Photo: snowpea&bokchoi/Flickr

Remember when we wrote about the office-wide weight loss challenge of two of our favorite local bloggers – Lara from Good Cook Doris and Renee from Eat. Live. Blog? Well, the contest came to an end last week, and though Lara and Renee didn’t win any prize money, they both managed to lose a bit of weight (you can see the final standings here). 

What’s more impressive is that they managed to lose weight while continuing to cook – and blog – their lovely mix of filling, simple and satisfying dishes. The only difference was an increased emphasis on making those dishes wholesome – without sacrificing flavor.

Take today’s Food Therapy – metch (or eetch), a tabbouleh-like bulgar salad in a lightly spiced tomato sauce. I was lucky enough to sample Renee’s metch last Friday, when her office held a potluck to celebrate the end of the weight loss challenge. Since then, I’ve found myself craving it on a near-daily basis. There are worse things I could be itching for:  beyond quite a bit of olive oil – two tablespoons of the extra virgin stuff per serving – it’s an incredibly healthy dish, chock full of vegetables and whole grains. 

Hot or cold, eaten alone or sandwiched in a pita, the salad tastes fresh and light – a nice change of pace from heavy winter stews and roasts. When summer sweetens up supermarket tomatoes, I imagine it will be even nicer.