BULGUR SALAD WITH BEETROOT, FETA & MINT

Your lucky day

Are you looking for a simple, quick recipe that is new, tasty and of course delicious and nutritious? Today may be your lucky day because this seems like the thing you need in your dinner making repertoire: bulgur with beetroot, feta and mint, not to forget topped with nuts and a sprinkle of extra attention. The way I developed this recipe was inspired by my sister’s cravings. She came home one day and said: “bulgur isn’t in our diet enough, I’d like to eat more of it!” At the same time, we had bought cooked beetroot the day before and I didn’t yet stick it into a beetroot brownie. So I cooked some Bulgur along with oregano to give it more flavor, diced the beetroot into small cubes, sliced spring onions to add some color and taste, roasted some nuts (because why the hell not), crumbled some feta over it and gave it a finish with a drizzle of pumpkin seed oil and lemon. Was it amazing? Absolutely. Was it quick? Very much so. Have I made this dish many times ever since? Take a guess.

Servings: 2

Total time: 30 min

For this dish

Ingredients

¾ cup bulgur

1 ½ cups water

1 tablespoon dried oregano

pinch of salt

1 beetroot, cooked

1 spring onion

a small handful of fresh mint

juice of 1/4 lemon

2 tsp pumpkin seed oil (you can use any other oil you like)

½ cup toasted nuts and seeds (I used cashews, almonds, sesame seeds & pumpkin seeds)

1/2 cup crumbled feta

vegan option: smoked tofu

salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

1. In a small pot, cover the bulgur with water, add the oregano and set to a boil. Once the temperature is hot enough and the bulgur is starting to absorb the liquid, lower the temperature a little and let it simmer. Just before the bulgur is cooked, you can turn off the heat and cover with a lid, it will finish cooking by itself (this will take 12-15 minutes).

2. While the bulgur is cooking, chop the beetroot into small cubes and finely slice the spring onion. Set both aside into separate bowls.

3. In a hot frying pan, dry-roast the nuts and seeds for 1-2 minutes or until crunchy and golden-brown.

4. Season the bulgur with salt to taste (though mind that the feta cheese will add saltiness) and place in two serving bowls.

5. Top the bulgur with beetroot and spring onion and sprinkle the roasted nuts over it. If you are using feta cheese or smoked tofu, this is the moment to add them to this winning dish!

6. Lastly, drizzle some good quality pumpkin seed oil or oil of your choice on top, along with some freshly juiced lemon (~ 1 tsp) and finely chopped fresh mint. Freshly grind some pepper over it all and give yourself a hug for cooking a great meal today!

7. Congratulations, you just cooked one of your new favourite meals (I hope)!