Bulgur salad – a perfect packed lunch

This filling salad is a practical lunch and great picnic food!

It's a pain to constantly try to come up with simple work lunches! But it also annoys me to spend a lot of money on buying lunches. Bought lunches end up being unhealthy crap because by the time I go to the shop, I'm starving and craving salt, fat and sugar.

I often buy a couscous salad (kisir) from one of the Turkish bakeries: €1,50 for a serving of spiced couscous, tomato and scallions – not too bad. Only recently I realised that I can make it myself, make it healthier and even cheaper! So here it is, my favourite lunch de jour:

Turkish inspired bulgur salad

Makes 2-3 lunch servings
200 ml organic coarse bulgur
400 ml water
3 tbsp olive oil
1/2 lemon
3 tbsp tomato paste
2 organic tomatoes, finely chopped
1/3 organic cucumber, finely chopped
Scallions, finely chopped
Flat leaf parsley
Salt, pepper
Optional: 1/2 red chili pepper, finely chopped
Optional: 2 tbsp pumpkin seeds and 2 tbsp of sunflower seeds

Bring the water to a boil. Rinse the bulgur until the water doesn't turn cloudy anymore, then boil 1 part bulgur in 2 parts water for 10 minutes. You shouldn't need to drain the bulgur, the water should have all been soaked up or evaporated.

Add olive oil, tomato paste, lemon juice, salt and pepper in to the pot, mix well and let the bulgur cool off. Chop the vegetables.

When the bulgur has reached room temperature, mix in everything else. Divide the salad in lunch boxes and refrigerate.