Apple Pie Bulgar for Breakfast & VB6 Cookbook Review

By: The Food Hunter

The VB6 Cookbook is a companion to New York Times columnist Mark Bittman's ever popular VB6 diet, a plan that helps you live better, lose wight and get healthy by eating strictly vegan meals before 6pm and enjoying a wide array of foods for dinner. The cookbook has over 350 tasty, easy to make recipes beautifully photographed and easily adaptable.

The VB6 Cookbook showcases a reliably simple and straightforward way of cooking. Most of the recipes include variations and countless ideas for tweaking them to your taste, highlighting how simple it is to avoid the repetition and boredom that comes with most other meal plans.

I love that there are not only recipes but actually a month's worth of meal plans, tips on stocking your pantry and practical building blocks for changing and sustaining a lifetime of healthy and pleasurable eating. The VB6 cookbook gives readers the tools and the motivation to cook, eat and live healthier.

The recipes under the heading breakfast intrigued me the most. I'm not a big fan of breakfast foods and I liked the idea that most of the recipes are for very non traditional items and are so easily adaptable. I used the Bulgar Pilaf recipe base to create my Apple Pie Bulgar. Warm apples, cinnamon, nutmeg and raisins mixed with bulgar and topped with toasted pecans is like having a big slice of apple pie for breakfast.

This recipe was fairly simple to put together and tastes even better eaten the next day, so be sure to make extra because you're going to want it!



Apple Pie Bulgar
(printable recipe)
2 tablespoons toasted pecans, chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup bulgur
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg or allspice
1/4 cup raisins or other chopped dried fruit
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups water
2 large apples (any kind), chopped

1. Set a large, deep skillet or medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the oil to the pan and when it's hot, add the bulgur, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Cook, stirring constantly until fragrant, less than 1 minute. Add the raisins, salt, water, and chopped apple, bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a gentle bubble and cover the pan.

2. Cook, undisturbed, until most of the liquid is absorbed and the bulgur is just tender, 5 to 10 minutes. Uncover, and add a little more water if the grain is sticking to the bottom. Replace the lid, and remove from the heat. Let the pilaf rest for at least 5 minutes or up to 20 minutes. Taste, add the pecans and more salt if necessary, fluff with a fork, and serve hot or warm.

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