Minted Cucumber and Tomato Salad

This is a delicious and refreshing salad, perfect for those summer garden parties.



Ingredients:

• 1 English cucumber
  
• 2 large tomatoes
  
• 3 or 4 fresh mint sprigs
  
• 1 cup yoghurt
  
• freshly squeezed juice of 1 lime

Directions:

Seed and dice cucumber and tomatoes.
Tear mint leaves into small pieces.
Toss vegetables with mint.
Combine yoghurt with lime juice.
Stir dressing into vegetables.
Allow salad to sit for an hour before serving, to give the flavours time to blend.

Tabouleh

Ingredients:

• 1 cup bulghur wheat
  
• 2 tomatoes, diced.
  
• 1/2 green bell pepper, diced
  
• 1/2 red bell pepper, diced
  
• 1/4 cucumber, diced
  
• 1 onion, minced
  
• minced fresh parsley and mint leaves
  
• 2 Tbsp. chopped kalamata olives
  
• juice of one lemon
  
• 2 Tbsp. olive oil

Directions:

Place wheat in a bowl and cover with water.
Set aside until water is absorbed (approximately 20 minutes).
Combine all ingredients and mix well.
Chill salad two hours before serving.

Shortbread Cookies

Shortbread is simple to make and wonderfully versatile. Try some of the additions suggested in this recipe for a delicious variety of flavours.

Basic Ingredients:

• 1 cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
  
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
  
• 1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
  
• 1/4 cup corn starch

Additional Ingredients (choose one combination):

• orange zest & finely grated dark chocolate
  
• lemon zest & minced candied ginger
  
• ground pecans & finely grated dark chocolate
  
• peppermint oil & crushed candy canes

Directions:

Cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy.
Stir in flour and corn starch until incorporated fully.
Stir in additional ingredients, if using.
Roll out dough to 1/4 inch thick sheet.
Cut into rounds or shapes with cookie cutters.
Arrange cookies on cookie sheets lined with waxed paper.
Bake at 350°F for 15 minutes.
Allow cookies to cool on baking sheets for five minutes.
Then transfer to wire racks to cool completely.
Store cooled cookies in airtight containers at room temperature.

Shrimp Fresh Rolls

These are a wonderful alternative to egg rolls or spring rolls -- loads of flavour without the deep frying.



Ingredients:

• rice paper
  
• bean vermicelli
  
• cooked, peeled shrimp
  
• spring onions, cut into thin strips
  
• julienned carrots
  
• fresh mint leaves

Directions:

Soak vermicelli in boiling water for a few minutes to soften.
Strain vermicelli.
Soak one sheet of rice paper in boiling water until soft.
Remove from water and place flat on a work surface.
Place a thin line of vermicelli across the centre of the rice paper.
Top with onions, carrots, mint and shrimp.

Tuck in the side edges and roll up.
Repeat with additional sheets of rice paper.
Serve immediately with a spicy peanut sauce.

Mango Citrus Salad

A delightful and refreshing summer salad. Enjoy it with a tall cool glass of Mint Lemondade.



Ingredients:

• mixed salad greens
  
• spring onions, sliced
  
• fresh mint leaves, torn into small pieces
  
• fresh cilantro leaves, torn into small pieces
  
• chives, chopped
  
• grapefruit, peeled, seeded and divided into segments
  
• mango, peeled and sliced
  
• freshly squeezed lemon juice
  
• liquid honey

Directions:

Line plates or bowls with mixed greens.
Sprinkle onions, mint, cilantro and chives over the greens.
Arrange grapefruit segments and mango slices on top.
Pour lemon juice and honey into a glass jar with a tightly fitting lid (or a similar, non-reactive vessel which can be used as a shaker).
Seal lid onto jar/shaker and shake vigorously.
Drizzle dressing over top of salad.
Serve immediately.

Sushi

Sushi takes some time to prepare but it's not difficult. Once you learn the process you can have fun experimenting with many different filling combinations. Some of my favourites are shown below.



