task, we can make an effort to do so at least once a week during this period and onward.

I find it very sensible that Lent falls on spring—after long winter of eating hearty and heavy meals, fasting is a Spring Cleaning for our bodies!

It will only benefit our whole health (unless you’re on some sort of treatment). In fact, fasting is a treatment itself, one of the most ancient, simplest and cheapest. It can tune up your body, mind and spirit. I think for this reason—cleansing of the spirit—almost all world religions rituals include fasting.

There are different ways to fast. Complete fast is a total refrain from any food and water. It is the hardest one. Then, there’s fasting only on water—no food—or fasting on raw fruit juice, plain yogurt, raw vegetables, raw fruit, etc. Most commonly known way of fasting nowadays is so called “cleansing” or “de-tox” diet.

Here are some benefits of short-term fasting:

• Fasting eliminates the chemicals in our bodies and this way helps balance our unnatural cravings or desires, when most of the time can’t even explain ourselves why we have them;
• Short-term fasting can also correct weight problems, naturally by generating energy from the back up sources, aka fat;
• It can also balance blood pressure for we will consume less salt and fasting thins our blood;
• Some may even rid of sleep disorders, depression and mood swings, nervousness, and other stress-related ailments;
• Fasting on raw foods—fruits and vegetables—improves your eyesight and hearing and the better functioning of your senses altogether. I remember last year when I first tried fasting on raw vegetables and fruits for one week, my sense of smell became so sharp as well as my hearing, I was amazed to notice this good change!
• In addition, fasting can balance our energy—instead of spending most of our inner energy on digesting, your body will focus on other areas of it that needs attention, like brain so you might also notice improvement in clarity of your thinking process and concentration.

First time you try one-day fast it might not show any tangible effects but it will certainly help. Frequent or repetitive one-day fasts (once or twice a week), or even alternate day fasting, will be much more effective.

This is an interesting exert from an article I read online:

{One way fasting works is by shrinking or constriction. Your tissues and arteries constrict, loosening whatever garbage or material is stuck to its walls that is causing the problem. When you eat again, the tissues and vessels expand again and the material is forced out. Of course, if you wait long enough the body has its own (better) way of eliminating the waste. Also, during fasting, the blood thins as it expels its waste, and this is what causes the dizziness. This dizziness, however, goes away as the blood rebuilds or normalizes. Sitting before getting up from a lying position is recommended.}

How to fast? Well, as I mentioned earlier, let us start by once a week. We can choose a method/food type that is easiest for us. But there are certain helpful restriction points: no sugar, no caffeine, no salt, no alcohol, no heavy fats (especially animal), not to mention saturated fats, no junk food of course (it should be banned from your life altogether), no starch, no gluten, etc. I know it sounds harsh—but remember, it is only for your good and only for ONE DAY a week. And remember not to stress during fasting day for it may interfere with your overall well-being. Try to abstain not only from food but also from any negative emotion—but this is a good practice for every day, not only when you fast.

Samples of fasts:

• Complete fast (Muslim fast)—no food or drinks at all from sunrise to sundown;
• Full fast—no food, drinking water only;
• Juice fast—drinking only freshly squeezed vegetable/fruit juice throughout the day;
• Yogurt fast—eating/drinking only low/no fat plain yogurt (best if home made);
• Raw food fast—eating only uncooked vegetables/fruits + raw seeds/nuts;
• Daniel fast (the Book of Daniel)—no meat, no sugar, no bread—here you can eat grains and legumes in oppose to the previous fast.

There are might be more out there. Or you can create your own, say Apple fast—eating only apples throughout the day. Do your research and start with the one that could be easy for you to follow at fist, then one day you’ll be able to do more, I mean eat less for a longer period of time!

Quite contradictory for a person with a food blog, but everything needs a break—even our stomachs and bowel! And remember, fasting is a self discipline!

I am fasting today on yogurt! Yummy!