Beetroot, Orange and Bulgur Wheat Salad

Ever since I was little I have had a deep love of beetroot and this salad reminds me of the tiny cubed beetroot salad I ate in primary school. I think that salad was served with spam but I serve mine with grilled meats, fish or warmed cheese and fruit. Salads are an easy way to get whole grains into your diet and the bulgur wheat in this salad does all sorts of lovely things for your heart, digestion and blood sugar levels. It keeps very happily in the fridge for a few days so the leftovers are great for lunch.

You can buy pre-cooked beetroots but if you want to cook your own then steaming them gives a lovely result. If you don’t have a steamer get a large saucepan or Dutch oven (the pan needs a lid) then place a small colander upside down in the pan. Pour water into the pan until it reaches just below the top of the colander. Scrub the beetroots clean then trim off the root and all but 2cm of the stalk then place on top of the colander, place the lid on and cook on a medium high heat until you can easily piece the beetroot with a sharp knife. Leave the beetroots in the pan with the lid on to cool for 30 minutes then the skins will easily peel away leaving you with a tender, cooked beetroot.

INGREDIENTS
Serves 2 Adults & 2 Kids
250g cooked beetroot
55g dry bulgur wheat
1 large orange
40g chopped shallot
55g feta
30g pistachios (shell on weight)
small bunch of mint
15ml balsamic
30ml olive oil
1/4 tsp salt
coarse sea salt to finish

• Put the bulgur wheat in a small saucepan that has a lid then cover with 120ml of water and grind over with salt. Bring the water to the boil then immediately turn the heat down to low, put the lid on and set a timer for 20 minutes. Once the bulgur wheat is cooked fluff the grains with a fork and leave until the salad is ready.
• Peel and finely chop the shallot then put into a small jar along with the balsamic, olive oil and 1/4 tsp salt. Give the jar a shake then leave until the salad is ready.
• Cut the beetroot into cubes, shell and chop the pistachios, segment and chop the orange then finely chop the mint and put into a mixing bowl along with the crumbled feta. Squeeze the juice out of the remaining orange membrane and pulp into the balsamic dressing jar and give it a good shake.
• Add the bulgur wheat to the bowl then pour over the shallots and dressing then toss everything together. Finish with a generous grinding of coarse salt and some small mint leaves if you’re feeling fancy.