Ingredient: Cilantro

Cilantro is my absolute, hands-down favorite herb (doesn't everybody have a favorite herb, or is it just me?). I first discovered its awesomeness at Q-Doba: their rice is full of it, and it adds such a bright, fresh flavor to their burritos. Now I will eat cilantro on almost anything, and in much greater quantities than recipes call for. Topher even uses it on his homemade sloppy Joe's.

I understand that there are people out there who don't enjoy cilantro's lime-like essence, and I honestly pity them. Whether it's genetic or not, nature or nurture, they're missing out on one of the greatest flavor the earth has to offer IMHO.

Last week I met my friend Beth for dinner at Luna Maya in Norfolk and ordered their tacos de carnitas (the meat was so moist, perfectly marinated - I'll definitely get this dish again!). The tacos came with a side of cabbage slaw, which I was pleasantly surprised to find contained a ton of cilantro.

When I got home, I began scouring the internet to find a similar recipe. There are literally dozens of recipes out there for Cabbage-Cilantro Slaw, several of which sound quite good, but the one that I think most closely resembles the Luna Maya version is ...

Southwestern Coleslaw Recipe

Ingredients

• 4 cups thinly sliced cabbage (about 1/3 to 1/2 cabbage)
• 1 carrot, grated
• 2 radishes, thinly sliced
• 1 green onion, thinly sliced
• 1/4 cup (packed) fresh cilantro, chopped
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 Tbsp seasoned rice vinegar (or plain rice vinegar with added sugar to taste)
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Directions

1. Combine cabbage, grated carrot, radish slices, cilantro, and onions in a serving bowl.
2. Add the olive oil and toss to coat.
3. Then add the seasoned rice vinegar, and salt and pepper to taste.

Makes four servings.

For a quick lunch, try black beans, diced tomato (or store-bought jar salsa), chopped avocado, and shredded cilantro over brown rice. Delicious & nutritious!

For more about cilantro's place in culinary history (and the linguistic confusion surrounding it - is it cilantro, coriander, or Chinese parsley?), check out NPR's "Cilantro: The Controversial Herb."

Don't understand what all the fuss is about? Read NPR's "Getting to the Root of the Great Cilantro Divide" and WSJ's "Across the Land, People Are Fuming over an Herb." It's truly sad.

Note: The picture of cilantro at the top was found here.