Mediterranean Bulgur Salad with Grilled Flank Steak + Giveaway
This Mediterranean Bulgur Salad with Grilled Flank Steak makes for one heck of a healthy and delicious summer meal!
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So we moved up north right in the middle of winter a couple of years ago. It was quite an adjustment for this Southern boy. I spent that first year researching all of the different herbs and veggies that I wanted to plant. (I think maybe I missed my calling and should’ve been a farmer.) I discovered a type of kiwi that grows in colder weather, and I’ve now got kiwi vines all down one fence. (They’ve yet to produce fruit, but I read that it could take up to 5 years.)
I also found out that artichokes and asparagus will grow up here. Seriously! I didn’t eat much of either growing up, but I’ve been making up for that in recent years. So, of course I planted a nice row of asparagus seeds next to a row of artichoke seeds. And you know what? They sprouted! Like the kiwi, asparagus apparently take a year or two to get established, so I was ready for year #2. But no asparagus. I saw one or two little shoots come up, but my attempt at growing asparagus failed. Same with the artichokes. Not sure what happened there. On second thought, I do remember seeing the dogs sniffing around that part of the yard a good bit. Hmmm. Who knew my dogs loved artichokes and asparagus? Oh well, I tried!
If you’ve never tried bulgur before, you might be wondering what exactly it is. Well, I had the same questions as you, and Bob’s Red Mill was right there with the answers. (I find their website to be a wealth of knowledge and recipes…so make sure to check it out!) “Bulgur is a nutritional powerhouse” that is common in a lot of Mediterranean and Middle Eastern dishes. It’s made from hard red wheat, and it’s cooked in a similar method as rice.
I personally like to toast the bulgur in a frying pan for a few minutes to really enhance its’ nutty flavor. It’s a great base for summer salads, and it partners quite well with fresh veggies. This Mediterranean salad is one of my favorite ways to use bulgur, but I’ve also just made a batch of it and topped it with fresh grilled zucchini and squash. It’s one heck of a delicious (and different) grilled meal!
Mediterranean Bulgur Salad with Grilled Flank Steak + Giveaway
Ingredients
For the Grilled Flank Steak
- 3 Tbsp olive oil
- 2 Tbsp lemon juice
- 1 Tbsp white vinegar
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 16 oz. flank steak
For the Mediterranean Bulgur Salad
- 1½ cups bulgur rinsed
- 3 cups vegetable stock
- ¼ cup pine nuts
- 1 bunch asparagus stalks peeled
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 2½ Tbsp lemon juice
- ¼ tsp kosher salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
- ½ cup Italian flat-leaf parsley chopped
- ¾ cup canned artichoke hearts rinsed, drained and coarsely chopped
- ¼ cup Kalamata olives pitted and coarsely chopped
- ½ cup feta cheese crumbled
Instructions
For the Grilled Flank Steak
- In a small bowl, whisk together all of the marinade ingredients (olive oil, lemon juice, vinegar, garlic, salt and pepper). Use a fork to piece the flank steak in several places, and then place the flank steak in a medium glass baking dish. Pour marinade over the flank steak; cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.
- Preheat oven to 350°F and grill to medium-high heat.
- Remove flank steak from the marinade and sprinkle both sides with salt and pepper. Grill the flank steak over medium-high heat until done, about 3-4 minutes per side depending on thickness. Transfer steak to a cutting board and let rest for 5 minutes before slicing.
For the Mediterranean Bulgur Salad
- Place the dry bulgur in a large pan and toast over medium heat for 5 minutes, stirring frequently. While the bulgur is toasting, bring 3 cups of vegetable stock to a boil in a medium sauce pan.
- Place the pine nuts on a small sheet pan and toast in a 350°F oven for 8-10 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside.
- Once toasted, add the bulgur to the sauce pan with the boiling stock. Stir, return to a boil, cover and simmer until bulgur is tender (about 12-15 minutes). Drain off excess liquid.
- Meanwhile, steam the asparagus for 5-7 minutes. Transfer steamed asparagus to a cutting board and slice into ¾” pieces on a diagonal.
- Slice the flank steak against the grain into thin slices.
- Using a small bowl or measuring cup, whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper.
- In a large bowl, add the cooked bulgur, asparagus, parsley, and artichoke hearts. Pour the olive oil mixture into the bowl and stir gently until well combined.
- Place the Mediterranean Salad onto serving plates and top with feta, toasted pine nuts, olives and 1-2 slices of grilled flank steak.
This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Bob’s Red Mill.
The opinions and recipe are all my own.
You should plant some kale David, it’s so easy to grow and keeps on giving and giving and giving throughout wintertime.
That flank steak looks amazing btw!
I’ve never thought about growing kale in our garden, Mike. Great idea! I should pick some up…I love anything that continues to give in the winter. Thanks for the tip!
My favorite is London broil (flank steak).
Me, too, Linda! Flank steak is one of my favorites (as you can see in this post…haha). 🙂
Love love love the combo of artichokes, asparagus and pine nuts in this bulgur salad! I must say I do love Bob’s red mill – but haven’t tried their bulgur yet.
I am on year 2 of my asparagus here in HOTlanta and I have had only about 3-4 asparagus shoots sprout up-a chap at home depot told me sometimes it takes longer…so don’t give ’em up to the dogs just yet!
Btw, Hooooge thanks for hosting this giveaway!!
Thank you so much, Shashi! I love that you are trying to grow asparagus, too. I actually just noticed today that there are a couple of little shoots coming up this year…go figure! Maybe I can get them to turn into actual asparagus…we shall see! And no problemo on the giveaway…Bob’s Red Mill is great, and I highly highly recommend their bulgur. 🙂
I’ve never even heard of bulger before… intrigued to try it. Fresh asparagus just started to show up on the farm stands around me. Love it!
