Mexican Bulgur Salad

As Summer nears and the hot weather starts to descend  I just naturally start eating lighter foods. My stew, bisque and heavy soup recipes are put away to hibernate through the summer and the salads come out. Bulgur is a great grain with almost as many health benefits as quinoa. I actually was going to use quinoa in this salad but I ran out of it but feel free to substitute quinoa if that is what you prefer. This salad is light, tasty and relatively healthy and makes a great side dish to fish or chicken. It lasts a while in the refrigerator and in my opinion only gets better but make sure to serve it at room temperature. Enjoy!

2 cups bulgur

4 cups water

1 can corn

1 jalapeno or green pepper, diced

1 large red onion diced

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 red pepper, diced

3 scallions, sliced

4 tomatoes, de-seeded and cubed

1/3 cup rice vinegar

2/3 cup oil

4 cloves garlic, crushed

1 Tbl cumin

2 tsp hot paprika

1/4 cup chopped parsley or cilantro

salt and pepper to taste

Put the bulgur in a bowl and season with salt. Boil the water, pour it over the bulgur and cover it until all the water is absorbed-much the way couscous is made. Whisk the vinegar, oil, garlic and spices together and dress the salad while it is still warm.  Add the vegetables and beans and mix well. Season with salt and pepper and refrigerate for about an hour to let the tastes meld together.