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Place the bulgur in a large bowl. Add the parsley, cucumber, tomatoes, green onions, mint, and vinaigrette and stir well, then taste and season with salt and pepper if the salad needs it. Chill before serving.

Food Trivia:

Bulgur is wheat that has been cracked, but it is not cracked wheat. Confused? Well, you’re not alone. When wheat berries are cooked, dried, and then cracked with most of the hull removed, they are called bulgur. When wheat berries have been cracked without being cooked or hulled, they are called cracked wheat. Fortunately for us, the hull/no hull decision is easy because true cracked wheat is difficult to find in the United States.

Chapter 4:

Dinner for One

Zucchini Cakes with Horseradish Sauce

Roasted Red Pepper and Avocado Wrap

Teriyaki Portobello Sandwich with Baked Potato Wedges

Daikon Radish Salad with Sesame Fried Tofu

White Bean Salad

Maki Rolls

Spanikopita

Spanish Tortilla

Soba Noodle Salad

Broccoli and Cauliflower with Satay Dipping Sauce

Egg Foo Yong

Zucchini Cakes with Horseradish Sauce

Zucchini Cakes with Horseradish Sauce

I got the idea for this recipe from a Greek restaurant I worked at. The horseradish sauce is my favorite thing about them because I love that rush of spiciness that clears the sinuses. –M

Serves 1

2 green onions

¼ cup mayonnaise

2 teaspoons horseradish

1 teaspoon milk

1 zucchini

1 small clove garlic

1 egg yolk

1 tablespoon flour, plus about ¼ cup for dipping

Salt and pepper

1 tablespoon canola oil

Cut off and discard the roots of the green onions, and cut the whites and about 1 inch of the green parts into thin slices. Place half the sliced green onions, the mayonnaise, horseradish, and milk in a small bowl and stir until well combined. Reserve the rest of the sliced green onions.

Cut off the ends of the zucchini and discard. Grate the zucchini and place it on a paper towel. Wrap the paper towel around the zucchini and squeeze over the sink to remove the excess liquid. Peel and finely chop the garlic or pass it through a garlic press.

Lightly beat the egg yolk in a large bowl. Add the reserved green onions, the garlic, and 1 tablespoon of the flour. Gently stir in the zucchini and season with salt and pepper. Put the ¼ cup of flour into a small, flat dish. Form the zucchini mixture into 2 balls, dip the balls into the dish of flour so that they are coated all over, and flatten them slightly to form the cakes. Heat the canola oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat, add the zucchini cakes, and cook for 5 to 7 minutes on each side, or until golden brown.

Place the zucchini cakes on a plate and top with the sauce.

Food Trivia:

The horseradish website (yes, it really exists, www.horseradish.org) calls horseradish a root with roots. It’s been used for various purposes for more than three thousand years, including as a remedy for back pain, a treatment for rheumatism and tuberculosis, a cure for headaches, and—you guessed it—an aphrodisiac.

Roasted Red Pepper and Avocado Wrap

Roasted Red Pepper and Avocado Wrap

In my experience, wraps can go either way: sometimes they completely hit the spot, and other times they’re just boring fuel. This one always falls into the former category. Besides the fact that the colors of the food make it pretty (I know that sounds lame, but it’s true), the red pepper and avocado are an awesome combination of flavors and textures. It’s a little time-consuming to roast the pepper, but it’s so delicious that you’ll be glad you did it. Plus, you only need half of the pepper for each wrap, so you can store the other half to make another wrap in a jiff within the next few days. –J

Serves 1

1 red bell pepper

½ avocado

1 (10-inch) flour tortilla

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

2 slices provolone cheese (about 2 ounces total)

A small handful (about 1 ounce) baby spinach leaves

Roast the bell pepper by placing the whole pepper directly on the gas stove burner (if you have an electric stove,