Oh, you totally need to try bulgur, Laura…it’s the next quinoa! Seriously, though, it’s crazy healthy and I really enjoy it for yummy summer salads like this one. Don’t you just love this time of the year for fresh produce??
I love grilled corn on the cob!
Absolutely, Kit! I love how grilled corn gets that slightly charred flavor. It makes a great addition to summer salads, too!
My favorite is grilled chicken.
Grilled chicken is hard to beat! Thanks, Kaye!
Have to go with chicken and steak
Both classics and really tasty on the grill! Thanks for commenting, Barb!
Chicken
I love grilled chicken, too! Thanks, Amelia!
grilled veggies or pizza!
Oh…pizza! Now there’s a fun one. Thanks, Nikki! 🙂
Grilled veggies and grilled chicken!
Grilled chicken + veggies is one of the reasons why I love the summer so much! It’s easy to eat delicious, healthy food! Thanks, Elizabeth!
I like grilled chicken with grilled zucchini.
I love grilled zucchini, too, Carolyn! We always plant a bunch of zucchini (it grows like wildflower up here) and then just grill it up with olive oil + herbs for an easy summer side dish. Thanks for commenting!
Steak tips on kebobs with peppers and onions
Steak tips are definitely a favorite in our house, too, Rosie!
Steak kebabs have to be my favorite grilled meat!! But now that I have that out of the way…I LOVE bulgur. I used to eat it all the time when I lived in Africa but stopped for a while. And now I am having a new found love for it, thanks to Bob’s Red Mill. Can’t wait to try this salad!!
Yes, Bob’s Red Mill is awesome!! So glad you rediscovered bulgur…I find that it’s perfect for summer salads! And any occasion to make steak kebabs is a good occasion as far as I’m concerned!
I like grilled chicken best, but my husband really like to grill pork chops too.
Can’t go wrong with either chicken or steak, Dandi! Thanks for commenting!
Steak
Steak is a classic, Sandra! Can’t go wrong there…thank you so much for visiting!!
We like to make kabobs with marinated chicken, onions, bell peppers, mushrooms, tomatoes & pineapple.
Oh man, just hearing you describe those kabobs is making my mouth water, Kristen! Thanks for commenting!
I love grilled hamburgers with onions and veggies also cooked on the barbecue.
Hamburgers are a classic, Elle! With Memorial Day coming up this weekend, I was just telling my wife that we need to plan on making some delicious grilled burgers. Thanks for visiting Spiced!
Grilled Sausage and peppers are my fav
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I also love sausage and peppers, Carolsue! But I typically make those indoors in a cast iron pan…I should totally give that a shot on the grill sometime soon. Thanks for visiting Spiced!
My favorite summer time meal is grilled tempeh sliders.
Grilled tempeh sliders…that’s a new (and really fun) idea! Thanks so much for stopping by, Ann!
i love grilled steak tips.
You and me both, Amanda! Grilled steak tips are one of my favorites, too!
grilled chicken with chips
Grilled chicken is always a delicious (and healthy) option for the summer! Thanks for visiting, Donna!
OK THE STEAK SOUNDS GREAT!!! I WILL TRY TO GRILL IT ON SUNDAY WHEN WE COOK ON THE GRILL BUT I DON’T KNOW ABOUT THE OTHER STUFF.
Glad you like the steak, Pauline!! But you really should give the Bulgur Salad a shot, too…it’s healthy and really tasty! 🙂
Would love to win!
Forgot to say that pasta with any fresh garden veggies sautéed up with garlic and mushrooms is my favorite summer meal.
Veggies with garlic and mushrooms sounds like an excellent summer meal, Michelle! Thanks for stopping by Spiced!
Love the bulgur recipe, will try. Fave summer meal: Grilled veggies, mushrooms, tomato, peppers, onions, asparagus, zucchini in olive oil. Throw on a grilled baguette, too yummy.
Thank you so much, CJ! That grilled veggies with olive oil sounds amazing…especially if it’s spread over a nice crispy baguette. I’m inspired! Thanks for stopping by Spiced!
I have a bag of bulgur that I need to use! Thanks for the recipe!
Lucky you, Rebecca! This salad is one of my favorites for the summer…I hope you enjoy it! Thanks for visiting Spiced. 🙂
I love to make grilled salt and vinegar potato slices. Thanks for the giveaway. I just had bulgur in my lunch today.
Woah…grilled salt and vinegar potato slices!? That sounds amazing, Dana…I need to steal your recipe! 🙂
My favourite recipe on the BBQ is grilled pizza! It’s the next best thing to a wood-fired oven 🙂
Oh man, I love a good grilled pizza, Katharine! In fact, I want to update my pizza dough recipe for the grill. I love my oven-version one, but I need more of a flatbread style for the grill. I think the long weekend is a great time to test some new recipes! Thanks for stopping by Spiced! P.S. I totally agree with you about a wood-fired oven…I would LOVE to have one of those!
Grilled Swordfish! Any fish actually, but swordfish comes out the best on the grill.
You are totally right, Barbara…swordfish is amazing on the grill. I love it with just a little bit of lemon and a dash of salt. So simple and delicious…I haven’t had swordfish in forever. Thanks for reminding me, and thanks for visiting Spiced!
Grilled chicken kabobs!
Grilled chicken kabobs are so delicious, Katie! I’m pretty sure I could eat them every night in the summer. Thanks for visiting Spiced!