Couscous with Feta and Mint

1 1/3 cups couscous
1/4 cup olive oil
1 jalepeno, minced
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp coriander
2 cloves garlic, crushed
Salt to taste
8 oz. frozen edamame
1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved or quartered if big
1 packed cup fresh mint
bunch scallions, chopped
1 lemon for juice
8 oz crumbled feta

Combine couscous, oil, jalapenos, cumin, coriander, garlic and salt to taste in a large bowl. Whisk together until couscous is evenly coated. Scatter frozen edamame on top and pour on 2 cups boiling water. Cover the bowl immediately with plastic wrap. Let stand 5 minutes or until water is completely absorbed. Uncover bowl, fluff mixture, and cool completely.

While couscous is sitting, quarter the tomatoes and put into large bowl. Add mint and scallions. Add cooled couscous mixture to tomato mixture and squeeze the juice of about half the lemon. Salt liberally. Add feta, and toss to combine.

Endive & Red Pepper Salad

The bitterness of the endive and sweetness of the red pepper are terrific together.  Tied together with a simple mustard vinaigrette, it's a nice accompaniment for any rice, pasta or legumes as a light dinner.

Ingredients (per person)

1 endive, sliced thin (cut pieces with thick core in half if you like)
1/4 cup thinly sliced red pepper

1 t course mustard or dijon mustard
1T sherry or red wine vinegar
1T olive oil
freshly ground black pepper to taste

Place the sliced endive and pepper on separate salad plates.  Whisk together dressing ingredients and lightly dress salad.  Serve and enjoy.

Brunch-Inspired Salad Plate

Here's a wonderful, simple brunch plate for sharing.

1-2 sliced tomatoes
2 sliced hard boiled eggs
3-4 boiled new potatoes
grilled tofu or Italian sausage (I used vegetarian soy sausage)
vinaigrette salad dressing
fresh chopped oregano and lemon balm (whatever you have on hand will do)

Place your ingredients  on a plate and lightly dress with vinaigrette.  Sprinkle herbs over the top to taste.  I prefer serving this salad at room temperature.

Fresh Basil Vinaigrette

This dressing is inspired by Cleveland's Souper Market -- a terrific soup kitchen that makes soups and salad  dressings from scratch.  It's very simple and great served with greens, tomatoes olives and shaved cheese.  It's also terrific with a summer tomato-mozzeralla salad. This dressing can also be used on pasta with steamed vegetables, a topping for scallops or any white fish, or dolloped as a pungent topping for white bean soup.

You'll need to pull out your blender for this one.

INGREDIENTS
3 garlic cloves, peeled
1/2 c fresh basil and 1/2 c fresh parsely, firmly packed
~1/2 c extra virgin olive oil
~1/2 c sherry or cider vinegar
1T dijon mustard
pinch of fine sea salt
freshly ground black pepper to taste

RECIPE
Add garlic, basil, and vinegar and mustard to blender.  Pulse until well chopped.  Add a small pinch of salt and black pepper.  Turn blender on and slowly stream olive oil into mixture until desired thickness.  Start with about 1/2 cup and taste.  Balance the oily/tart taste by adding more oil or vinegar sparingly.  Remember, it's a dressing and should have nice strong flavor and be used sparingly!

VARIATIONS
Of course, a great addition is lemon zest and fresh lemon juice replacing some of the vinegar (you knew it wouldn't be my recipe without some citrus sneaking in somewhere).  You can make this dressing with mint or flat leaf parsley.  I would suggest mixing a bit of sage in with the mint to mellow it.  The parsley should definitely include lemon zest and perhaps a bit of green or kalamata olive blended in to the mixture.

Another great addition is to throw 2-3 medium tomatillos (paper removed and quartered) into the blender with the basil.  Adds a great tartness to the dressing.

Corn and Edamame Salsa

This salsa is great with any Mexican style food (I make it in the winter when fresh corn on the cob isn't available).  Leftovers are terrific mixed into scrambled eggs the next day.

INGREDIENTS
1 cup frozen sweet corn
1 cup frozen edamame beans
1/4 cup onion, diced to 1/8 inch pieces
1/4 cup red bell pepper, diced to 1/8 pieces
1/4 cup cabbage, diced to 1/8 pieces
1 jalepeno pepper, finely minced
1 1/2 t chili powder
1 t garlic powder (NOT garlic salt; and not fresh garlic either if you are going to cook it by the method below)
1/2 t dried thyme
zest from 1 lemon
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extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
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juice from 1/2 lemon

RECIPE
Put the frozen veggies in a bowl.  Add the remaining vegetables and lemon zest.  Mix thoroughly.  Coat lightly with olive oil and mix.  Add the spices crunching the time into the veggies, freshly ground pepper and a tiny pinch of salt if you like.  Mix thoroughly, set aside until all of the beans and corn is thawed, allowing the flavors to meld together. A half hour should do.  Longer, even overnight, will not hurt the dish.

Bring a tablespoon or so of extra virgin olive oil to temperature over medium-high heat.  Add the salsa and cook, stirring nearly constantly until the edges of the vegetables begin to brown.  Deglaze with freshly squeezed lemon juice.   Remove from pan as soon as the lemon juice is reduced to avoid burning.

Serve warm or at room temperature.  It's great along side fish tacos, as a filling for quesadillas, or even chilled as a dip with chips.