Cake, Batter, and Bowl

Caprese Bulgur with Chicken Sausage

Main Dishes

Caprese Bulgur with Chicken Sausage

Caprese Bulgur with Chicken Sausage

Apolinaras is like a kid in a candy store at any establishment that sells tools or hardware stuff. Now don’t get me wrong, I’m grateful he’s so handy and likes to do all the maintenance on our cars and tackle home improvement projects. But, the other weekend I was so painfully bored following him around the aisles of Harbor Freight Tools, that I decided to check out the store next door, Ocean State Job Lots. I’d never been there before and probably won’t be back, because it was kind of a depressing discount store, but I was happy to stumble upon a large selection of products from Bob’s Red Mill. I ended up buying two new items to play with – bulgur and chickpea flour.

If anyone has suggestions on what to do with the chickpea flour, please let me know. We tried the bulgur right away and quickly fell in love. It’s nutty and very tasty and actually has less calories and fat than quinoa, but the same amount of protein and double the fiber per serving. It was nice to mix things up a bit! One of the first meals I made was a twist on a traditional caprese salad, inspired by beautiful summer heirloom tomatoes.

I mixed the bulgur with some olive oil and balsamic vinegar and then mixed in a hefty dose of chicken sausage, fresh mini mozzarella balls, mini heirloom tomatoes, sun dried tomatoes, and fresh basil. I will definitely be buying more bulgur from amazon, but if you don’t have any around, I think this dish would also be great with couscous or quinoa.

Caprese Bulgur with Chicken Sausage
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
2 cups quick cooking bulgur
4 cups low-sodium chicken stock
3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon salt
1 pound chicken sausage, sliced
8 ounces mozzarella balls, sliced in half (ciliegine, mozzarella balls in salt water from TJs)
1 pound mini heirloom tomatoes, sliced in half
1 cup chopped sun dried tomatoes
1/2 cup packed chopped fresh basil (0.8 ounces)

Directions:
Prepare bulger according to package directions. Briefly, add bulger and chicken stock to a medium stockpot over high heat and bring to a boil; reduce heat to low, cover with a lid, and simmer for 12 to 15 minutes or tender and liquid is absorbed. Stir in 2 tablespoons olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and salt. Place bulgur in a large bowl.

Place remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat and sauté chicken sausage for 6 to 8 minutes or until browned; place chicken sausage in the bowl with the bulgur, along with the mozzarella balls, heirloom tomatoes, sun dried tomatoes, and basil, and mix well. Makes 8 servings.

Nutrition: 521 calories, 24.6g fat, 11.3g fiber, 24.6g protein per serving
Cost: $1.66 per serving

Asparagus, Mushroom, Spinach, and Chicken Lasagna with Goat Cheese Sauce

Dinner party time! Shannon, Elina, and I decided to follow up our Spanish tapas party with a spring themed feast. Shannon rocked the appetizer course with a radish and polenta masterpiece and Elina’s scrumptious lemon strawberry shortcakes were the perfect sweet...

Cumin Rubbed Salmon with a Fresh Corn and Red Pepper Sauce

Apolinaras kept popping his head in the kitchen last night while I was prepping dinner because he was so excited we were having salmon. Apparently he thought a little cheering from the sidelines would hurry things along because he kept doing little dances to amuse me....

Pear Glazed Salmon with a Potato, Parsnip, and Bacon Hash

Some foods are so versatile that they are perfect for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. Bacon is definitely one of these ingredients, but I just realized that hash browns also fall into this category. Shreds of crispy golden brown fried potatoes just make everything...

Roasted Butternut Squash and Spinach Penne Pasta

I’ve been looking forward to this week for awhile now, because I get to see my good friend Susie not once, but twice, in two different cities! Susie is one of my best friends from college. We initially bonded as partners in organic chemistry lab, where we amused...

Flank Steak with Red Wine and Tamarind Sauce

Ah yes, it’s finally time to share my very first beef recipe! We don’t eat a huge amount of red meat, but every once in awhile a serious craving strikes and I just have to devour a juicy burger or steak. I only recently began cooking steak at home though because I was...

White Pizza with Sausage, Pancetta, Leeks, and Parmesan

Apolinaras and I recently celebrated our eighth wedding anniversary with a trip to Martha’s Vineyard over Memorial Day weekend! I really can’t believe it’s already been eight years. It was our last vacation before the baby arrives, so there was nothing on our agenda...

Thai Shrimp Green Curry

Happy New Year! Can you believe it’s already 2011? I smile every time I think about 2010 because we made it a great year. The highlight was our big vacation when Apolinaras and I visited his home country of Lithuania over our anniversary. On the career front,...

Salmon over Coconut Broth with Baby Bok Choy, Snow Peas, and Mushrooms

I have to admit that even though I consider myself a “foodie,” sometimes hearing about the local/organic food debate tires me out. Ideally, we’d all get all our food from farmers in our state who use no pesticides, right? But it’s not really economical for most people...