Ingredients:
Basic ingredients:

• 2 cups short-grained Japanese-style white rice*
  
• 2 cups water, plus additional for rinsing
  
• 1/4 cup rice vinegar
  
• 4 tablespoons sugar
  
• 8 sheets nori (roasted, pressed seaweed)
  
• sesame seeds

Suggested fillings:

• cooked shrimp, tails & shells removed
  
• fresh mint leaves
  
• green onion
  
• cooked crab (or crab-flavoured pollack)
  
• avocado
  
• carrot
  
• smoked salmon
  
• cream cheese

Serve with:

• soya sauce
  
• sesame seeds
  
• wasabi
  
• pickled ginger

Notes/Substitutions/etc.:

* I have had good results with President's Choice brand Sticky Rice but any short-grained Japanese-style rice should work well.

Directions:

Prepare the sticky rice:

Rinse rice with water, scrunching the rice around with your hand, until the water coming off the rice runs clear.

Place cleaned rice in a pan with a tight-fitting lid. Cover with an equal volume of water and allow rice to soak for 30 minutes.

While the rice is soaking, dissolve sugar into rice vinegar. You may need to heat the vinegar gently to help the sugar dissolve, but be careful not to boil your mixture. Once sugar is thoroughly mixed in, remove vinegar from heat and allow to cool to room temperature.

Bring rice to a boil, then turn heat down to low and simmer for 15 minutes. Keep the lid on the rice throughout the cooking process -- the steam trapped inside the pan is crucial to cook the rice properly and give it the desired consistency.

Remove rice pan from the heat and allow it to stand -- with the lid on -- for 15 minutes.

Turn rice out into a shallow, wide-bottomed, non-metallic bowl. (The shape of the bowl is important to ensure that the rice cools down quickly and evenly.)

Pour vinegar/sugar mixture over the rice and mix in using a non-metallic spatula or large spoon. Continue mixing vinegar into rice until it is thoroughly incorporated and rice has cooled to room temperature. You can use a hand-held fan to fan the rice while you are mixing and encourage the cooling process.

Once rice is thoroughly mixed and cooled to room temperature, it is best to work with it immediately. If you are not ready to work with the rice yet, leave it in the bowl at room temperature and cover with a damp cloth. Do not refrigerate the rice or allow it to dry out.

Assemble the sushi:

Place one sheet of nori onto a bamboo sushi rolling mat.
Spread a thin layer of rice over the nori, leaving the far edge of the nori bare.
Sprinkle sesame seeds over the rice.


Arrange your desired fillings in a thin line on top of the rice, approximately 1/3 of the way in from the near edge. Many wonderful combinations of seafood and vegetables are commonly used to prepare sushi. Here are some of my favourites:

Shrimp, fresh mint, and green onion:


Smoked salmon and cream cheese:


Crab and avocado:


Avocado and carrot:


Starting at the edge closest to you, use the bamboo mat to roll the sushi. Apply gentle pressure with your hands to the outside of the rolled mat to ensure a nice, tight sushi roll.


Remove the bamboo mat from the outside of your sushi roll and slice roll into bite-sized pieces with a sharp knife.

Arrange sushi pieces on a platter, with the fillings displayed.
Serve with pickled ginger, wasabi, soya sauce and sesame seeds on the side.

Chocolate Mint Pie

This recipe definitely falls into the "if you're going to indulge, make the most of your indulgence" category. This is not a dish to be consumed every day, but for those special occasions when you want a treat, it sure is good!



Ingredients:

• 1 + 1/3 cups chocolate cookie crumbs
  
• 1/3 cup butter
  
• 250 g fine dark chocolate, plus additional for decoration
  
• 6 egg yolks
  
• 4 tablespoons peppermint schnapps or crème de menthe
  
• 550 ml whipping cream
  
• 1/4 cup sugar
  
• 10-20 fresh mint leaves
  
• 1 drop blue + 2 drops green food colouring (optional)

Directions:

To make the crust:

Melt butter.
Combine melted butter and cookie crumbs.
Press onto bottom and sides of a 9" deep dish pie plate.
Bake at 350°F for 8 minutes.
Allow to cool.

