YAY! My mint has exploded in the cool shady spot I found for it, on the back patio at our new place. I've made gallons of tea and dried a good bit for winter. But today a salad seemed to be calling to me, and since I didn't really have ingredients for tabbouleh, I decided to make this quinoa salad instead.
If you've never tried quinoa, this is a super-easy recipe to start with, and it's SOO good! Quinoa is a lovely (and very nutritious) grain, actually a seed, that's tasty and fast to cook. Follow the directions on the box, that's all there is to it, I really don't have any amazing quinoa-cooking tips (sorry) but it's pretty fool-proof!
You can find quinoa in the grains or Natural Foods sections of most grocery stores.
Quinoa-Mint Salad
- 1 cup dry quinoa, cooked according to package directions. I do mine in my rice-cooker with excellent results.
- 1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 Tablespoon fresh-squeezed lemon juice
- 3 green onions, sliced with as much of the green part as is tender
- 1/3 cup, or more, chopped fresh peppermint leaves
- 1 clove garlic, crushed in garlic press
- Salt and lemon-pepper to taste
- chopped nuts (optional)
Cook quinoa according to package instructions until light and fluffy. Remove from heat and cool on a cookie sheet (this just helps it cool faster).
In a bowl, mix olive oil, garlic and lemon juice into quinoa. Add mint, salt and lemon-pepper, and mix well.
In a bowl, mix olive oil, garlic and lemon juice into quinoa. Add mint, salt and lemon-pepper, and mix well.
Sprinkle with chopped almonds or other nuts if you so desire. I just happened to have them on hand today.
Serve chilled or at room temp.
