Vitamin Wheat

This is fast, adaptable and good for using bits of veg up. Quantities here are for 2-3 meals.

2 mugs of bulgar wheat or couscous (or cooked rice)
1 small onion
1-2 cloves of garlic, sliced
A handful of chopped dried fruit (optional but things like cranberries, apricots, sultanas...)
About 10 cherry tomatoes, halved
1 apple, chopped
A slosh of cider (or water)

Other things you can add:
1 courgette, diced
1 pepper, diced
2 sticks of celery, chopped
3 handfuls Quorn chunks
a bit of cubed feta
Chickpeas

Dressing:
a glug of olive oil
juice of a lemon
handful of chopped parsley
half tsp cinnamon
half tsp cumin
half tsp sumac (optional)
half tsp advieh (optional)
chopped mint (optional)

Put the bulgar or couscous in a bowl and pour over boiling water until it is about a cm over the grains and cover with a plate for about 5-10 mins. If you are using dried fruit, add this too. Or cook the rice.

Meanwhile, cook the onions in a little oil until translucent. Add the quern here if using.

Add the garlic and other veg, a slosh of cider, and cook for about 10 mins or until they have softened and the veg (and quorn) has gone goldenish.

Tip it all into a big bowl with the grains and (add the feta now if using) and add the dressing stuff.  Stir it all up and cover for 5 mins then serve.

You can leave leftovers to go cold and have it for lunch the next day.

Labneh

I buy strained yoghurt by the kilo and, if I have the urge for something thicker to go with things (or I have leftover yoghurt), turn half the pot into Labneh. The cheapest place to buy good yoghurt is in fact local middle eastern shops or your corner shop if you are in London.

Labneh is a middle eastern soft cheese, a bit like Philadelphia but less clawing. Lower in fat and baddies too if you make your own from low fat yoghurt.  You can even flavour it with herbs.

All you need is about 500g strained, natural yoghurt, a pinch of salt and a muslin.  And a bit of string.

Line a colander with the muslin over a bowl or the sink and plop in the yogurt, with the salt well mixed in (I make this when I have half a pot left and just mix the salt in the pot). Now is the moment to add dried herbs if you want such as thyme or sumac. Gather the corners of the muslin so that the yoghurt can't escape and twist it together.  You can now either put the whole thing in the fridge overnight (in the colander and bowl to catch the whey) or, tie the package up with string and dangle it from the taps over the sink.  In the morning, you will have a load of cheese that will keep for about a week in the fridge, covered.  It's particularly good in wraps!