This weekend flew by. And, despite it marking the third straight weekend of go!go! go!, it was well worth the loss of quiet time. There is more than enough opportunity for solitude and regeneration coming up with my four day weekend that is but three days of work away.

K's parents arrived on Friday night, via Eurostar - England to Brussels in 2 hours. I finished a spin at the gym while K fought traffic to and from the station. We spent the entire weekend sharing some of our favourite restaurants and cafes. Their own personal/work related reasons for coming our way were uber-fantastically fun to take part in: Saturday included a tour of a soon to be dismantled exhibition of artifacts from around the tramping grounds of my favourite ancient short story character: Gilgamesh. But, I have to say, it was the field trip we took on Sunday that took the vegan cake. K's mom is an archaeologist, and she managed to wrangle group access to 6000 year old flint mines that are currently being excavated in a Belgian spot not too far from Brussels. I admit that while strapping on the safety gear and stepping, with trepidation, towards the 9 meter in length (SLIPPERY) ladder, I had some reservations. But, once I made my way down, and had a chance to poke around under the earth, I couldn't have been happier.

Before the descent we found a patch of the countryside and enjoyed a picnic that K and I put together, compliments of Flagey's weekend market stalls. Our picnic basket included:

Fresh tomatoes
1 baguette
bananas
apples
stuffed grape leaves
black and green olives
hummus
one of my super quick tabouli salads

We capped the weekend off with some vegan friendly Ethiopian food.


I admit to feeling pangs of guilt with not being able to make my usual flurry of posts. I can see the horizon though - no more weekends of mad rushing, travel, entertaining or work. With the exception of a four day trip to Germany coming up in mid-May I am very happy to say that I am bound to Brussels (and my kitchen) for the next few months.

Today, in the midst of a lazy Sunday, I finally got around to taking a photo of a gift that I mentioned in my 'trapped in the Brussels airport' entry. It still resembles, almost too closely, a kit for some sort of illegal activity....but apparently it can make some kicking spaghetti-candy.

After an unplanned trip to the market, I came home with a lunch plan - Tabbouleh Salad. To be honest, with the exception of gorging on Tabbouleh at various Middle Eastern restaurants around the world and watching while Alia's mom put it together a couple of times in my youth, I have little face-to-face experience with this cracked wheat dish, and it usually falls second to the likes of Fattush or Hummous when I am placing a La Luna order. However, inspired by the salad that took up most of my veg platter yesterday, I was up for the challenge. Fresh parsley, fresh mint, cucumber and tomatoes were picked up at the market, and just last night I discovered a sack full of bulgar that was tucked away from a December (or maybe November) trip to Shanti Health shop. I was ready.

It was a quick salad to make, and it didn't seem to suffer from being eaten a.s.a.p - without what I assume to be the usual soaking up of the lemon and olive oil that comes from hours in a restaurant refrigerator. In fact, the bulgar was still warm when I tipped it into the salad bowl.

There are loads of other ways to make this bad boy; K and I had a lengthy conversation on the variety of ways we have seen this dish served: with chick peas, with pine nuts, with raisins, with coriander, with olives....you name it...you like it...throw it in.

Here is my more traditional approach: (which if you aren't too keen on you are more then welcome to check out Delia's version, or Robin Robertson's in Vegan Planet)

2 bunches of flat leaf parsley

2 sticks of mint - pluck off the leaves and make a rolande (roll the leaves up into a little cigar and chop it up)

1 huge tomato

1/2 a cucumber

1 cup of bulgar wheat (i had loads left over)

olive oil

citrus juice (i used half of a grapefruit)

While the bulgar was cooking (super easy grain to cook: 1 cup of wheat, 2 cups of water, boil and simmer for 20 minutes - stir and add water if needed) I chopped and diced all of the other ingredients adding them to a large salad bowl. I simply threw in the bulgar when it was finished cooking, added the oil and citrus and gave it a good mix. I served it with some citron olives, 1/2 a loaf of bread, carrot and cucumber sticks, hummous and purree aubergine.

It was fantastic and I plan on reinventing it as often as possible.

And I can't leave out my other treats from the market:

My terrace was looking a little lame with only a dead mini-christmas tree to brighten it up. So, I brought home some modest greenery with the hope to build a small rainforest by the time I have to go away to Slovenia, leaving them with nothing more then the hint of my return.

I am reading an excellent fiction book right now. I can't remember the exact name of it, so you will have to wait until I dig it out of my gym bag. I am dying to read some Anne Carson right now....does anyone know where my Anne Carson books are? The Beauty of The Husband....Hmmm...Carson, Cranberry Bubble Bath and the potential of early Bed Time. Maybe a Edith Piaf CD.....Nice. This vegan is signing off.