Quinoa Tabouli (gluten-free)

1c any 'color' quinoa

2c fresh cold water

2 huge cloves of garlic - smashed and minced

Simmer the quinoa on low until all the water absorbs. Remove from heat, add the garlic and stir gently. Cover while chopping all the vegetables. The heat will mellow the sharpness of the garlic a little.

Combine in a big glass bowl:

quartered grape tomatoes
2 yellow mini bell peppers
celery heart and tops
5 tiny cucumbers
5 green onions
1/2 purple onion
1 med. carrot - grated
zest and juice of 1 lemon
lots of good quality single source EVOO
1/2 bunch each: curly & Italian flat leaf parsley
2 cans of well rinsed-and-drained black beans

Add the slightly cooled quinoa and garlic.
Combine gently. Check the flavors and season. I used Lowry's Garlic Salt, ground black and red pepper. I was making this for our church potluck, so I forgot to take a pic of the finished bowl. Drop down two recipes. . .Yup, it looks pretty much like that Tabouli 😁 . . . Lin

Extra Virgin Mojitos - (x4)

I used to make a mean Mojito! (my drink of choice) with rum, or sometimes I'd make Mojito Martinis with Vodka. I gave up alcohol last December but found I was missing these. When I broke it down though, I realized it wasn't the alcohol I was missing, it was the citrus, fizz and mint. Deciding what you want, higher calorie but lots of flavor; lots of fizz and no calories; or no fizz – will help you pick the mixer. Using tea makes this a citrus-mint tea reminiscent of a lazy-hot-day-on-the-veranda in the South. I added 3T raw sugar to my pitcher of mint Sun Tea. It dissolves nicely in the heat-steeping process.

a couple big sprigs of fresh mint

juice of a lemon or lime

lemon-lime or grapefruit-sour soda,

seltzer or sweet mint tea

Tear or snip the mint in little pieces into a glass, then crush (mortar and pestle style) with a wooden spoon. Add the lemon or lime juice, a little sugar if using seltzer, and continue to crush to develop the flavors. Add tea, soda or seltzer, stir lightly and add ice. Makes 2 glasses.  (l to r - tea and seltzer)

Another easy idea for a bigger flavor punch is to use the prepared-sweetened Mojito mixers, such as Rose's. This is higher in sugar-calories but a little is really nice when combined with seltzer. . .Lin