[BBQ Recipe] Barbequed Courgette and Bulgur Wheat Salad

Barbequed Courgette and Bulgur Wheat Salad

It can be really difficult to watch your weight when heading to a BBQ with friends and family. There will be a mountain of meat, some sumptuous fish, and if you’re lucky the odd veggie kebab on the BBQ too. The table of sides often isn’t much better with mayonnaise laden potato salads, coleslaw swimming in yet more mayonnaise and sugary condiments.

My Mum and I are often the bringers of “green salad” to these kind of events but the limp lettuce tends to get pushed around the plate. One leaf might make its way into a burger bun if its lucky.

With that in mind I’ve started making a conscious effort to serve up more exciting salads when cooking up a storm around a BBQ.

Before I thought if people weren’t willing to eat a simple green salad, why would they be willing to try a cous-cous or bulgur wheat one? I won’t lie to you, I have had mixed success in this regard. My Nan and Grandad simply won’t touch the stuff, but it turns out the rest of my family are much more willing to try new things.

With that in mind here’s one of my favourites. It’s a warm salad with the courgette grilled and served over the fluffy bed of bulgur wheat at the last minute. This gives it a bit of theatre and people feel like they’re not betraying the BBQ!

Baked Pasta Florentine

These last few weeks really have been all about clearing out the cupboards and fridge – partly in preparation for all of the yummy Christmas food that we’re slowly starting to build up. Over the last two weeks I’ve posted two risotto recipes, one for Chicken and Tomato Risotto and another for Sausage and Asparagus Risotto both of which went down really well! But with Christmas shopping, Law Exams (Im officially two exams closer to being a solicitor!) and keeping down a part time job, it's been really hard to stick to any sort of meal plan and our fridge is looking a little sad and lost.

 Yet again this week we had a number of ingredients sat at the back of the cupboard that desperately needed eating up in particular spinach and eggs. I’ve always thought that spinach and eggs were a GREAT combination! Whether you’re making eggs Benedict, a spinach omelette, or even on a pizza... Who else loves the Fiorentina pizza in Pizza Express? And it seems that the people of Florentine agree so this dish is inspired by them. It may not be traditional, but it’s my twist on their way of cooking.

With all of these dishes in mind I decided to come up with a pasta dish that would be rich and filling, without going straight to your hips. Portion control is key with this dish; with the cracked egg oozing on top you don’t need to pile your plate high with the pasta underneath, and a little cream goes a long way. We are not looking to have a thick sumptuous sauce, but instead a flavoursome coating which brings all the ingredients together. If you are extra careful and make substitutions like 1 cal spray instead of olive oil, and use a low-fat cream this doesn’t have to spell the end of a diet.

Pineapple Tea Cake

I wouldn't say I've ever particularly been someone "with a sweet tooth," and as I've got older I've most definitely not needed as many sugar-y treats. As I child I wasn't sweetie or chocolate crazy and would probably pick a hunk of real bread and a bit of cheese over a biscuit any day. Cheese has always been my thing, now that’s a treat! That’s not to say I wasn’t a normal kid though – I was always allowed a small bag of sweets from the Pic ‘n’ Mix every Friday, and I was a big Coke drinker (though the diet caffeine free version of course). But, that was all I needed.

I think my Mum and Dad were always a little disappointed in a way at how every Easter I would get a crazy amount of chocolate (the joys of a big family!) and it would take my FOREVER to eat it! I’m not going to lie to you, despite being 21 I still get a crazy amount of chocolate at Easter – apparently “I am happy not having an egg this year” means, we must buy her an Easter egg!!!!!! The last two years, I have actually had to throw chocolate away because it is chocolate I got the year before! Now I don’t want to sound ungrateful, but I just can’t eat that many sweet things! There is a time and a place.

For me, that time and a place is at the end of a good SAVOURY meal! There’s nothing better than having a delicious starter and main course then rounding it off with something sweet to finish. Which when you’re on a diet can pose a problem...