Bulgur Salad with Avocado, Cucumber, and Mint

We have a lot of mint that grows in our yard, so I try to use at least some of it in something other than tea. There are all sorts of variations on tabouleh that work. This one came from the Top of the Apple blog. I'm re-posting it here, in case that should disappear.

• 2 cups veggie stock
  We generally make this with the Better than Bullion mix
• 1 cup bulgur wheat
  
• 1+3 teaspoons olive oil
• 1 cup minced red onion
• 1 pinch sugar
  
• 1 cucumber, seeded and diced into 1/4-inch cubes
• 1 large avocado, halved, pitted, peeled and diced
• 1 cup chopped mint
• 3/4 cup golden raisins
• 1/2 cup chopped roasted almonds
• 1 tablespoon lemon zest
• 1/3 cup lemon juice (Meyer if you’ve got ’em)
• Salt and pepper

In a small sauce pot, bring stock to a boil. Add bulgur and simmer until water is absorbed, about 8 minutes. Put in large bowl and fluff with fork. In same pot over medium-high heat, heat 1 teaspoon of the oil. Add onions and sugar; cook until fragrant and glossy, about 2 minutes. Add to bulgur. Add all the remaining ingredients, including the 3 teaspoons of oil, to the bowl and toss gently to combine. Season to taste.

Recipes for Isobel

Our daughter Isobel is living in an apartment this summer in Providence, and so is cooking for herself. When she was home a couple weekends ago, she was looking through some of our recipes, and I told her I'd post some of them here so she didn't have to take pictures of them. So here's the first batch: A bunch of recipes from Bon Appetit.

• Spicy Marinated Mozzarella with Oregano and Capers
  An absolutely killer appetizer that is incredibly easy.
• Orzo Salad with Feta, Olives, and Bell Peppers
  A summer pasta salad. Filling and delicious. We make it several times a year.
• Spicy Grilled Shrimp With Rice And Mango Salad And Sesame Sugar Snap Peas
  This is what we had said night when Isobel was home. It's one of her favorites. Pretty easy, again, and wonderful. The rice and mango salad can be made by itself, too, and is good cold.
• Shrimp And Leek Linguine In White Wine Sauce
  A fairly simple, and really good, pasta dish. Very light. The leeks get melted, more or less. Be warned that this makes a ton. Nancy and I made it the other night, have both had it for lunch, and still have a lunch-sized portion left. Next time, we'll make half.
• Pasta With Kalamata Olives And Roasted Cherry Tomato Sauce
  More pasta. This one has deep, Mediterranean flavors.