I tried a new recipe today that I saw last week on Roni’s Green Lite Bites food blog. I will admit that I was a bit skeptical at first because I couldn’t quite imagine the flavors together, but I decided to give it a try though because I love pomegranate. I’m glad I did because it was wonderful! 
Here’s a pic:
The recipe is called Bulgur with Peas & Pomegranates. I know … I know … it sounds like an odd combination, even Roni admits that in the video on her site. Even so, this recipe is a keeper and I will definitely be making it again! The peas, soy sauce, and ginger definitely give it a flavor reminiscent of fried rice, but the pomegranate seeds give it an amazing sweet/tart twist that’s pleasantly unexpected. Another added bonus — the recipe is vegetarian/vegan-friendly.
Now, for the best part, the bulgur makes this recipe a much more healthful alternative to rice. It’s both lower in calories and higher in fiber than rice. It also cooks MUCH faster than brown rice (10-15 minutes vs. 40-45 minutes). This may very well become my new favorite grain.
For those of you like me who are on Weight Watchers, it’s a real points bargain as well. A cup of bulgur is only 2 points whereas a cup of brown rice is 4 points. It’s also included on the list of Filling Foods for the new Momentum program introduced last week.
This was my first time using bulgur, so I’m definitely going to have to play around with it a bit more to perfect my cooking technique. In a nutshell, you basically cook it similarly to rice using a ratio of 2 parts liquid to 1 part bulgur. I think I actually overcooked mine because it turned out a bit sticky. I’ve already been thinking of other recipes I make where I currently use brown rice and may be switching some of those over to bulgur as well.
I will say that I did have a bit of difficulty finding it at first. I checked a couple of supermarkets and they didn’t carry it. I also checked at Trader Joe’s and didn’t find it there either. I was finally able to find it in the bulk grains section at Henry’s Farmers Market (subsidiary of Wild Oats). If all else fails, it can always be purchased online as well, but from an environmental viewpoint, finding a local source is always better when possible.
I’ll close this post by saying there will be no race report for this morning’s planned race. I opted not to do my 5k race this morning after all. My plantar fasciitis has really been bothering me the past couple of days, so I decided it was best to let my foot win this round and stay off of it this morning. Instead, I headed over to the gym and put in 12 miles on the LifeCycle at the same time I should have been racing. So, even though I wasn’t able to be there on the starting line with my friend Darla, at least I was with her in spirit by working out at the same time.
Hope every is having a great weekend! Until next time … 
Glad you liked it and I LOVE your photo!