Mmm, mmm, this stuff is good--a really simple and unique pasta dish. The first time we made it, Brian and I dubbed it an Instant Classic. We made it again the other night and it was even better, since the first time we forgot to reserve some cooking liquid, which left it a little dry. The ginger is one of those ingredients we never have in the house, so I got a big hunk of it, chopped it all up and put it in a bag in the freezer to have on hand.
4 long carrots (about 9 oz.), peeled into long ribbons
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter
1 tbsp. packed, finely grated lemon peel
1 tbsp. minced peeled fresh ginger
2 yellow or orange bell peppers, cut lengthwise into skinny strips
8 ounces linguini (fresh is best)
2/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan
1 1/2 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
Melt butter over medium heat. Add lemon peel and ginger; stir one minute. Add carrots and bell peppers. Saute until just tender, about 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, cook pasta in boiling salted water till just tender. Drain and reserve 1/2 cup of cooking liquid.
Add pasta, 1/4 cup reserved cooking liquid, cheese and lemon juice to skillet. Toss until sauce coats pasta, adding more cooking liquid if dry. Season with salt and pepper.
This is from
Bon Appetit, which isn't a notably veggie-friendly magazine, but once in a while has a good find. That's where I stole the above picture from too.
But it can be! I have twice recently cooked with bulgur -- first to make these bulgur veggie burgers from Gourmet. Never having made veggie burgers before, I followed the recipe exactly. The mix, which is vegan and middle-eastern-y, was really delicious, but it didn't bind very easily into patties, so next time I'd either chill the "dough" for a while before forming burgers or add something like breadcrumbs (I did cover the outsides with panko so they wouldn't be so sticky/hard to handle). Quite tasty served open-faced on toast, or just by itself as I ate the leftovers. John suggested using them in wraps which I think would be a good solution to the crumbly-texture problem, and would be almost like falafel. 
Since I have lots of bulgur now, I decided to make tabouli this weekend. I winged this one, soaking the bulgur in boiling water until tender and then mixing with garlic, lemon juice, red wine vinegar, olive oil, green onions, tomatoes, cucumber, radishes, lots of fresh parsley and mint, and feta. Mmmmm! This was sooo much better than packaged tabouli (duh). And super refreshing and healthy-feeling on a hot day. Alas, tragically, after we'd eaten only a little, John dropped the container and spilled most of it all over the kitchen floor. I almost cried but managed to keep it together. It now lives only in my memory.
