Ingredients

• 1 large eggplant, cut into 1-inch cubes (about 1 pound)
• 4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
• 1/2 lemon, juiced (about 1 tablespoon)
• 1 pinch sugar
• Freshly cracked black pepper, to taste
• 2 tablespoons fresh mint, roughly chopped

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 400° F. Toss the eggplant cubes, 3 tablespoons of the olive oil, and salt directly on a quarter sheet pan and roast for 25–30 minutes, or until caramelized and tender. Turn off the oven.
2. Season the cooked eggplant with the lemon juice, sugar, black pepper, the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil, and a pinch more salt if you feel it needs it, and toss together (I like to do this straight in the sheet pan). Place back in the turned-off oven for 5 more minutes.
3. Finish with the fresh mint and serve at room temperature.

Ingredients

• 3 medium zucchini
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 1/3 cups ricotta cheese
• 2 tablespoons fresh mint, finely chopped
• 1/4 cup fresh basil, finely chopped
• 24 whole basil leaves
• Salt & pepper
• Tomato sauce, for serving (optional)

Instructions

1. Preheat a grill or grill pan to medium-high heat.
2. Remove both ends from the zucchini. Use a mandoline or sharp chef's knife to slice the zucchini lengthwise into slices 1/4-inch thick. Lightly brush each side of the zucchini slices with olive oil. Season with salt and pepper just before placing on the grill. Place zucchini on the grill in a single layer; don't let the slices overlap — cook in batches if necessary. Cook for about 2 minutes. Flip and cook for another 2 minutes on the other side. When done, the zucchini should feel soft enough to roll and have light grill marks. Remove the zucchini from the grill, and place on a baking sheet to cool completely.
3. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, combine the ricotta cheese, basil, mint, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and freshly ground black pepper, and stir together.
4. At this point, both the zucchini and cheese mixture can be refrigerated for a few days, until you're ready to serve.
5. To assemble, spread a thin layer of ricotta cheese across a strip of zucchini. Place a whole basil leaf at one end of the zucchini, and starting at that end, roll up the zucchini. Set aside, and repeat with the remainder of the slices.

Ingredients

• 1 8oz package Rice Vermicelli Noodles
• 2 Carrots
• 3 Radishes, assorted varieties and trimmed
• 1 cup Confetti Tomatoes
• 4 Mini Bell Peppers (any color will do)
• ½ cup Snow Peas, trimmed
• ½ cup Green Beans, trimmed and cut into 1 inch pieces
• ½ cup Purple Green Beans, trimmed and cut into 1 inch pieces
For the Miso Ginger Dressing:
• ¼ cup Purple Basil Leaves
• ¼ cup Mint Leaves
• 1 bunch Parsley Leaves
• ½ cup Raw Peanuts
• 2 Chiles, seeded and deveined
• 3 tbsp Ginger, grated
• 3 Garlic Cloves
• 3 tbsp Miso Paste
• Juice of 1 Lemon
• 1 cup Olive Oil
• Salt and Pepper

