NO POWER? NO PROBLEM. BULGUR WITH KALE AND SPICED CHICKPEAS

Bulgur with Kale and Spiced Chickpeas is the perfect post-hurricane food during power outages. This hearty recipe needs no cooking and no refrigeration. It’s conscious cookery at its finest.

If you’ve just been hammered by a hurricane, you probably don’t care about that, you’re more interested in getting something to eat.  Bulgur with kale and spiced chickpeas is your answer.  It’s pantry-friendly, quick-cooking, and nutrient-dense, with flavor, fiber and protein to nourish you through difficult days and sticky nights.

How to Make:

1. In a large bowl, use your hands to massage kale with olive oil and lemon juice for a minute or two until kale starts to relax. Maybe you can relax a little, too.
2. Add chopped scallions and smoked paprika, allspice, turmeric and bulgur. Toss to combine.
3. Add diced tomatoes, agave and water. Give everything a good stir to combine and cover. Pop it in the fridge, if you’ve got one. Leave it on the counter if you don’t. After an hour, bulgur should be tender and have absorbed all the liquid. Season with sea salt and pepper and fluff with a fork.
4. In a separate bowl, toss chickpeas with cumin and perhaps a pinch of sea salt.
5. To serve, scatter spiced chickpeas over the bulgur, sprinkle on the chopped cilantro. Drizzle on some tahini, if you like.

Bulgur Backstory and Pantry-Stocking Tips 

Bulgur — an ancient strain of wheat that comes to you cracked, cleaned, boiled, dried and sorted. You may know bulgur from tabouli, but it’s a quick-cooking, mild-flavored whole grain that invites a million other meal possibilities.  No wonder it’s been the go-to grain across the Middle East for millennia.

Bulgur comes in large grain, coarse, medium and fine grain.  

Fine bulgur, the one most often used in tabbouli, is a fine one to have on hand when you lose electricity.  The tiny grains rehydrate, plump up and soften in warm water — no cooking! Medium is the most versatile of this versatile-as-anything- grain, and the one I had on hand when we we briefly lost power after Hurricane Ian.  I’m not complaining. Many people lost a lot more. Once the electricity came back on, I boiled a pot of water, added the medium bulgur, then turned off the heat and covered the pot.  The bulgur magically went from small, dry grains to soft, plump and bowl-ready all by itself in minutes.

Canned chickpeas — canned beans are heroes any time, but especially when the power’s gone. Canned beans are already cooked and convenient and, like all beans, they’re satisfying, belly-filling, and loaded with protein and fiber.  Best of all, they’re ready when you are.

Canned tomatoes — this is a pantry must for me.  Canned tomatoes are instant meal brighteners, especially when gorgeous ripe tomatoes aren’t available. They not only moisten the bulgur, they add umami, that savory flavor our mouths love.

Kale — sturdy greens like kale, collards and cabbage can survive a day or two in the fridge even without electricity. But they won’t last forever. Chop the leaves and massage them with your hands and a little olive oil, sea salt and lemon juice.  You’ll feel the kale start to release and relax. Maybe you can relax at little, too.

Fresh herbs — scallions, cilantro, parsley, dill— if you’ve got ‘em, chop ‘em up and add them.  Delicate fresh herbs wilt fast without refrigeration, so enjoy them now.  If you’re herbless, let that be the least of your worries. Likewise the spices.  

Make the bulgur and spiced chickpeas with whatever you have on hand, and you’ll still come out ahead, mouth happy, belly full. Stay nourished during this crazy time. Wishing you clear skies and sunny days. And remember — we are never really without power.

RECIPE

Bulgur with Kale and Spiced Chickpeas

Kale, with its tough leaves, is sturdy and holds up without immediate refrigeration. Got a working fridge? Lucky you. Spinach or arugula work fine.

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Ingredients

  

• 4 cups kale about 1/2 bunch, chopped
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 cup scallions chopped
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1 teaspoon allspice
• 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
• 1 cup bulgur
• 1 15- ounce can diced tomatoes or if you have it, 1 to 2 ripe tomatoes, chopped
• 1 teaspoon agave
• 1 cup water
• 1 15- ounce can chickpeas rinsed and drained
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 handful cilantro chopped
• sea salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
• tahini for drizzling if desired

Instructions

 

• In a large bowl, use your hands to massage kale with olive oil and lemon juice for a minute or two until kale starts to relax. Maybe you can relax a little, too.
• Add chopped scallions and smoked paprika, allspice, turmeric and bulgur. Toss to combine.
• Add diced tomatoes, agave and water. Give everything a good stir to combine and cover. Pop it in the fridge, if you’ve got one, leave it on the counter if you don’t. After an hour, bulgur should have absorbed all the liquid. Season with sea salt and pepper and fluff with a fork.
• In a separate bowl, toss chickpeas with cumin and perhaps a pinch of sea salt.
• To serve, scatter spiced chickpeas over the bulgur, sprinkle on the chopped cilantro. Drizzle on some tahini, if you like.

Bulgur!  It’s fiberiffic and so versatile, you can change it up every meal.  It hasn’t always been #1 on my whole grain playlist, but after a weekend enjoying bulgur in many different guises, I’m changing that.

BREAKFAST BULGUR

Add chopped fresh and/or dried fruits and nuts to plain cooked bulgur.  Sprinkle cinnamon on top and finish with a drizzle each of silan (date syrup) and tahini or a  dollop of your favorite nut butter. Indulgent yet nourishing, it’s a great way to jumpstart your morning or light up a ho-hum afternoon.

GREEN BULGUR

Mince up a bunch of greens and herbs, such as cilantro,  dill, mint, chives, parsley and/or arugula.  Massage into the plain cooked bulgur until the greens soften and become tender (who doesn’t like a massage?). Drizzle in olive oil and fresh lemon juice, just a little at a time, till you have a tender, tabouli-like consistency. Season generously with sea salt and freshly ground pepper.

Add pinenuts or pistachios to finish, if desired, and serve with as many fresh, steamed or roasted vegetables as you like.

TURKISH BULGUR

There are riffs on this dish in Turkey, Syria, Lebanon and Iran.  It’s quick to make, big on flavor.  I threw this bright dish together in minutes, served it hot at dinner, then enjoyed it all over again for lunch the next day served over greens as a cool salad.

Palestinian Chef Sami Tamimi shares a brilliant bulgur bowl just right for the season.

Bulgur gets an African spin with Abi’s jollof bulgur .

Thank you for reading my vegan stories and plant-based recipes. I sincerely love to connect with listeners and would like to hear your feedback, takeaways, “ah-ha!” moments, etc in the comments.

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