Happy Friday! I hope you are gearing up for the weekend and cooking up something tasty.

We have an abundance of grape leaves growing in our garden and I have enjoyed so very much making our oh-so-favorite dolmades (stuffed grape leaves). A few years ago I tried my hands on a few new recipes using grape leaves. Today I am sharing with you a super simple and VERY FLAVORFUL salad. I combined Greek and Persian cuisines together to create this Mediterranean grape leaf salad.  I love tabouleh and I was going with similar tastes.

Let’s get to the fun!!

Mediterranean Grape Leaf Salad Recipe

Ingredients:

• 1 packet of Quinoa & brown rice (Seeds of change)
• 10 preserved grape leaves, chopped
• Crumbled feta cheese
• Green onions, diced
• Kalamata olives, halved
• 1 cucumber peeled and sliced
• 3 celery sticks, and diced
• 1 large bell pepper, remove seeds,  and dice
• 1/4 cup of toasted pine nuts
• A handful of fresh mint to serve

Dressing:

• 1/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 tablespoon of honey
• 2 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar
• Half of a lime (reserve the juice)
• Half of a lemon (reserve the juice)
• Salt & cracked pepper

Method:

1. In a large bowl prepare the quinoa and brown rice. I used the Seeds of Change from Costco but you can most certainly make your own. You will need at least 1 cup and a half of cooked grains. See notes about what grains to use.
2. After the grains are cooked, let them cool down.
3. Prepare the salad makings. Dice the celery, cucumber, bell peppers, and green onions.
4. Prepare the salad dressing.
5. In a large bowl add the grains, then the chopped grape leaves. Add the chopped celery, cucumber, bell peppers, green onions, Kalamata olives, and pine nuts. Add the feta cheese and pour the dressing over.  Mix to combine and serve with fresh mint leaves.

Notes:

• You can make the dressing ahead of time and refrigerate before you make the salad.
• Use any grains you like. I recommend quinoa, farro, or brown rice.