Quinoa Tabouli

Though I'm not a vegan, I often eat like one. I was a vegetarian for 8 years prior to the pregnancy of my oldest son. It served my higher purpose then. I was was a novice when it came to food and my philosophy at the time was that I knew what I didn't want to eat. I wasn't very proactive about creating my own plates but I was selective in what I would consume. When I cut the teeth of my child-bearing uterus, I found that my entire methodology surrounding food changed overnight. I have always been very domestic by nature. My favorite make-believe game to play as a girl was house and kitchen. And at this point in my womanhood, I was drawn to the zen-like process of cooking and navigating the kitchen. I started getting my pans hot, using the oven, experimenting with ingredients and steering away from recipes. I was craving a specific kind of protein other than plant. I tasted fish in a new light and developed an intense love affair with creatures of the sea. When I look back at it now, I realize the alignment that was happening. The child I was pregnant with was to be a Pisces. Ruler of the deep sea different than other water signs. Pisces rules over the fish and the crustaceans and the teeming reef. That was 10 years ago.

Since then, my journey through food has become an enlightened one. It serves as the focal point of my life and is the all-encompassing epicenter of my household, the heartbeat. I still eat an incredibly clean diet free of whites, additives, preservatives, synthetics, processed sugars and hormones but I love to incorporate the essential spectrum of omegas and healthy fats that come from the original source instead of a capsule. Not all omegas and fatty acids are created equal. Just as plant based iron is not the same as animal sourced iron. Ultimately, I think the body thrives in a healthy ratio of both. I have never been an advocate for extreme eating or abstinence, outside of allergies or medical conditions. We evolved as both hunters and gatherers after all. Therein lies a different code for each body type, each dosha. It is our life's work to figure out exactly what that is.

This is one of my favorite high-vibration foods - perfect fare. Every ingredient is really good for you!

This superfood salad is incredibly high in plant based proteins, amino acids and fiber. It tastes just as incredible the first day as it does the second after it has marinated in the refrigerator. It has a perfect ratio of cooked grains and legumes with raw vegetables and herbs. You can really enhance the nutrition of your meals by adding seeds or nuts to recipes. The omegas they contain are especially good for your heart, brain, skin, hair and nails. They also make complete proteins which are easy for your body to digest. Aside from that, the colors in this dish are beautiful! It’s a good rule of thumb to add ingredients to your dishes that incorporate both ends of the spectrum which means you are getting chlorophyll, calcium and iron from your greens, blues and purples as you get vitamin A and C and beta carotene from your reds, yellows and oranges.

INGREDIENTS

1/2 cup cooked red, white or tri-color quinoa

1 cup cooked chickpeas (canned is ok if you are concerned with time)

half a pint of cherry or grape tomatoes, halved

1 cucumber, peeled, cored and chopped

1 yellow or orange bell pepper, seeded and diced

1/2 red onion, diced

1/2 raw jalapeno, seeded for less heat, diced (optional)

juice of 1 lemon

handful fresh parsley

olive oil

crumbled feta cheese

2 tablespoons raw hemp seeds

salt + pepper

DIRECTIONS

Combine the cooked quinoa and the chickpeas

Stir in all of the vegetables

Add the olive oil, about a teaspoon or enough to wet the mixture a little

Add the fresh squeezed lemon juice, parsley and hemp seeds

Season with salt + pepper and bring everything together

Top with feta cheese

Serve with pita wedges and baby spinach

ENJOY!!