Bulgur Pilaf with Baby Spinach & Lemon Vinaigrette
Grains and legumes have reemerged with power and punch – not to mention ease of preparation! Serve your pilaf warm, then simply add a splash of lemon juice to your leftovers and slide them into the fridge to create a chilled salad for the following day.
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Nutritional Bonus: Simply adding 1 1/2 tbsp lemon zest to this recipe provides you with 20% of your daily vitamin C requirement. The famed immunity booster is also necessary for the synthesis of carnitine, a nutrient essential in the production of energy from fatty acids.
Ingredients
Pilaf
- 1/2 cup dried red or brown lentils
- 1/2 cup bulgur
- 1/4 cup pine nuts or slivered unsalted almonds, toasted
- 3/4 cup frozen shelled edamame, rinsed under cold running water
- 1 cup coarsely chopped baby spinach
- 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
- Zest 3 lemons (1 1/2 tbsp zest)
- 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/2 tsp dried rosemary, crumbled
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
- 1/2 cup reduced-fat feta (2 oz)
Salad
- 1/4 cup finely chopped red onion
- 1 tbsp plus 1 tsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 1/2 clove garlic, minced
- 1/8 tsp sea salt
- 1/8 tsp ground black pepper
- 4 cups baby spinach (or spring greens)
Preparation
- Prepare pilaf: Rinse lentils in a fine mesh strainer and pick through, discarding any debris or small stones; drain. Add lentils and 4 cups water to a large saucepan and bring mixture to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to a simmer, cover tightly and cook for 15 minutes. Add bulgur to pan, cover and continue cooking for 12 minutes or until lentils are tender and bulgur is cooked through.
- Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, combine remaining pilaf ingredients, except feta.
- Prepare salad: In a medium bowl, whisk together all salad ingredients, except spinach; set aside.
- Drain lentil mixture in a fine mesh strainer and stir into bowl of pilaf mixture. Add feta and toss gently.
- Add 4 cups spinach to salad ingredients and toss until coated.
Nutrition Information
- Serving Size 1 cup pilaf and 1 cup salad
- Calories 341
- Carbohydrate Content 37 g
- Cholesterol Content 4 mg
- Fat Content 15 g
- Fiber Content 9 g
- Protein Content 17 g
- Saturated Fat Content 3 g
- Sodium Content 436 mg
- Sugar Content 3 g
- Monounsaturated Fat Content 0 g
- Polyunsaturated Fat Content 2 g