Pomegranate, Walnut and Bulgur Wheat Salad

 

Have you been outside recently? Something strange is happening, the sky is blue, the sun is shining and there’s a beautiful warm breeze. It’s funny watching how the English public react to a bit of blue sky.

Just the other day Mr KG and I took a trip down Oxford Street for a spot of shopping and a bite to eat. Half of the people we passed were huffing and puffing, not only loaded up with shopping bags, but with layers of jumpers and coats causing them to overheat. (I’ll let you in on a secret; Mr KG was one of them!) Others had gone to the other extreme – we saw so many pasty legs sticking out of shorts and skirts.

However, the sun doesn’t just do strange things to a person’s wardrobe choices, it also changes the way we eat! A lot of people believe it’s easier to lose weight in the summer because light al fresco dinners and salads for lunch suddenly become much more appetizing options.

I’ve tried bucking the trend and last autumn introduced a warm salad series which included recipes like Grilled Nectarine & Goats Cheese Salad as well as Warm Honeyed Fig, Cured Ham and Mozzarella Salad. This autumn I’ll add a few more to the collection.

In the meantime however, as the sun shines and the sky remains blue, I’ll stick to fresh, summery salads without the extra heat.

This salad is great for people who struggle to feel full after just a bowl of leaves. It focuses much more on the use of bulgur wheat to provide sustenance and energy and the fresh herbs to bring some leafy greens to the mix. Last but not least, the walnuts and pomegranate bring a delicious crunchy texture to the dish as well as subtle nutty tones and the sweet yet sharp hit of fruit.

This dish also lends itself well to being packed up in a lunch box and being taken to work. If, like me, you end up working straight through your break, it can easily be tucked into at your desk without worrying about messy dressings. As the weather continues to improve I will have to make more of an effort to eat out in the sunshine!

 

How do you react to the sunshine? Are you one of those people stripping off an sunbathing at every opportunity or are you still layering up, in disbelief that the good weather will last?

I think I’m going to keep layers to hand for now. But I will definitely be chowing-down on more and more salads as the weeks go on.

 

If you like this salad you might also like my Golden Bulgur Wheat Salad