Killer Combo - Quinoa, Corn & Feta Salad With Herbs

Sunday, August 25, 2013

This salad is a new summer favorite. It's delicious and easy to make, especially if you've got some leftover grilled corn lying around. It also goes well with lots of things and tastes great the next day - my husband and I devoured the leftovers and I wish I'd made a bigger batch. I plan to make it again very soon!

Quinoa, corn & feta salad by Eve Fox, The Garden of Eating blog, copyright 2013

The inspiration for this salad came from Beveraly, a dear family friend who was like my second mother when I was growing up. Her daughter, Dawn, was my mostly companion until about 9th grade and the three of us spent many happy hours together, swimming at Big Deep, walking around town, and, of course, eating. Bev is a wonderful cook - I still sigh just thinking of her divine fried chicken and potato salad...

Leftover grilled corn by Eve Fox, Garden of Eating blog, copyright 2013

But back to this delightful salad! I recommend cooking the quinoa in vegetable broth to give it a little more flavor - it makes a big difference. And don't forget to rinse it first to get rid of the bitter saponins.

Quinoa by Eve Fox, Garden of Eating blog, copyright 2008.

A word to the wise, leave yourself time to let the quinoa cool down after you make it. I was in a rush when I made this so I did not have time to let my quinoa cool down and the feta kind of melted into it as you can probably see in the photos. It's just as delicious that way but not quite as pretty as when the feta is in distinct pieces. And, while we're on the topic of appearances, I didn't have any red quinoa on hand when I made this, but if you do, I think that would give the salad a little more visual pop.

Fresh herbs by Eve Fox, Garden of Eating blog, copyright 2012

Chop the herbs and prepare the corn if you don't already have it on hand. I like to cook an ear or two more corn that I need in order to have some handy to throw into salads, salsas, corn bread or fritters. As I've mentioned, I'm really enjoying my new corn stripper but a sharp knife will also work perfectly well.

Using Oxo's corn stripper to get all the kernels off quickly by Eve Fox, the Garden of Eating blog, copyright 2013

Mix it all together with a little olive oil and lemon juice, then season with sea salt and black pepper to taste and stir in the chunks of feta cheese. That's it!

Quinoa, corn & feta salad by Eve Fox, The Garden of Eating blog, copyright 2013

I hope you enjoy these last few weeks of golden summer.

Quinoa, Corn & Feta Salad with Fresh Herbs
Serves 4 as a side

Ingredients

* 1 1/2 cups quinoa
* 2 1/2 cups vegetable broth or water
* 1/4-1/2 cup (the more the better, I think) coarsely chopped fresh herbs -- you can use oregano, basil, cilantro, thyme, parsley, marjoram, mint, etc.,
* Juice of half a lemon
* 1-2 cups cooked corn kernels (grilled is the tastiest)
* 1 cup crumbled feta cheese - I would choose a harder/drier variety over one of the softer ones
* Olive oil
* Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Directions

1. Cook the quinoa: bring a medium-large pot of water to a boil; while it's heating up, rinse the quinoa in several changes of water and drain thoroughly. Once the water reaches a boil, add the quinoa, stir, and lower the heat to a simmer. Cook for 15-20 minutes on low heat or until you see the little curly white tail of the quinoa grains emerge. If there is too much liquid, leave the lid off for the last few minutes. Turn off the heat, stir in a few tablespoons of olive oil and set it aside to cool with the lid off.

2. If you don't have cooked corn kernels on hand, use the time that the quinoa is cooking to grill your corn - get the simple directions here - two ears should be plenty. Once it's cool enough to handle, cut the kernels off the cobs and set aside.

3. Wash, dry and chop the herbs. Combine the quinoa, corn, herbs and lemon juice with a little more olive oil and season to taste with salt and pepper. Add the crumbled feta cheese and toss to combine.

You might also like:

Want even more recipes, photos, giveaways, and food-related inspiration? "Like" the Garden of Eating on Facebook, or follow me on Twitter or Pinterest.