Instructions

For the Noodles:
1. In a large stock pot, fill it about ¾ of the way with water and bring to a rolling boil. Season with a generous pinch of salt. Take the noodles out of the package and place in the boiling water. Immediately shut off the heat and allow to soak for about 10 minutes. Drain well in a colander and place in a mixing bowl. Add about ½ of the miso ginger dressing and toss to coat. Allow to cool in the dressing.
2. Have three bowls of ice water handy.
3. Peel the carrots with a peeler and shave them into long strands using the peeler. Place into the first bowl of ice water to allow to crispen up. Using a mandolin, thinly shave the radishes and add to the first bowl of ice water. Reserve.
4. Slice the bell peppers into thin rounds and set aside.
5. Pick off any stems from the tomatoes and cut in half if needed. If they are really small, you can leave them whole. Rinse under cold water and pat dry. Reserve.
6. Bring another pot of water to a boil and add a generous pinch of salt.
7. Add the snow peas to the water and blanch for 30 seconds and immediately shock into the second bowl of ice water. After it chills, take it out and pat dry. Cut into thin strips and reserve.
8. Repeat blanching each of the beans in the same water, cooking for 30 seconds and shocking them. Allow to cool completely. Take out and pat dry.
For the Miso Ginger Dressing:
9. Combine all the herb leaves into a small bowl and set aside.
10. In a dry saute pan over medium heat, lightly toast the peanuts until browned. Reserve and set aside.
11. In a blender, place the chiles, ginger, garlic cloves, miso paste, lemon juice and 2/3 of the reserved toasted peanuts. Blend to a rough paste. Add the herbs and about ¼ cup of the olive oil to the paste. Blend until it starts to be smooth. Gradually drizzle in the remaining olive oil to form a dressing. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.
For Assembly:
12. Take the noodles out of the bowl and arrange on a pile on a platter.
13. Combine all the vegetables in the bowl and gently toss with half of the remaining dressing. Season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle evenly over the noodles.
14. Garnish with the remaining 1/3 of the toasted peanuts and drizzle any remaining dressing you may have.
15. Enjoy!

Notes

Ingredients

• 2 cups cold water
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• Juice of 1 lemon (about 2 tablespoons)
• 2 sprigs or more of fresh mint
• 2 cups fresh French sorrel leaves

Instructions

1. Combine the water, sugar, and half the lemon juice in a non-reactive saucepan. Bring to the boil, stirring occasionally to dissolve the sugar. Remove from the heat and transfer to a glass container. Add the mint and let cool to remove temperature.
2. Wash the sorrel leaves, remove the tough spine, and coarsely chop the leaves. You'll want two well-packed cups.
3. When the sugar syrup has cooled, remove the mint and discard. Add the syrup, the rest of the lemon juice, and the sorrel leaves to the bowl of a blender. Puree until smooth.
4. Pour the mixture into a large shallow pan or casserole dish. Freeze until icy--about 3 hours. Then using a fork, scrape through the mixture to break it up. Refreeze another 2 hours and repeat.
5. Do this once more and it should be ready to serve. You can store it in a container for up to a month.

Notes

Ingredients

• 1 to 2 tablespoons plus 4 teaspoons olive oil
• 1 1/2 pounds eggplant (about 2 medium), in 3/4- to 1-inch slices
• 2 ounces (1/2 cup) chopped or crumbled ricotta salata
• 2 tablespoons capers, drained
• 1/3 cup finely diced red onion
• 3 seeded, diced medium tomatoes (1 1/2 cups)
• 3 tablespoons minced fresh mint leaves
• 2 teaspoon red wine vinegar
• Freshly ground black pepper.

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Coat a large baking sheet generously with olive oil, about 1 to 2 tablespoons. Arrange eggplant rounds in a single layer. Sprinkle with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Roast, without disturbing, for 15 to 20 minutes. Carefully flip each piece: the undersides should be blistery, dark and a bit puffy and should release from the pan with no effort. If they’re not, let it cook longer. Once flipped, sprinkle them with additional salt and freshly ground black pepper and return the pan to the oven for another 10 to 12 minutes or so, until the undersides match the tops.
2. [Alternatively, on the grill: Brush eggplant slices with oil; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Grill eggplant slices until slightly charred and tender when pierced with knife, about 5 to 7 minutes per side.]
3. Meanwhile, mix your ricotta, capers, onion, tomatoes, mint, vinegar and remaining 4 teaspoons olive oil in a small bowl. Taste for seasoning; ricotta salata tends to be quite salty so I don’t find that this dish needs more than a pinch of salt, if that. Add more vinegar, if desired. Add freshly ground black pepper, to taste.
4. When the eggplant discs are done, arrange them on a serving platter. Scoop a spoonful of the salad over each round. Eat immediately.

