Marinated Kale + Bulgur Salad with Cucumber

Every week, Caroline Wright creates simple, civilized recipes for Food52 that feed four -- for under $20, in under 20 minutes.

Today: Two summer favorites join forces to create one fresh, wholesome meal. 

I feel like I have written so much on the merits of grain salads, probably because they are one of my favorite things to make and eat for a quick meal. This recipe takes my other parallel obsession of kale salad and marries my two favorites together in one dish. Crushing thick kale leaves with a dressing breaks down their raw flavor and texture without eliminating them and lends the salad a toothsome freshness that feels perfect for a summer dinner. Best of all, you can make this in advance -- a saving grace in my household with an almost-toddler -- so dinner is never far away.

Marinated Kale + Bulgur Salad with Cucumber

1 cup bulgur
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon crushed coriander seed
1 sprig rosemary, leaves stripped (about 1 tablespoon)
1 bunch kale, thick stems removed and sliced into 1-inch pieces (about 6 cups)
2 tablespoons lemon juice and 1/4 teaspoon lemon zest
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 ounces goat cheese, divided into 4 pieces
1 1/2 cups chopped cucumber (from 1/2 a large seedless cucumber)

See the full recipe (and save and print it) here.

As a freelance food writer and cook, I first wrote this style of recipe as a column on my blog, The Wright Recipes, as an excuse to cook good food for my friends in a quick and simple way. 

Twenty-Dollar, Twenty-Minute™ Meals grew into a cookbook that was published by Workman in May 2013. The recipes found here are original, made especially for Food52 to once again celebrate simple food with friends.

Photo by Caroline Wright