Quinoa Tabouli: Take Two on a Mediterranean Classic

I'll never forget the first time I had tabouli...it was years ago, in a little Lebanese restaurant on the outskirts of Washington, D.C. One of those grubby looking, walk-down, hole-in-the-wall joints out of "Casablanca," where exotic smells waft temptingly from ground floor kitchen vents to grab your attention, and your nose tells you the food is gonna rock. I don't remember anything else of the meal, but one bite of tabouli, and my eyes literally rolled back in my head. The crunch of cucumber, the tang of lemon, the bite of garlic, the brightness of parsley; as all these flavors morphed on my palette, I actually moaned, in gustatory heaven. Not a "Harry Met Sally" sort of moaning, but more like the dinner party in "Chocolat," a blissed-out/savoring the moment kind of sound. Tabouli - if they don't serve it in Heaven, wild horses ain't gonna drag me there...assuming I qualify, of course. Which is doubtful.

Virtually every Mediterranean culture has some version of this spiced vegetable and grain salad. Bulghur wheat (roasted cracked wheat), tomatoes, parsley, cucumbers, onions, lemon juice, garlic and olive oil are the common denominator or foundation of them all, with the add-ons varying from one country to another. Substituting quinoa for the classic bulghur provides both a nutty change of flavor and a whopping protein boost.

Now, it's time for true confessions... as a chef, I've been described as a cross between Martha Stewart and McGyver (did I spell that right?), meaning that I tend to make food up as I go along, taking a "whatever works" stance on measuring ingredients. I guess the Martha part is that food tends to turn out pretty well. Anyhow, the point I'm stumbling to make, here, is that the recipe I'm about to give you is not sacrosanct. As written, it will come out fabulously, guaranteed - but you can always use a little more this, a little less that, and it will still be divine. Okay?

During scorching summers in Northern Arizona, this light, lovely salad is served up in Spike's DivineShe Kitchen at least once a week.

Here's what you'll need:

1 cup uncooked quinoa
6 scallions, chopped, including green part OR 1 cup chopped red onion
2 cups cucumber, 1/2" dice
2 cups tomato, 1/2" dice
1 cup (packed) parsley, chopped
1 - 15 oz. can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
juice of 2 lemons
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tablespoon dried oregano (or 1/4 cup fresh)
1 tablespoon dried mint (or 1/4 cup fresh)
salt and pepper to taste

Start by preparing the quinoa. Place the quinoa in a sieve and rinse it thoroughly under cold water; this will wash off any oils on the surface which may have gone rancid - very important step, skip this at your peril. Combine with 2 cups cold water in a saucepan and bring to a boil; reduce heat to simmer and cook, covered, for 25-30 minutes, until the water is absorbed, then chill. You can prepare the quinoa two to three days ahead of time, if you'd like. When you're ready, pile everything in a 4 quart bowl and toss to combine, adjusting the seasonings as needed. I like to serve this heaped on a bed of greens. Just about any greens work, romaine, spinach, spring mix, buttercrunch, even shredded iceberg. Garnish with kalamata or oil cured olives.

As written, this serves 4 as a main course, 6 as a salad course, or 8 as a side dish to something like grape leaves and skewered lamb. It's awesome the next day as a wrap, or stuffed in a pita pocket. You can play with the flavors, too. Try substituting cilantro for parsley, or use cannellini beans instead of garbanzos, or thawed frozen peas, garnish with feta cheese, maybe, or heck, dump a whole 4-6 ounces of feta into the mix. Play with the flavors and have fun! Enjoy!

Thanks for playing in Spike's Kitchen; come again soon!