Notes

Ingredients

• 1 lb. chopped squash or ½ lb. peppers
• 1 bunch long beans, chopped
• 1-2 sprigs Mexican marigold mint, remove leaves and tear into smaller pieces

Instructions

1. Heat olive oil in a frying pan over medium-high heat. Add squash or peppers and long beans. Add salt and pepper to taste. Sauté for 3-5 minutes until tender. Add Mexican marigold mint and sauté for another 1-2minutes. Serve warm.
2. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v7EeCevVSeA

Ingredients

• 2 cups water
• 2 cups white sugar
• 1/2 cup roughly chopped fresh mint leaves
• 32 fluid ounces Kentucky bourbon (I like Knob Creek)
• 8 sprigs fresh mint leaves for garnish

Instructions

1. Combine water, sugar and chopped mint leaves in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat until the sugar is completely dissolved. Allow syrup to cool, approximately 1 hour. Pour syrup through a strainer to remove mint leaves. You can go ahead and mix the syrup with the bourbon in a large pitcher and store in refrigerator. Pour over ice and garnish with a mint sprig. Or, if you want to get fancy, fill eight cups or frozen goblets with crushed ice and pour 4 ounces of bourbon and 1/4 cup mint syrup in each. (Proportions can be adjusted depending on each person's sweet tooth). Top each cup with a mint sprig and a straw. Trim straws to just barely protrude from the top of the cups. Serve juleps on a silver platter
2. http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Mint-Juleps/Detail.aspx?event8=1&prop24=SR_Thumb&e11=mint%20juleps&e8=Quick%20Search&event10=1&e7=Home%20Page

Ingredients

• 3 table spoons of olive oil
• 1 lb. of chicken breast cut into bite size chunks (optional)
• 1 ¼ cup of green onions chopped (use mostly white parts for stew and green parts for garnish)
• 1 cup of potatoes (cut into 1 inch chunks)
• 1 cup of baby carrots (halved)
• 1 can of diced tomatoes
• 1 cup of canned coconut milk
• 3 cups of chicken broth or vegetable broth
• 1Tbsp of cumin
• 1 Tbsp. of curry powder
• 1 cup of sweet potato greens (chopped)
• 1 cup of Malabar spinach (chopped)
• 1 cup of French sorrel (chopped)
• Salt and Pepper to taste
• ¼ tsp. of Tabasco to taste
• ¼ cup of each Basil, Mint, and Arugula (chopped for garnish)

Instructions

1. Heat oil in pan then add curry powder and cumin. Add chicken stir until slightly golden brown. Add tomatoes.
2. Add coconut milk and broth. Add potatoes and carrots. Cook until potatoes and carrots are tender. Add greens at the last minute so that they don’t overcook. Add Tabasco, salt and pepper. Combine basil, mint and arugula.
3. Serve stew in a bowl and garnish with herbs and arugula.

Notes

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 pounds beets, trimmed and halved horizontally
• 1 1/4 cups water
• Salt and pepper
• 3 tablespoons white vinegar
• 1 tablespoon packed light brown sugar
• 4 scallions, white parts sliced thin, green parts sliced thin on bias
• 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
• 1/2 cup roasted cashews, toasted and chopped
• 1/4 cup chopped mint

Instructions

1. Place beets, cut side down, in single layer in 11-inch straight-sided sauté pan or Dutch oven. Add water and ¼ teaspoon salt; bring to simmer over high heat. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer until beets are tender and tip of paring knife inserted into beets meets no resistance, 45 to 50 minutes.
2. Transfer beets to cutting board. Increase heat to medium-high and reduce cooking liquid, stirring occasionally, until pan is almost dry, 5 to 6 minutes. Add vinegar and sugar; return to boil; and cook, stirring constantly with heat-resistant spatula, until spatula leaves wide trail when dragged through glaze, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove pan from heat.
3. When beets are cool enough to handle, rub off skins with paper towel or dish towel and cut into ½-inch wedges. Add beets, scallion whites, ginger, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper to glaze and toss to coat. Transfer beets to serving dish, sprinkle with cashews, mint, and scallion greens, and serve.