With the sun brightly shining this week, I couldn’t resist trying this recipe for Spring Tabbouleh from 101 Cookbooks. Instead of traditional tabbouleh which relies heavily on parsley, this version uses fresh chives. I modified things further and used quinoa instead of bulgur. So you might argue that this isn’t tabbouleh at all, and you’re right, but I can’t think of a better name at the moment.

I even shelled my own peas for this recipe, which actually turned out to be kind of fun. The peas and asparagus are lightly steamed, and then added to the cooked grain along with chopped walnuts, chives, and a bright dressing of lemon juice and olive oil. I skipped the hard boiled eggs here, only because I had used all the eggs last week baked in sweet potatoes. The walnuts give the salad a nice crunch, and the dish is easily portable, which makes it a winner. Does this look just a little familiar? Yes, I thought so too while I was eating it, and dug through the blog archives. I found this Spring Green Quinoa recipe from two years ago, which is indeed similar. But they’re both good recipes which use quinoa, a very fun whole grain!

• Salads