Bulgar and Tomato Salad

Race season is officially upon us. And for me, that means weekends are booked from now until the end of August, and ultimately until October 9th. Weekends are spent outside at races, hanging out with our DetermiNation runners, recruiting people to join our team and raising a lot of money in the fight against cancer. The Bank of America Shamrock Shuffle officially kicks off the running season here in Chicago, and the DetermiNation team was out in full force this weekend.

All week I kidded with my runners through email that I would see them rain or shine on Sunday, and probably more rain than shine. The forecast predicted rain all week. I stalked the Weather Channel App on my phone, often checking the 10-day forecast multiple times per day. I was mentally preparing for the worst - packing 5 tarps instead of the normal 2, buying sides to our race tent just in case it started raining sideways, and contemplating resorting to Plan B if the idea of grilling hot dogs outside our tent didn't work. I mean...come on....it's the Shamrock Shuffle, which means the weather is never going to be nice. Well the Chicago weather sure showed me. It was a beautiful outside. No jackets required. And at the end of the day, I left with a little sun tan on my face, and a sense of accomplishment knowing our runners and volunteers did such an amazing job.

Pictures from left to right: 1. Andy and I before the race start. Andy lifted multiple heavy plastic bins, coolers, and tables for me this weekend for me. I didn't even have to pull the "my leg hurts" card once over the race weekend. And don't worry Andy, I liked having you out there for more than just the heavy lifting. 2. Michelle and I. Michelle just completed her first event as an ACS staff. Yay Michelle! 4 more to go. And this was just a pre-season game. 3. DetermiNation Committee members. I had a great group of committee members volunteer at the tent and finish line area with me. How lucky am I that I get to work with my friends throughout the summer?! It makes a work day not feel like work and knowing these folks give up their free time to help us out is just amazing. 4. Here is our Shamrock Shuffle team before the start of the race. 67 runners who have currently raised almost $30,000.

With working all weekend, I'm behind on preparing my meals for the week. The grocery shopping isn't even done. Yikes. I like to get most of the major cooking done on Saturdays and Sundays, so that the weeknights are not so hectic. I love starting the week with a refrigerator stocked full of lunches and dinners just waiting to be eaten. I will get it done tomorrow though. The grocery list is made, the meals have been planned, and now it is just time to execute the plan.

In the blog today, I'm highlighting another one of Mark Bittman's meals from his How to Cook Everything Vegetarian book. I made this Bulgar and Tomato Salad last week and loved having the salad on hand all week for lunch. I still had bulgar on hand from a few earlier recipes, I thought it might be best to get that used up before moving on to a different grain.

The salad comes together very easily. You cook the barley on the stove. While it is cooking, you whisk up the quick dressing, and chop up the tomatoes. You could really add any vegetable you have on hand to this salad, which is why it is such a great salad. I added some shredded carrots to the salad and some leftover basil that I had on hand. I think the feta cheese is key in this salad. Although, if you ask Andy, he thinks the feta was the one downfall of the dish. I guess it is all personal preference. I think the salad would be bland without it. But use your own judgement on that one. You don't need a lot of feta to give the dish its flavor, but the salty bite just really makes the salad a complete dish. I'm going to add this to the repertoire of "go-to" dishes. It's easy to throw together and stands up well in the fridge over the week.

Bulgar and Tomato Salad

adapted from Mark Bittman's "How to Cook Everything Vegetarian"

print this recipe

1 cup bulgar

1 small red onion, diced

1/2 cup feta cheese, crumbled

2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar

1/4 cup olive oil

1 tablespoon honey

2 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved

1 handful shredded carrots

Cook the bulgar according to the package directions.

Put the tomato, shredded carrots, onion, feta, vinegar, honey, olive oil, basil and red pepper flakes in a large bowl. Stir with a fork to combine. Season with salt and pepper. When the bulgar is done, drain. Put in in the bowl with the other ingredients. Stir together. Adjust salt and pepper seasonings as needed.