Bulgur Risotto with Shrimp

I felt like cooking something quick but healthy, so I did a little research on one of my favorite food sites, epicurious, and discovered that you could actually make a risotto with wheat bulgur!

Bulgur is a recent discovery of mine and I'm still figuring out some interesting ways to prepare it. Over the summer I tried a great recipe with nectarines, pistachios and dill with a balsamic vinaigrette, which was awesome but not really a winter dish since its served chilled.

I love risotto but most recipes call for dairy and cheese - not okay in my book (or my belly). If I haven't mentioned it before, I'm allergic to dairy. Yes, that's allergic not lactose intolerant. I

break out in hives if I have too much dairy and cheese actually makes my throat close-up. My mother is deathly allergic to cheese in even the smallest quantities, so I'm assuming she passed on this lovely allergy on to me. But it doesn't bother me - I grew up without eating cheese and miss it very little. I really only like mozzarella and will once in a while have a slice of pizza and suffer the consequences (which are well worth the deliciousness that is pizza!)

Back to the bulgur!

So the recipe is pretty simple and it came out great.

All you need is:

• Shrimp (I used raw, frozen with the shells still on)
• 1 cup of wheat bulgur
• 1 lime, juiced
• 3 large cloves of garlic, minced
• 2 cups of corn (I used frozen since it was easier)
• 1 red pepper, diced
• 1/4 teaspoon of red pepper flakes
• 1/2 tablespoon of salt

Step 1:

Get some water boiling in a tea kettle or an easy to pour sauce pan. You will want about 3 cups that are nice and hot to cook your bulgur.

Saute the minced garlic in about 2 tablespoons of olive oil for about a minute or two, do not let it brown.

Step 2:

Add the wheat bulgur, the salt and mix it around for a minute or two. You want the bulgur to soak up all the delicious garlic infused oil. Then add about a cup of the pipping hot water that you boiled ahead of time. Aren't you glad you did that... now your bulgur will be at a boil. Let this simmer for a few minutes, add another cup so that it's soupy. Your bulgur will eventually soak up all the water, expand and become creamy once you cook everything.

Step 3:

After waiting about 10 minutes, put your shrimp in and give it a nice stir. Regardless if your shrimp are thawed or not, just wait till they start to turn pink, then throw your veggies in. Shrimp cook up super fast, so pay attention. I think shrimp with the skins on make for a tastier dish, which is why I didn't peel them before hand.

Step 4:

Once the shrimp start turning pink, throw in the corn, pepper, lime juice and pepper flakes. Give everything a good stir. Add some more water if things are getting a bit dry. Bulgur eats up a lot of water and there's always evaporation. I probably added about 3 cups in total over the course of cooking.

Once everything is nice and cooked, which took about 5 - 7 minutes on the lowest heat setting on my stove, its ready to serve! Wasn't that easy and fast!!

The dish was really tasty and it wasn't that difficult to eat even though you need to peel the shrimp. I was surprised by how much flavor it packed even though it was only a little olive oil, lime, some veggies and shrimp. It also came out a little creamy after everything cooked down. I'm definitely making this again and will try it with different veggies!

Remember wheat bulgur has more protein and fiber than white rice, so eat up!