Summer Quinoa Salad

Our second Produce Box arrived this week with bok choy, romaine lettuce, English cucumbers, hothouse tomatoes, garlic scallions and strawberries. This Summer Quinoa salad makes use of the cucumbers, tomatoes and garlic scallions. Serve it as a side salad for dinner and use leftovers for lunch the next day. If you've never heard of quinoa, it's somewhere between a rice and couscous in texture but packs amounts of protein and amino acids the others can't touch. Cooked quinoa also doesn't absorb the salad's dressing as quickly as rice or pasta would, so you don't have to use as much to have an impact (read: fewer calories). It will keep in the fridge for two to three days, covered. If you use fresh basil, be aware that the basil's leaves will brown over time.

Summer Quinoa Salad

1 Tbs olive oil

3 Tbs red wine vinegar

salt and pepper to taste

1 cup cooked quinoa, cooled

3 small hothouse tomatoes, chopped

1 English cucumber, chopped

2 garlic scallions or regular scallions, chopped

2 Tbs chopped fresh herbs like basil, parsley and oregano

1 oz. feta, cubed

1.) In a small bowl, whisk the olive oil, vinegar and salt and pepper until combined.

2.) In a separate bowl, gently toss the quinoa, tomatoes, cucumbers, garlic scallions and herbs together.

3.) Add the dressing to the quinoa mix and toss to combine.

4.) Add the chopped feta and toss just until combined. You don't want stir it so much that the feta disintegrates and turns to mush. Keep the feta in nice chunks for a better texture. It's also great without the feta.

First produce box of 2011 arrives

I did a little happy dance after they arrived and snapped this picture. This week's box contained a huge helping of fresh spinach, a couple of purple sweet potatoes, a small bunch of spring garlic, a quart of strawberries and three little herb plants. I planted my herbs and then made this...

This salad is so easy I'm not going to post an actual recipe. I used three of the hothouse tomatoes and two of the spring garlic bulbs (use shallots or scallions if you don't have them) from my box and a small fistful of assorted fresh herbs from my garden (basil, parsley, oregano and rosemary). Chop the tomatoes and slice the garlic. Toss in a bowl with a sprinkling of red wine vinegar, a splash of olive oil, a pinch of salt and fresh ground pepper. Top with crumbled chunks of feta or mozzarella. If the tomatoes are too tart or you overdo it with the vinegar, add a tiny sprinkle of sugar. Let marinate in the fridge for an hour or so and serve chilled. Mmmmm... I love spring.

The Produce Box

As I have confessed in the past, a green thumb I do not have. Or as Yoda might say, "A green thumb have I not." Actually his thumbs probably are green. Anywho...the point is I can't grow stuff. Except herbs. Which are green. Darn it, I'm getting off track. This year, instead of deluding myself into believing that any of the vegetables I grow will produce edible fruit I joined something called The Produce Box. Some friends in my MOPS group work for this company and got me interested.

Basically, for a set fee, they deliver to your door a box of locally grown, fresh produce as often as up to once a week. I am very excited about this company. First of all, you know how much I love online shopping, and fresh produce delivered to your door? How cool is that? We also get to support a local family, since most of the deliverers are at-home parents looking to earn a little extra cash, and local small farms. And my family gets access to the freshest produce without me having to drive to the farmer's market each week...or try to grow it.

Our first box arrives the week of April 13th, and the owners have promised an assortment of fingerling potatoes, hot house tomatoes, swiss chard, strawberries, spinach, sweet potatoes and more this month. So stay tuned; I'll post pictures and recipes as the boxes arrive. Check out The Produce Box to see if they deliver to your neighborhood/town. If you're in Charlotte or Winston Salem areas check out The Farm Table.