A Healthy Dinner for the Lazy Cook, Using Summer Veggies

It is late summer and everyone who gardens in Indiana is likely hauling out far more vegetables than they can eat.  It is the season for red ripe tomatoes, juicy sweet bell peppers, crispy cucumbers, and even some crunchy carrots.  All of these foods taste great on their own, but they also taste great together.  One of my favorite ways to have them is in a wheat salad with some simple herbs, lemon juice, and olive oil.  When you add a small piece of pan cooked fish, it covers all of the food groups and offers lots of nutrition and flavor.  It is fast and easy to make with little prep work as well.  In fact, I am eating some right now.

 

 

To make the cracked wheat salad, simply put about 1/2 cup wheat (sometimes called bulgur) into a fine mesh strainer and rinse it until the run-off water is clear.  Transfer it to a large mixing bowl and add about 1 Tbsp of crushed mint, 2 Tbsp of dried parsley, and 1 tsp of garlic power.  Pour 1 cup of boiling water over the wheat, stir, cover and place in refrigerator for 30 minutes.  Once the wheat absorbs the water, you can add a chopped cucumber, chopped, bell pepper, a few peeled chopped carrots, and a handful of halved cherry tomatoes.  Also stir in 2 Tbsp cold pressed olive oil and 2 Tbsp of lemon juice.  Re-cover the salad and place back in the fridge for an hour or leave it overnight.

 



While the salad chills, get out some thawed white fish (such as snapper or tilapia), put them in an iron skillet over medium heat and drizzle with lemon juice and honey.  Cook 3-5 minutes on each side.  The fish is done when it flakes. 

Then, all you have to do is put your salad in a bowl and place a piece of fish on top!  Now you are ready to eat a delicious dinner full of season vegetables and other yummy goodness.