Apricot & Zucchini Tabbouleh

These days, I've found myself second guessing what I'm thinking before the words come out of my mouth. Not because I'm trying to be more respectful (although that should be everyone's goal at all times because there is no down side) or more mindful, I'm just worried that what I say is an American term and no one will know what I'm talking about. Much like when I made banana bread for my flatmates, I sometimes have to explain things that I never had to explain before. It's been an interesting lesson in how to describe something completely foreign to another person.

This week, the term was 'potluck'. It turns out that this is a completely American term and no one (English, French, German, Spanish) uses it outside of North America. As defined by Google:

Note the note about how it means something different in the North American region. Well, we had a potluck (and an English lesson) at work this week. The weather in London has actually been on par with east coast summers: hot. And unlike the east coast, air conditioning is not common. So this cool substitute for a pasta salad seemed like a good idea.

The majority of the time it takes to make this summer tabbouleh is spent on the chopping in assembly. Otherwise, you're simply cooking some bulgar wheat (similar to cooking rice or lentils) and roasting some zucchini (courgette, if you will). Then apricots, lemon juice, green onions, parsley, chopped walnuts, garlic and balsamic are all mixed together with the cooked ingredients and you're ready to go!

 

Simple, right? Tasty? Definitely. Add this to your picnic/potluck/BBQ arsenal and you'll be deemed a genius. Or just brilliant!

 

Recipe from Joy the Baker

• 1 1/2 cup bulgar wheat
• 3 cups water
• 2 medium zucchini, sliced
• Olive oil for drizzling, black pepper for sprinkling
• 3 small apricots, pitted and chopped
• 1/3 cup chopped walnuts
• 1/3 cup sliced green onions
• 1/2 cup chopped parsley
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• Juice from 1 lemon

1. Preheat the oven to 375. Chop the zucchini and spread on a baking sheet (lined with parchment paper or foil for easier clean-up). Drizzle with olive oil and black pepper. Roast for 10 minutes until slightly shriveled and then turn over the zucchini pieces to continue roasting for another 10 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, add bulgar wheat and water to a large pot. Bring the water to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook covered until all the water is absorbed. Then, remove from heat.
3. While the zucchini and bulgar wheat are cooking, chop the apricots, walnuts, green onions, parsley and garlic.
4. Once the zucchini is roasted, allow to cool slightly before mixing into the cooled and cooked bulgar wheat.
5. Stir in the fixins (all the chopped things) and add the balsamic vinegar and lemon juice. Stir until juices are evenly distributed throughout. If the mixture seems sticky or dry, you can add some olive oil.
6. Serve chilled! 

Greek Zoodle Salad

There are some differences between the US and the UK that I expected. Like driving on the other side of the road (and looking in the other direction before crossing the street as a result), temperatures reported in Celsius, measurements in metric units, spellings like 'prioritised' and 'colour'. And then there are things I didn't expect like zucchini aren't called zucchini, they're called courgette. Or cilantro is called coriander, which I thought was a completely different spice altogether.

The first time I went to the grocery store by my flat, it took me over an hour to find everything and even then, I didn't really find everything. I gave up on blueberries and limes. Crunchy healthy stuff is in an aisle called 'free from' as in 'free from gluten' or 'free from nuts' (although almond butter is in the aisle so...).

The second time I went, I was a little more patient (and a little less hungry) in finding my ingredients. With a Greek salad inspired zoodle dish in mind, I navigated the produce section for familiar vegetables. It took me awhile to find pepperoncini (my Spanish flatmates tell me the English don't have true peppers) and am now the proud owner of a very large jar of pepperoncini, from the Mediterranean section of the international aisle--logic.

I'm not a fan of olives so I skipped those but otherwise, went for a crunchy Greek 'pasta' salad. But instead of pasta, I used zoodles. With zucchini called something else over here, zoodles are also lost in translation. Coodles? Croodles? Crasta? Nothing is quite as good as zoodles, I'm afraid.

Chicken is browned in a large skillet. Once the pieces are browned on both sides, zoodles are added to the pan to cook slightly. Slowly but surely, the tomatoes, cucumber and pepperoncini are added to the pan as well. This quickly became an easy one-pan dish. I've also made this without the zoodles and added extra cucumber to keep it crunchy.

 

Topped with feta cheese and olive oil, we have a summer classic in the making!

Recipe

• 1 lb. chicken breast, diced (or stir-fry cuts)
• Fresh ground pepper
• 2 zucchini (or courgettes), spiralized
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1/2 large cucumber, chopped 
• 3-4 large pepperoncini, chopped
• Feta cheese for topping

1. In a large frying pan, heat olive or vegetable oil. Add the chicken pieces. Brown on each side, turning carefully and reducing heat as oil gets hotter. Sprinkle with ground pepper.
2. Once the chicken has been browned, add the zoodles.
3. Continue by adding the cherry tomatoes, cucumber and pepperoncini. Stir to incorporate with the chicken and zoodles.
4. Cook until the vegetables are soft and the tomatoes have started to blister. 
5. Remove from heat and top with feta cheese. You can enjoy this hot or cold, I preferred it slightly warmed.