Summer Vegetable Bulgur and Chickpea Salad

This easy-to-prepare whole grain salad can be served warm or chilled and can take on the flavors of any season. In the fall, add mushrooms and dried fruits such as currants, raisins, chopped apricots, or cherries along with slivered almonds and some aromatic spices like cumin and cinnamon to give it a North African theme. In the winter, keep the spices and dried fruits and add diced butternut squash. Hold the spices in the spring and add baby peas, asparagus, and mushrooms.

Makes 4 to 6 servings

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
1/2 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 cups boiling vegetable or chicken broth, or water
1 1/4 cups uncooked bulgur
1 small onion, diced
1 small zucchini, diced or sliced into thin half-moons
1 small red bell pepper, seeded and finely diced
One 15.5-ounce can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
2 cups halved cherry or grape tomatoes

Combine the lemon juice, zest, salt, and pepper in a small bowl. Add 1 tablespoon of the olive oil, stir with a whisk and set aside.

Combine boiling broth or water and bulgur in a large bowl. Cover and let stand for 20 minutes or until liquid is absorbed.

While the bulgur absorbs the liquid, heat the remaining oil in a medium skillet (preferably nonstick) over medium-high heat. Add the onions and zucchini and cook, stirring often, until they’re just barely soft, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in the peppers and chickpeas and cook another 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer vegetables and the dressing to the bowl with the bulgur. Toss to coat. Fold in the cherry tomatoes. Serve chilled or at room temperature. (And when the weather changes, you can serve it hot!)

TD&N Nutrient Analysis for 4 servings: Calories: 353; Total Fat: 9 g; Saturated Fat: 1 g; Polyunsaturated Fat: 1 g; Monounsaturated Fat: 5 g; Cholesterol: 0 mg; Sodium: 867 mg; Carbohydrates: 58 g; Fiber: 15 g; Protein: 12 g

— Recipe by Laura Pensiero, RD; photo by Gary Dolgoff for Today’s Diet & Nutrition