Blueberry Basil Quinoa Tabouli Salad

Today was one of those days where I felt like I needed a break from too much rich food.  Too many sweets and indulgence on Saturday was the problem, but luckilly I had lots of fresh produce in my fridge.  Nothing but fresh, cool vegetables or fruit was sounding good to me for dinner.  I had a large container of blueberries from Wisconsin that were some of the best I have tasted in years, plus a large pile of cucumbers from my Grandpa's garden so I decided that those two things needed to be included in whatever I decided to make.  For some reason quinoa tabouli came to mind.  It is a favorite of mine in the summer, classic, or a twist changing up the veggies and dressing.  Although I had some tomatoes from my Grandpa's garden as well, I decided swap them out for blueberries to be a little different and not make classic tabouli this time! 

I threw in basil and toasted almonds, and it was delicious!  It was a little like original tabouli in that it contained mint, cucumbers, lemon and garlic, but it was something a little different as well!  I had used a mixture of black and white quinoa because I enjoy both, but it made the salad a little more appealing to the eyes as well as the taste buds.  It was fresh, and like something you would enjoy at a spa, or a light dinner to leave you feeling healthy.  The berries provided welcome little tart sweet pops of flavor among the savory ingredients! So much for feeling yuck from over indulgence.  Here is the recipe if you would like to try it!

Blueberry Basil Quinoa Tabouli Salad

2 cups water

1 cup quinoa, rinsed (I used a mixture of black and white)

1 cup fresh organic blueberries

1 large cucumber peeled, seeded and diced small

2 scallions, sliced

1/2 cup fresh organic basil leaves, minced

1/4 cup fresh organic mint, minced

3/4 cup toasted almonds

2 Tbsp olive oil

1/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp lemon juice
1 Tbsp lemon zest
1 large garlic clove, minced
sea salt
freshly ground pepper

Place quinoa and water in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, cover and cook until all the water is absorbed about 15 minutes, or when all the grains have turned from white to transparent, and the spiral-like germ has separated. Drain, and let cool. When quinoa is cool, combine with the berries, cucumber, basil, scallions, and almonds. Whisk together olive oil, lemon juice, lemon zest, garlic, and sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste. Toss dressing with salad, and chill.

Cucumber Watermelon Salad with Pecorino Romano, Toasted Pine Nuts and Basil

Last weekend my Grandpa brought me over a bag of home grown cucumbers from his garden and I have been enjoying them all week.  There is simply no substitute for growning them yourself, the ones from the store never taste the same!  I love to simply eat them with hummus for a snack, or blend them up into a cold soup, they are so good!  I was given a watermelon yesterday, and so I thought, what better to pair it with than the cool cucumbers! 

It has been hot and humid all week afterall, and I think we are all in need of a bit of cooling from the inside out.  Nothing complicated here, just the cukes and melon, to which I added a bit of fresh basil from my herb garden and some pine nuts and pecorino romano for richness.  Then to top it off I drizzled it with a bit of lemon juice and basil oil I had on hand.  So refreshing!  Simple summer produce at its best!  This is a wonderful combination you can only enjoy at the peak of summer.  Here is the recipe if you would like to try some for yourself!

Cucumber Watermelon Salad with Pecorino Romano, Toasted Pine Nuts and Basil

Serves 3

1 medium organic cucumber, sliced into rings

1 1/2 cup organic watermelon, cut into chunks

3 Tbsp pine nuts

3/4 oz pecorino romano cheese, shaved

a few fresh basil leaves cut into chiffonade

Dressing:

1 Tbsp lemon juice

2 Tbsp basil oil

sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

On each of 3 plates, arrange cucumber and melon decoratively, sprinkle with pine nuts, pecorino and basil leaves.  In a small bowl, whisk together lemon juice and basil oil and drizzle over the salads.  Sprinkle with a little sea salt and pepper if desired. 

Cooling Cucumbers...

I recieved a large bag of lovely cucumbers from my Grandpa today who grows them in his garden every summer.  It was the perfect bag of goodness one could recieve on a day like today, since cucumbers are one of the best naturally cooling vegetables you could possibly enjoy!  The heat index today in Minnesota was up to 106 degrees...and the perfect day for a cocktail I decided, including the cucumbers!  I thought gin would be perfect with the cucumbers, as well as some fresh lemon and basil!  I added a bit of agave syrup to balance out the tart lemon as well.  After all was shaken, poured and tasted...I was feeling refreshed!  This was the just the remedy needed for a way too hot summer day!

Cool Cuke Cocktail

Serves 1

6 large fresh basil leaves

1/2 cup large ice cubes
6 cucumber slices

1 oz agave syrup*

3 oz Gin

1 oz fresh organic lemon juice

In a martini shaker, muddle the basil leaves with the ice, crushing them until they are in small pieces. Add the cucumbers, syrup, gin, and lemon juice, place top on shaker, and shake until well blended. Pour a chilled glass, adding and serve!


*To make agave syrup, heat 1/2 cup water and 1/2 cup agave until agave is evenly dissolved in water.  Cool completly and store in the fridge.

Tabouli with Mango?

I love tabouli!  Especially when it is made with quinoa to make it more nutritious.  So I was feeling like some tabouli, but I had no tomatoes, parsley or mint, which to me are essentials in a classic tabouli.  So I decided to improvise and make tabouli with mango in place of the tomatoes and basil in place of the mint and parsley.  I threw in a few pine nuts as well...since this was becoming a non-traditional tabouli anyhow.  What resulted from my throw together tabouli was a super refreshing summery salad which I will definately be making again until the cool weather comes back in the fall.  Try it out if you would like a little different take on the classic grain salad!

Mango Basil Quinoa Tabouli Salad

2 cups water

1 cup quinoa, rinsed

1 large mango, diced small
1 large cucumber peeled, seeded and diced small
2 scallions, sliced
1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, minced
1/2 cup toasted pine nuts
2 Tbsp olive oil
1/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp lemon juice
1 Tbsp lemon zest
1 large garlic clove, minced
sea salt
freshly ground pepper

Place quinoa and water in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, cover and cook until all the water is absorbed about 15 minutes, or when all the grains have turned from white to transparent, and the spiral-like germ has separated. Drain, and let cool. When quinoa is cool, combine with the mango, cucumber, basil, scallions, and pine nuts. Whisk together olive oil, lemon juice, lemon zest, garlic, and sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste. Toss dressing with salad, and chill.