To make the truffle filling:

Melt chocolate gently.
Whip 300 ml of the cream.
Beat two egg yolks and 2 tablespoons liqueur into melted chocolate.
Fold in the whipped cream.
Spoon over crust.
Chill.

To make the crème anglais:

Tear mint leaves into small pieces.
Beat sugar and 4 egg yolks together.
Gently heat mint, 2 tablespoons liqueur and 250 ml cream in a small saucepan.
Bring cream mixture to a boil, stirring constantly to avoid scorching.
SLOWLY add 1/2 of cream mixture to eggs, initially only 1 tablespoon at a time, incorporating well after each addition.
Return egg/cream mixture to the pan with the remainder of the cream.
Return to a boil and simmer gently until sauce has thickened.
Strain crème anglais through a fine sieve to remove mint leaves.
(Crème anglais will be a pale yellow in colour. If you prefer green, add one drop of blue food colouring for a pale minty green colour and an additional 2 drops green food colouring for a stronger green.)
Chill

Spoon chilled crème anglais over top of chilled pie.
Decorate as desired.
Enjoy in small quantities with a large number of friends!

Lemon Mint Fresh Cheese Tart

The perfect mix of tart and sweet, this pie is a favourite summer dessert. Tonight I was lazy and made it with a graham crumb crust, but it also works well with a short crust pastry.

Makes one 8-9 inch pie or 12 mini-tartlets.



Ingredients:

• one quantity of your favourite pastry or shortbread crust
  
• freshly grated zest of 3 lemons
  
• 2 eggs, separated
  
• 4 tablespoons sugar
  
• 140 g chèvre
  
• 13 fresh mint leaves, finely chopped
  
• 1/2 cup whipping cream
  
• freshly squeezed juice of 1 lemon
  
• whole fresh mint leaves for garnish

Directions:

Mix zest of one lemon into dry ingredients for pastry/shortbread.
Prepare crust recipe as per usual and bake blind.

Cream together egg yolks and 2 tablespoons sugar.
Add chèvre, chopped mint and zest of one lemon. Mix well.


Whip egg whites until stiff peaks form.


Gently fold beaten egg whites into cheese mixture.
Pour filling into baked tart crust.


Bake in pre-heated oven at 325°F for 30 minutes or until filling is set and golden in colour.


Whip cream with lemon juice and 2 tablespoons sugar.
Spread cream mixture over cooled tart.
Garnish with lemon zest and whole mint leaves.

Mint Lemonade

There's nothing quite like this sharp, minted lemonade to quench one's thirst after toiling in summer's cloying heat. I find that unsweetened lemonade is more refreshing, but if you must sugar your drinks, try adding a little locally produced honey to this recipe.

Ingredients:

• freshly squeezed juice of one lemon
  
• 2 cups ice water
  
• sprig of fresh mint

Directions:

Mix juice, water (& sweetener if desired) thoroughly.
Add mint whole.
Chill 1 - 2 hours to allow mint flavour to infuse lemonade.
Enjoy over ice.

Curry Chicken Salad

Ingredients:

• cooked chicken, diced
  
• "Sweet Mild Jakarta Curry Dip" *
  
• red bell pepper, diced
  
• yellow bell pepper, diced
  
• red onion or bunch of spring onions, diced
  
• mango, diced
  
• fresh mint leaves, chopped
  
• fresh cilantro, chopped
  

Substitutions:

* This is a "Compliments" brand dip, available from Sobey's. If you cannot acquire it, try your favourite curry paste mixed with a little mayonnaise and/or sour cream.

Directions:

Toss all ingredients together.
Enjoy on a sandwich or on salad greens.