Happy Valetines Day

Happy

Valentine's

Day!!! 

Robin's Quinoa Salad with preserved lemons, golden raisins, tomatoes and fresh mint

One of my favorite salads to make is my refreshing Quinoa salad.  It's easy to prepare and keeps well in the refrigerator.  It's a perfect salad for a picnic.

Robin’s Quinoa Salad
        3 cups cooked multi-colored quinoa (1 ½ cups raw)
           Note: Rinse well before cooking
  1 ½  cup cherry tomatoes, cut into quarters
        1 preserved lemon, rinsed well. Remove flesh and discard. 
          Cut the rind into 16 wedges and thinly slice  (see below)
        1 cup golden raisins
        2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
    1/3 cup olive oil
        2 tablespoon lemon juice
      ½ teaspoon salt (or to taste)
 
Combine all the ingredients.  Best made a day in advance.

To Preserve lemons:
6 lemons, washed well 
1 cup salt

Trim the stem end of the lemon off.  Score the lemons in quarters but do not cut all the way thru.
Pour some of the salt into each lemon.  Put into a large glass container, like the one above.
Add the rest of the salt and fill with water.  Make sure the water completely covers the lemons.  Let sit on your kitchen counter.

It takes three weeks for the lemons to "cure" before they will be ready to use.  

Note:  When taking a lemon out to use in a recipe, fill the container up with more water so the lemons are completely covered.  This will prevent any mold from occurring.  

 A fun way to serve the salad is in a smaller coffee cup.  I used some hand-made cups that my mom had bought years ago when they were in the Cotswolds in England.  I garnished the salad with a wedge of the preserved lemon.

Buen Provecho!