It’s so hot I’ve considered (not for the first time this year) cooking biscuits on the car dashboard. Unfortunately I’ve discovered it’s not quite hot enough here so I’ll have to forget about that fantasy for another day, or a trip abroad perhaps.

I made the mistake of putting the boys to bed 3 hours late last night. We were out and about and by the time we got home they wanted a snack which pushed bedtime to 10.30pm. There wasn’t a hope of them lying on this morning though because the 2-year-old gave the household a rousing rendition of ‘The Wheels On The Bus’ at 6am. It was very kind of him I must say, considering it is his father’s least favourite song. When you drive a bus/coach for a living it’s the very worst song you can be woken up with.

Continuing with my not-well-thought-through streak, I decided to go for a walk to the bank in the 27 degree heat this afternoon, in a pair of jeans, pushing the buggy with 2 tired small boys. That ended. Well.

Today’s lovely lunch was the result of the boys pulling at the coriander in the front wilderness garden and walking in the house with a fist or two of coriander flowers. They are beautiful, so fragrant and delicate and perfectly edible. This beetroot roast lemon salad is low-fat and salt-free, as is the dressing. I’ve had a few friends enquire over the past week for recipes like this that are easy to put together and healthy!

Beetroot Roast Lemon Salad (serves 2)

Ingredients

• 100g bulgur wheat
• 50g sunflower seeds
• 2 whole roasted beetroot (use a vacuum pack if you can’t get your hands on fresh)
• 1 organic lemon
• A sprinkling of Sumac
• Coriander Flowers

Method

Place the bulgur wheat in a bowl and cover with hot, boiling water. Set to one side to allow the grains to soak up the liquid. In the meantime, heat a frying pan on a medium heat. Pour the sunflower seeds directly into the frying pan, without any oil and move them around regularly until they turn golden brown. As soon as they turn golden, remove seeds from the frying pan and allow to cool slightly.

Leave the frying pan on the heat. Slice the lemon in half and put the lemon, cut side down directly onto the frying pan. It takes about 3-5 minutes to get the blackened sugary surface you see in the picture. Remove from the frying pan and sprinkle with a little bit of sumac, directly onto the cut surface.

Slice the beetroot into thin rounds and pile onto a plate. Strain away any excess water from the bulgur wheat (you may not have any at all), sprinkle on top of the beetroot, then the toasted sunflower seeds.

Stud the lemon with coriander flowers and also the salad plate. Squeeze the lemon juice onto the salad plate to dress and eat immediately.

Meanwhile, you’ll find plenty of Summer salads and recipes that are good for you in my cookbook, Wholesome – Feed Your Family Well For Less.