Go-To Summer Salad

I first made this salad after seeing a recipe for Four Herb Tabbouleh in a Food and Wine email. I didn't have Israeli couscous, or lovage, or chives, or a jalapeno, but I did have massive amounts of really delicious parsley from my CSA and a little bit of mint hanging around the fridge so decided to try it out. It was delicious, even with many substitutions and without any olive oil. I've probably made it five or six times since and have deviated further and further from the original recipe every time, so at this point it's pretty much just my go-to summer salad of the moment, and not really Four Herb Tabbouleh at all (especially because the last time I didn't even use parsley, which I'm pretty sure means it isn't even tabbouleh.)

Here's what I consider the "base" of this recipe:

• 1 cup cooked quinoa (I've been using red but white would work just fine.)
• 1-2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved, salted and peppered (I like seasoning these before they hit the salad.)
• 2 cups(-ish) chopped cucumbers (I usually leave the skins on, but that's up to you, yo!)
• 2-5 green onions, diced, white and green parts both included
• 1 garlic clove, finely diced
• juice of 2-3 lemons
• salt and pepper to taste

And here are various add-ons I've used, all delicious: (you can include some or all of these, seriously. I put cilantro+dill+zucchini+sweet potato+chicken into my last version of this salad pictured below and it. was. great.)

• parsley, chopped (as much as you want, up to 2 cups!)
• fresh dill (probably no more than 1/4 cup?)
• cilantro (about a 1/4 cup? or maybe go crazy, depends how you feel about cilantro)
• cooked sweet potato, chopped into bite-size pieces (1 cup or more! adds a nice sweetness and creaminess to the salad)
• chopped raw zucchini (go crazy! this is basically filler and can just stretch your salad out to feed more mouths)
• chicken, diced (as much as you need to meet your protein needs)
• chickpeas (or other beans I'm sure, up to 1-2 cups)

I realize this not really a recipe proper, but it is crisp and summery and flavorful and delicious :)

I am fairly hopeless at photographing the food that I make so it looks good in any way, but since this is a "recipe" for which I can't provide you with a link and a lovely, professional, tasty looking picture, I felt compelled to provide my own. (Personal pet peeve: recipes without any reference as to what the finished product might look like.)