Cooking with Herbs: Mint

Mint is more than tea and mojitos.  It adds a refreshing note to lots of dishes.  Here's one that I made for dinner Tuesday night.  The recipe is from Cooking Light and I've made it several times.  It's delicious!  You can add a protein for a one-dish meal.  I usually add chicken, but this time I added ham that I had leftover from Easter.

This is the Cooking Light photo - I took a picture of my finished salad, but it didn't look this good!

Quinoa Salad with Asparagus, Dates, and Orange

Ingredients

• 
  Salad:
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 1/2 cup finely chopped white onion
• 1 cup uncooked quinoa
• 2 cups water
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 cup fresh orange sections (about 1 large orange) 
• 1/4 cup chopped pecans, toasted
• 2 tablespoons minced red onion
• 5 dates, pitted and chopped
• 1/2 pound (2-inch) slices asparagus, steamed and chilled
• 1/2 jalapeño pepper, diced
• Dressing:
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon extravirgin olive oil
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
• Mint sprigs (optional)

1. Preparation
2. 1. To prepare salad, heat 1 teaspoon oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add white onion to pan; sauté 2 minutes. Add quinoa to pan; sauté 5 minutes. Add 2 cups water and 1/2 teaspoon salt to pan; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 15 minutes. Remove from heat; let stand 15 minutes or until water is absorbed. Transfer quinoa mixture to a large bowl. Add orange and next 5 ingredients (through jalapeño); toss gently to combine.
3. 2. To prepare dressing, combine juice and next 4 ingredients (through garlic) in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk. Pour dressing over salad; toss gently to coat. Sprinkle with chopped mint. Garnish with mint sprigs, if desired. Serve at room temperature.