Date Cooked: March 5, 2025
Back in Spring 2025 you couldn’t swing a virtual dead cat around the internet without finding this recipe. If the internet is to be believed, this is the salad that Jennifer ate every day on the set of Friends. That immediately brings up three thoughts. 1: Everyday? Really? EVERY DAY? 2: Even when she ate it, she didn’t prepare it; I’m 99.44% sure she has a chef/nutritionist. 3: A YouTube video recently showed Jen talking about her salad and it was a completely different salad. Pick your own recipe source; I used the Eating Bird Food version. The site name does not appeal to me; but I guarantee this recipe has no worms for bugs..
Whatever; this is actually delicious It has brightness from the lemons; creaminess forms the Garbanzos and feta; and crunchy saltiness from pistachios.
Bring a cup of quinoa and 2 cups of water to a boil. Cover and reduce to a simmer for 15 minutes. While the simmer is simmering, cut, chop, squeeze, measure until you have something similar to this. The greens are equal parts (½ cup) flat leaf parsley and mint. I went heavier on the parsley.
Put everything but the liquids (lemon juice and olive oil) in a big bowl and stir. Then continue to stir as you drizzle in the wet stuff. Eventually you have this.
If you are cooking for yourself get a fork or spoon or spork and dig in. If you are having a Happy Hour in remembrance of the incredible Beaverton school teacher Jan Watt who passed away too young, then put it in a serving bowl and pose it in front of Jan’s Iowa State flag.
This is so good we had it twice in six days. It’s a meal by itself; protein and all the other good stuff. Here is the dinner serving from the week prior to the Happy Hour
This is a great dish for a hot day. You only boil a little water for a short time; everything else is fresh (or canned).
Excellent meal. 4 Stars ★★★★