Lemony Kale with Creamy Bulgur Wheat

Though I bake and eat a good share of sweets, I tend to eat healthier vegetarian meals for dinner during the week.  Since most people don’t subsist on baked goods, I decided to share a favorite dinner recipe.  It doesn’t really require a lot of ingredients, and chances are you have most of them in your kitchen already.

I’m not quite sure how this dinner concoction came together.  I think I was trying to use up some things in my cupboard and refrigerator before they went bad.  I had some left over coconut milk left, bulgur wheat that needed to be consumed before the “best by” date, and a beautiful bunch of kale in the crisper waiting to be eaten.  These were combined into one of my favorite go-to dinners, lemony kale with creamy bulgur wheat.  It’s rather simple and is ready in less than 20 minutes.

Lemony Kale with Creamy Bulgur Wheat

Since usually only cooking for 1 or 2 people all of the time, this recipe serves 2.  You can easily double (or triple) it to suit the number of mouths you are cooking for.  To save time, I usually saute the kale while the bulgur wheat is cooking so they are done about the same time.   

1 cup bulgur wheat
1 cup coconut milk
1 1/2 cups water
1 bunch of Kale, ribs removed and torn into smallish pieces
1 tbsp oil ( I tend to use olive oil or grapeseed oil)
zest of 1 lemon
pinch (or more) or crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 cup flaked unsweetened coconut, toasted
1/4 cup sliced raw almonds, toasted
sea salt

In a medium pot or saucepan, bring the coconut milk and water to a simmer.  Stir in the bulgur wheat and then bring the mixture to a boil.  Once it comes to a nice boil, reduce the temperature to a simmer and stir often for about 10 to 20 minutes until the bulgur wheat is still creamy, but a lot of the liquid has been absorbed.  Remove from the heat.

In a separate pan, heat 1 tbsp of oil over medium heat.  Once your pan is hot, toss in the kale and then stand back!  It will crackle and hiss when it first hits the oil.  Next, toss in the lemon zest, red pepper flakes, and a bit of sea salt.  Saute the kale until it turns bright green, about 3 to 5 minutes. 

Serve the kale mixture over the bulgur wheat and top with the toasted almonds and coconut.  A bit more sea salt may be sprinkled on top before serving.  Enjoy!