By | November 19, 2012
Photo: Joanne Bruno
As the holidays near ever-closer and and we seem to spend every spare minute digging our fingers into pie crust or our spoons into homemade cranberry sauce (yes, some taste testing is definitely in order!), healthy eating generally seems to fall by the wayside. After all, who has time to throw together a veggie-full meal when there are cakes to be made and potatoes to be mashed?
While this way of thinking may give you an extra twenty minutes of time here and there, what it won’t do is help you feel physically prepared to take on the holiday madness. I try to counteract this tendency by cooking up a good healthy meal at the beginning of the week so that when things get a little rushed, I always have something in the fridge that I can heat up. This meal is perfect for that. It makes an absurd amount of food, is full of good-for-you ingredients like winter squash, swiss chard, bulgur, and white beans, and makes up for what it lacks in saturated fat and cholesterol with big flavor. Just throw a batch together the weekend before the Big Day, and you’ll be set!
Photo: Joanne Bruno
Miso Harissa Squash adapted from 101 Cookbooks;
Bulgur with Sesame Seeds, Carrot and Chard adapted from Madhur Jaffrey’s World Vegetarian.
Joanne Bruno is a food writer and third year MD/PhD student. Find more of her delicious ramblings over at her blog: Eats Well With Others.
Miso Harissa Delicata Squash and Swiss Chard Bulgur Recipe
| Servings: | 4-6 |
| Calories: | 450 per serving |
| Prep Time: | 30 mins |
| Cook Time: | 30 mins |
| Total Time: | 1 hour |
Ingredients
- 1 cup white beans, soaked overnight and boiled in salted water until tender
- 1 delicata or 2 small sweet dumpling squash
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1/4 cup white miso
- scant 1 tbsp harissa paste
- juice of 1/2 lemon
- 1 cup bulgur wheat
- 2 tbsp sesame oil
- 2 tsp sesame seeds
- 2 scallions, cut crosswise into very fine rounds (both green and white)
- 1 medium carrot, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch dice
- 2 bunches swiss chard, leaves torn from stems into strips
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tsp sugar
Directions
To Make Miso Harissa Delicata Squash and White Bean Salad:
1. Preheat the oven to 400. Cut the squash in half lengthwise and then into 1/2-inch wide half moons. If using the delicata squash, leave the peel on. If using the sweet dumpling squash, peel.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, miso, and harissa paste. Place the squash in a large bowl with 1/3 cup of the miso-harissa oil. Toss to combine. Place squash on a parchment-lined baking sheet and roast until tender, about 30 minutes.
3. Mix lemon juice into remaining miso-harissa oil. Toss with white beans.
4. When squash is done, combine with the white beans. Season to taste.
To Make Bulgur with Sesame Seeds, Carrot and Chard:
1. Prepare bulgur wheat according to package directions.
2. Put the oil in a medium heavy frying pan and set over medium-high heat. When hot, put in the sesame seeds. Stir. As soon as the seeds start to pop, put in the scallions and carrot. Stir and fry for a minute. Put in the chard. Stir and cook until the chard wilts.
3. Add the cooked bulgur into the pan. Add the soy sauce and sugar. Give a few stirs. Serve.
