Wild Garden Foods

One of my favorite dishes in the world happens to be Mujadra. The first time I had Mujadra was at Al-Ameer restaurant in Dearborn Michigan. The restaurant’s interior looked like it came straight out of the 80’s; with pale pink and teal hues. My co-worker, who took me there, ordered about 10 different dishes and Mujadra and Fattoush were the two that stood out.  I still make them on occasion today. However, Mujadra can be a little time-consuming since you have to cook the rice, boil the lentils and fry the onions, a step that cannot be overlooked.

dinner for four Wild Garden just introduced a line of Mediterranean heat and serve pilafs and Mujadra (rice and lentils) happened to be one of them. It’s already cooked and stored in an air-tight bag. The only step I needed to do was fry the onions and microwave the bag’s contents. Being a full-time, working, mom, the convenience was appreciated.

Wild Garden has a couple other heat and serve sides that come packaged for convenience: Bulgar and Couscous with chickpeas. You can literally just dump them in a bowl and microwave and eat. I like to add my own spin on things, so I added a few simple ingredients to customize the meal to my preferences. wild garden couscous

If you are having people for dinner, these heat and serve sides are perfect! Below I have prepared a complete menu that is perfect for entertaining, using the Wild Garden Mediterranean heat and serve pilafs. Follow my tips to put a crave-worthy spin on each dish and your guests will fall in love. The entire meal is broken down by each dish, will take just 30 minutes to prepare and will feed 3-4 people.

 

Mediterranean inspired meal for 4 with Wild Garden heat & serve pilafs

wild garden products

*Chef’s Tip – prep the veggies, herbs, fried onion and pita for each dish below and heat the Wild Garden pilafs all at the same time, prior to garnishing, for 5 minutes in the microwave.

Recipe #1

Mujadra with Fried Onions

1/2 sweet, white onion

1 cup canola or vegetable oil wild garden rice and lentil pilaf

1 package Wild Garden Rice & Lentil Pilaf

Side of Tahini (store bought)

Directions

Thinly slice white onion

Heat oil in medium saucepan (about 1 inch in depth) until almost boiling

Carefully add in onions and remove once they start turning golden brown with slotted, heat-resistant, spoon or mesh fry basket

*Note this will happen quickly so be prepared and safe!

Let cool then add to the Wild Garden Rice & Lentils (Mujadra)

Reserve the pan with oil to deep fry the pitas for your Fattoush salad (recipe below)!

Recipe #2 Chickpea Couscous with Herbs

1/4 cup chickpeas

wild garden couscous 2 T sliced sweet, white onion

2 tsp. chopped cilantro

2 T EVOO

2 tsp. fresh squeezed lemon juice

1 package Wild Garden Couscous Pilaf

Directions

Prepare herbs and onions

Heat Wild Garden Couscous according to directions (about 3 minutes)

Add chickpeas, cilantro, EVOO, lemon juice, onion and mix

Serve with the rest of the meal

Bulgar with Diced tomatoes

1 package Wild Garden Bulgar Wild Garden bulgar pilaf

1 small tomato, diced

Directions

Heat Wild Garden Bulgar Pilaf according to directions and top with diced tomatoes and cilantro

Serve with the rest of the meal

Fattoush Salad

Serves 4

3-4 cups of chopped romaine or green leaf lettuce

1 small tomato, diced fattoush salad

1/2 cucumber sliced

1/2 green pepper, thinly sliced

1/4 sweet white onion, thinly sliced

1/2 tsp. ground sumac + a dash reserved

1/2 tsp. Mediterranean Oregano

Fried pita crisps * (2 pitas)

Directions

Make the pita crisps {Take 2 pitas, cut them into 1-2 inch strips and wedges, deep fried in remaining oil from fried onions above. Bring oil to slight boil and place pitas in for just a few seconds, until golden and remove with slotted spoon or fry basket}

Make the Lemon Vinaigrette (recipe below)

Add all salad ingredients to a medium bowl, aside from vinaigrette & pita, and toss

Add 1/2 of the lemon vinaigrette and toss until coated

Top with fried pita and a light dusting of sumac

Lemon Vinaigrette

Yields: 1/2 cup (enough for 2 medium salads for 3-4 people each)

1 lemon juiced

1 large garlic clove, pressed

1/4 cup + 1 T. EVOO

1/8 tsp. pepper

1/4 tsp. sea salt

1/2 tsp. of sugar

Directions

Add all ingredients to small mixing bowl and whisk until blended

Serve your Mediterranean feast and cheers to a healthy and delicious dinner made easy, thanks to the help of Wild Garden pilafs.

wild garden pilafs

This piece is sponsored by Wild Garden, but all of the recipes are original and opinions are authentic. 

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