TEN COMMANDMENT LAYERED SALAD

This  salad is great for the Holiday Shavuot,  This is the time when God  gave Moses the 10 commandments. In Jewish culture food very often is used as  a symbol, such as this salad,  The 10 layers of the salad represent the 10  commandments.

Ingredients:
1 cup  uncooked  Red Bulgur * see notes at the bottom
1 cup lemon juice
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
4 cloves of garlic, minced
Salt and pepper to taste
1 medium red onion, chopped
2 green bell pepper, diced
2 - 16 oz. cans  Canellini Beans, rinsed and drained
1 bunch red radish, thinly sliced
1 large seedless cucumber, diced
1  jar Kalamata olives with out the pits  and drained
1 container grape tomatoes, sliced in half
1 cup fresh mint, chopped fine
1/3 cup Pine nuts, toasted

Directions:
Place the bulgur in a large salad bowl. In a small bowl, whisk together 1 cup lemon juice, the olive oil, garlic, and 1 teaspoon salt and a dash of pepper; drizzle this dressing over the bulgur.
Drain the juice off the  olives and rinse and drain the  cannelini beans
 Layer on the onions, green peppers, cannelini beans, radishes, cucumbers, olives, tomatoes and mint. Sprinkle more salt and pepper, cover and refrigerate for at least 24 hours.
When ready to serve, bring to room temperature and sprinkle on pine nuts.

* Notes
Make sure that the Red Bulgur is  place in the bowl raw. The dressing poured over the bulgur  will soften it to  al dente.

Sweet Noodle Kugel

Kugel is a Jewish dish similar to a casserole or pudding and is a  traditional food  for Shavout.

INGREDIENTS:
1 cup  golden raisins
12 oz wide egg noodles
6 large eggs
1 lb sour cream
8 oz cottage cheese
8 oz cream cheese, softened
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
1/4 tsp salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
Cinnamon and sugar for dusting
Nonstick cooking oil spray

DIRECTIONS: 
You will also need....
large pot, food processor or blender, 9x13 baking dish

Preheat preheat to 350 degrees F. Cover the raisins with hot water and let them soak to plump while you prepare the other ingredients.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the noodles to the pot, bring back to a boil, and let them cook till tender  about 5 minutes. Drain and return the cooked noodles to the pot.
In a food processor or blender, mix together the eggs, vanilla, sour cream, cottage cheese, cream cheese, sugar, melted butter, and salt.
Pour the egg mixture over the cooked noodles in the pot and stir till well combined.
Drain the raisins and pat dry. Stir them into the noodles.
Spray a 9x13 inch baking dish with nonstick cooking oil. Pour the noodle mixture into the dish
Top the kugel by sprinkling generously with sugar and lightly with cinnamon.
Bake the kugel for about 60 minutes, turning once halfway through cooking, till the center of the kugel is set and the tips of the noodles turn golden brown. Remove from the oven.
Let the kugel rest for 15-20 minutes before slicing. Kugel can be served warm or cold.