A Cooler Salad - Tabouli

90 degrees in the East Bay today and it is HOT! I'm in a summer dress, I've got the windows flung open wide and I'm trying to will a cross-breeze into existence. I've got Ryan Adams Cold Mountain blasting out of the stereo and I've carefully revived a small pot of basil I've been tending that had withered in the afternoon heat. Never fear, a shock of cold water and it's thriving again.

Something light was in order for the evening meal. Herbaceous, verdant and cool. Oven cooking simply will not do in this heat! And so, Tabouli. Delicious, healthy and best of all, one of those salads that will wait obligingly in your fridge days after making it (just in case there are leftovers). My family always gravitated to this dish when the days began to get warmer, and it's so simple to make.



Tabouli
serve 4-6

4 bunches of parsley
2 bunches of green onions
1 bunch of mint
1 carton of cherry tomatoes, or 2 plum tomatoes
1/2 cup quinoa (bulger works as well)
1/2 cup olive oil
Juice from 3-4 lemons
salt and pepper to taste

Cook the quinoa till al dente, when done, mix with the lemon juice and olive oil, let stand. Finely chop the parsley, green onions, and mint. Chop the tomatoes into small pieces. Mix all ingredients together and serve!