Quinoa, Tomato and Mint Salad

Historymaker Eddie Basha gave us his family recipe for Tabouli Salad with cracked wheat, parsley and mint. It is a Lebanese dish with lots of flavor found on page 130 of Tastes & Treasures. Here is another version using quinoa.

Quinoa, Tomato and Mint Salad
For best flavor, allow quinoa to cool to room temperature before combining into salad.
Quinoa
1 c Quinoa
1 1/2 c Water
pinch Sea Salt
Dressing
1 t Rice Wine Vinegar
1 t Balsamic Vinegar
2 T Olive Oil or Grape Seed Oil
1 lrg Shallot (2 T), sliced or minced
1/2 t Soy Sauce
1 T fresh Lemon Juice
Zest from 1/2 Lemon, finely grated
1/2 t Sea Salt

1/2 lb Tomatoes, 1/2″ dice
Handful fresh mint, chopped
a few small mint leaves reserved for garnish

1. Prepare Quinoa. Rinse and soak quinoa for 10 minutes. Strain and combine with 1 1/2 c water and sea salt in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, cover pan with a lid, and reduce heat to a simmer. Cook for @ 15 min., stirring once. Remove from heat, fluff, and set aside to cool.
2. Prepare Dressing. Combine all dressing ingredients in a bowl and whisk with a fork to combine. (For best lemon flavor, grate lemon zest directly over bowl so the lemon oil which releases when zesting will land in bowl.)
3. When quinoa is cool, combine quinoa, tomatoes, mint, and dressing in a bowl and toss well. Place on serving dish and garnish with remaining small mint leaves.

Serves 4

Mint Chocolate Icebox Cake

Chocolate Mint Icebox Cake
1 3/4 c. heavy cream
3/4 tsp mint extract
1/4 c. sugar
1 (9 oz.) pkg. chocolate wafers
1/3 c. mini chocolate chips

Adapted from Everyday Food by Martha Stewart
The wafers soak up that cream and this easy-to-make cake becomes soft and delicious. Beautiful presentation.

Beat the heavy cream, extract & sugar until stiff peaks form.
Spread about 1 teaspoon of cream on each wafer and form stacks on a plate.
Line a serving platter with two side-by-side sheets of wax paper. Lay the stacks horizontally along the seam, pressing gently to form a log.
With an spatula, cover the log with the remaining cream. Refrigerate at least 4 hours and up to 2 days.
Sprinkle with mini chocolate chips and fresh mint sprig.

Recipes well received at Master Gardener class.

Work in the garden and you'll work up an appetite, as attested by the food consumed at my Master Gardener class. Every 5 weeks my group is responsible for bringing in 'snacks' for the class. I brought in Tabouli Salad pg. 130 and Very Lemon Bread pg. 119. My friend, Carol, brought in Granola pg. 196.
The lemon bread had been stored in the freezer and it served much nicer and firmer than when fresh. It looks so nice with fresh lemon slices and fresh blueberries.
Carol's son, Serge, loved the Tabouli Salad...very refreshing with mint, parsley, basil, green onion, tomato and lemon juice.
Historymaker Eddie Basha commented on this recipe, "As long as I can remember, tabouli salad was a favorite in our family regardless of the day of the week or season of the year. This culinary and Lebanese delight continues to be a most popular salad of the Basha family."

TABOULI SALAD
1/2 cup cracked wheat
4 tomatoes, chopped
3 bunches parsley, stemmed and chopped
1 bunch green onions, sliced
Small handful of fresh mint, stemmed and chopped
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup lemon juice
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Soak the cracked wheat in enough water to generously cover in a bowl for 30 minutes and drain. Press the excess moisture from the cracked wheat. Combine the cracked wheat, tomatoes, parsley, green onions and mint in a bowl and mix well. Stir in the olive oil and lemon juice and season to taste with salt and pepper. Delicious served cupped in a variety of lettuce or fresh grape leaves. Serves 6 to 8.

Option: I used more lemon juice and less oil. Also used whole grain quinoa and cooked it first according to instructions. Used fresh chopped basil from my garden.

Berry Fruit Salad with Mint Sugar pg 118

Terrie Sanford made this delicious fruit dish for our monthly Historical League meeting. It was so refreshing with the minty taste lingering in my mouth.
1/2 cup loosely packed fresh mint
6 tablespoons sugar
3 cups sliced strawberries
3 cups blackberries
3 cups blueberries
Pulse the mint and sugar in a food processor until finely ground. Sprinkle over the strawberries, blackberries and blueberries in a large bowl and toss gently to combine. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.
Terrie commented it was easy to make but can be very expensive if the berries are not in season.

Kudos to April Riggins and Mary Pearce for the lovely Easter display on the buffet table. Note the tatting on the recipe card that Mary made. Love to see a lost art still in use.