At the farmer’s market recently I did a little “improvisational cooking” demo and whipped up a nice summer salad with quinoa. It was a hit, as almost anything made with such fresh, wonderful ingredients would be. The bursts of color add to the tastiness too, of course. I may even have talked as much about playing with color as technique, because that is half the fun of cooking. jump to recipe
Although the point was to show the simplicity of throwing together a salad, my guests still asked for a recipe, so I decided to feed two birds with one scone and share it here as well. If you are into the Sunday meal-prep thing, or trying to be, add this to your line-up for the warm weather months.
The premise is to cook a grain, then add vinaigrette and veggies, ideally including leafy green. The residual heat from the grain will wilt your greens, so add them accordingly. I used watercress (three cheers for watercress, which is in the extra good-for-you Brassica family), so I wanted it to be crunchy and put it after the quinoa had cooled. But if I’d used spinach or arugula I would have put it in sooner and let it wilt a bit. That little bit of wilting takes the edge off of arugula, by the way, especially if it’s not the delicate baby stuff.
The recipe calls for vinaigrette, but olive oil and vinegar or lemon juice would work fine as well. A bit of chopped basil would be about as summery as you can get, so feel free to throw some in – or any herb you fancy. Consider this a master recipe, meaning it’s a framework to play with.
Most whole grains have protein, with quinoa one of the highest ranking grains (although technically a fruit!). The bulk section of you natural market is full of other whole grain goodness though, and most things in the bulk bins are a bargain that make it easier to eat well.
While quinoa is quite quick cooking, other grains can take a bit of time. A solution is to put them in your pot with water in the morning and let soak in the fridge while at work, which will cut cook time by about half. A super cheat when you are dead tired is to just bring home brown rice from an Asian restaurant and add a few veggies… but you didn’t hear that here!
Any grain, any green, any color of pepper will work here. The photo shows a butterscotch colored pepper, but it was different enough from the yellow squash that I used it. Have fun with your pallet!
Ingredients
- 1 cup quinoa, cooked
- 1 red onion, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 1 zucchini, chopped
- 1 yellow squash, chopped
- 1 red pepper
- 1/2 bunch watercress
- 2-4 Tbsp. vinaigrette, or as needed
Instructions
- Heat a skillet over medium-hight heat. Add just enough oil to coat the pan, then add the onion and let cook about 1 minute.
- Add the garlic, zucchini and squash, then season with salt. Toss a few times and remove from the pan after about 1 minute.
- Place in a bowl with the quinoa, and mix together. Add watercress, peppers, and some vinaigrette, then toss. Taste and adjust seasoning, then serve. If making ahead, you may want to add a bit more vinaigrette just before serving.
