This Mediterranean-inspired lunch is so satisfying, nonvegetarians may not even notice that no meat is involved. I served this to a group of Buddhists on retreat and it was well-received. Even if no Buddhists will be dining at your table, this easy-to-put-together meal is well adapted to warm days when you don’t want to do much cooking. Basically, it’s a Greek Salad (salad greens, feta cheese, kalamata olives, radishes, cucumbers, tomatoes, in this case, a basil vinaigrette dressing), with tabouli, hummus and whole wheat pita bread. The success of this meal depends on superior ingredients: real olives, quality cheese, in season, ripe tomatoes. Prep everything just at mealtime. Hint: keep a jar of tahini (roasted sesame butter) in the fridge. Think of it as butter for people who don’t eat butter. It comes in ever so handy when a dish needs the flavor boost of added richness, as little as a teaspoon can do the trick. In this menu, tahini appears in the hummus, which you can easily make if you have canned organic chick peas on hand… Continue reading
