wednesday's lunch special

Today's lunch was a variation on one I made a few months ago, with bulgar wheat, peaches and ham, and similar to the dinner salad that won the best 'summer salad award'. With late summer upon us, I felt like bulgar wheat was a good option: filling yet light.

(serves 1)

50 g bulgar wheat

2 slices cooked ham, sliced

¼ ball of mozzarella

5 cherry tomatoes, halved

50 g baby spinach leaves

1 nectarine, quartered and then halved

Lemon juice

Calories: 298 (very respectable)

I decided to have bulgar wheat in my salads all week long, just to make a change from chickpeas and butter peas. I've found that the bulgar wheat really helps to fill me up and sustain me through the afternoon. (I get the sensation, as I do with couscous, that the grains expand in my stomach).

Unlike couscous, though, bulgar wheat holds its texture and form better, not tending to get mushy. It also has a nutty flavour that I really like – to get the nutty taste without all the calories of throwing in a handful of pumpkin seeds or cashew nuts is extremely satisfying.

Bulgar wheat is also relatively low-calorie: 50 g of dry bulgar wheat will cost you about 180 calories. While that is more than ¼ of a can of butter beans, it is also more filling, and you'll have less of a tendency to snack.