Summer Potato Salad

This was the only potato salad we ate growing up. The flavors are fresh and simple and compliment any barbecue. It's also great because my mother-in-law is allergic to canola oil and there's no mayonnaise in this recipe. The secret is to make this the day before and then add more of the dressing just before serving.

• 5 large potatoes (I always use Yukon golds)
• 1 medium bunch of fresh mint
• 1/4 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
• 1/3 cup of extra virgin olive oil
• 1 clove of garlic, mashed (optional)
• Salt to taste

Boil the potatoes until just finished (as soon as a knife glides right through a potato), do not over boil so that they're mushy. Run the potatoes under cold water and peel them, let them cool completely. In the meantime, finely chop the mint and place half of it in a bowl. Mix all the remaining ingredients and the remainder of the mint in a jar shake well to mix it all up. Once the potatoes are cooled, dice them into 2cm cubes into the same bowl as the mint. Pour half of the dressing mixture over the potatoes and mix well. Cover the potato salad and refrigerate overnight. Just before serving, mix in the remainder of the dressing and toss.

Serves 4 as a side dish.

Parsley Tahini Salad (Bedounsia)

This salad is more like a saucy-salsa and is eaten traditionally with fish. It's amazing. Very simple, but so flavourful and fresh. The nutty flavours of the tahini and the citrus of the lemon make it a perfect fit. Any type of white fleshed fish works well (cod, snapper, tilapia, whitefish, sole or pickeral) or you could use salmon or trout. The only type you'll want to avoid is mild flavoured fish like halibut; since this salad is packed with flavour.

• 1/2 bunch of parsley, finely chopped
• 2 tomatoes, finely diced
  
• 4 tbsp tahina
• Juice of 1 lemon
  
• 1/3 cup water

In a medium bowl, mix the lemon juice and tahina until the mixture forms a thick paste. Add the water and stir until well mixed and runny. Lastly, mix in all the other ingredients, and let the salad sit for 5 minutes before serving.

Serves 2-3.

Taboula (aka Tabouli)

This is a great summer salad that works very well with kofta or other grilled meats, or you can simply eat it as an appetizer with any meal.

• 1 bunch of parsley
• 1/3 cup of dried Bulgar wheat
• 1/3 cup of extra virgin olive oil
• 1/3 cup of freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 3 medium tomatoes
• 3 spring onions
• 5-7 stems of fresh mint (optional)
• Salt
  

In the bottom of a medium sized covered bowl or dish, mix the Bulgar, oil, salt and lemon juice. Finely dice the tomatoes and layer on top of the Bulgar mixture. Do not mix. Then finely chop the parsley and layer on top of the tomatoes. Up to this point, the taboula can be made ahead and stay in you fridge covered up to 3 days. Otherwise, if you're planning on eating it right away, let it sit for a minimum of 1 hour or until the Bulgar absorbs all of the juices from the oil, lemon and tomatoes. Once ready to serve, finely chop the spring onions and mint then mix with the taboula preparation above.

Enjoy!