favorite summer salad

For years, I've been making this salad. If you like Tabouli, you'll love this. And since the extra ingedients add protein, you can call it a meal. (Thanks to Mollie Katzen and the Moosewood Cookbook in which I found - and slightly adapted - this recipe.)

Lentil Bulgur Salad

1 cup of dry lentils
1 cup dry bulgur wheat
big handful parsley, chopped
small bunch of green onion, thinly sliced OR 1/3 c. red onion, finely minced
small bell pepper or cucumber, seeded and diced
stalk celery, minced
1/2-3/4 c. feta, crumbled
handful good black olives, chopped
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup lemon juice
2 cloves garlic, crushed in a mincer
1 t. kosher salt
1 t. freshly minced oregano (or 1/2 t. dry)
2 T freshly minced mint
2 T freshly minced dill (or 2 t. dry)
fresh ground pepper
big tasty tomato, diced
walnuts, chopped and toasted

Cover lentils with 2 cups of water in saucepan; bring to boil; reduce heat and simmer 20-25 minutes. Drain well and transfer to big bowl. In separate bowl, cover bulgur with 1 cup of boiling water; cover bowl with plate; let sit for 15 minutes. Add bulgur to lentils along with parsley, onion, pepper and/or cuke, celery, feta and olives. In big measuring cup (or small bowl) combine all other ingredients (except tomatoes and walnuts) and stir into lentil-bulgur mixture. Cover and chill for at least 30 minutes (the longer you leave it, the more flavor you get). Add tomatoes right before serving. Top with nuts.

In a hurry, I have made this with canned lentils. It works but is not as good. Sometimes I leave out the onions. And sometimes I add in dried cranberries or finely minced dried figs. It's a fun recipe to experiment with. And Andrew, who does not particularly like lentils or feta cheese, never complains about eating it. Liam, however, helped me make the recipe tonight and said many times, 'This looks gross." Oh well, more for me.