Grilled Corn Is The Best Corn

Friday, August 2, 2013

Although I grew up eating sweet corn every summer, somehow, I had never eaten it grilled until last summer. Unbelievable! I started humming "something tells me I'm into something good" at the first bite... It was sweet, salty, and a little bit smokey with nice little zings of mild heat from the black pepper.

I asked our friend, Kali, what magic she'd worked to make it so tasty and she looked at me like I was just a little bit crazy, "You mean the corn? It's really simple - just olive oil, salt and black pepper."

Herby grilled corn by Eve Fox, the Garden of Eating blog, copyright 2013

That sounded like my kind of recipe - quick, easy and delicious - so I gave it a try soon afterwards. The results were equally good! I especially love how the mild heat of the fresh pepper is heightened by the grilling - it gives it a nice little kick.

Corn rubbed with olive oil, salt and pepper by Eve Fox, the Garden of Eating blog, copyright 2013

Now that I've had it this way, I don't think I will ever go back to cooking corn in boiling water unless there is a hurricane  or tornado preventing me from reaching the grill (however, given the "new normal" for weather, I will not rule either thing out...)

Grilling the corn by Eve Fox, the Garden of Eating blog, copyright 2013

My recommendations for maximum eating pleasure are as follows:
  1. Buy your corn from a local farmer and try to get it at the farmers market to ensure that it was picked very recently (this will also benefit your local farms and farmers!) The fresher your corn is, the sweeter it will be as the sugar starts turning into starch as soon as it's picked.
  2. Don't skimp on the salt and pepper.
  3. Give it a nice light char - I know burning food is bad for you but the flavor it imparts is incredible and since this is a vegetable, I doubt the charring is carcinogenic.
And please do not be afraid to play with this recipe! I sometimes add a mixture of chopped fresh herbs from the garden -- oregano, basil, and cilantro -- and it's delicious. My cousin, Nina, (an honest to goodness Chef who is sometimes on TV!) does a riff on the ever-popular Mexican street corn by slathering her grilled corn with chipotle mayo and splashing a bit of lime juice over it. And those are just two ideas out of many, many more possibilities.

The photo below is of the herbed version along with my favorite, new kale salad and a tried and true classic, steamed potatoes slathered in herb butter*. Yum!

Herby grilled corn with steamed potatoes in herbed butter and massaged kale salad by Eve Fox, the Garden of Eating blog, copyright 2013

I love to have grilled corn on hand to add to salads, salsas, soups and more so I usually make a few extra ears and then cut the kernels off the cob and store them in a glass tupperware in the fridge (or freeze them, depending on when I think I'll need them.)

A sharp knife works pretty well but my husband got me this handy-dandy OXO corn stripper for my birthday this spring and it works even better.

Using Oxo's corn stripper to get all the kernels off quickly by Eve Fox, the Garden of Eating blog, copyright 2013

I hope you like it as much as I do.

Grilled Corn
Serves as many or as few as you'd like it to

Ingredients

* Fresh sweet corn - get as many ears as you think you will need for the crowd you're serving
* Olive oil
* Sea salt
* Freshly ground black pepper

Directions

1. Shuck the corn, removing the husks and any silk left clinging to the cobs.

2. Preheat and clean your grill. You'll want even, medium heat.

3. Rub the ears of corn with olive oil, then sprinkle with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper - don't skimp on any of these things!

4. Place the ears on the grill and cook, turning with tongs every 2 minutes or so, to ensure even cooking on all sides, until lightly browned. Remove and serve (or sprinkle with some of the yummy additions mentioned above and then serve!)

You might also like:
Want even more recipes, photos, giveaways, and food-related inspiration? "Like" the Garden of Eating on Facebook, or follow me on Twitter or Pinterest.

* If you check this recipe out, forgive me for the less than stellar photos, I was really new to blogging then and also had not yet gotten a great camera :)

Sunday, August 25, 2013

Killer Combo - Quinoa, Corn & Feta Salad With Herbs

This salad is a new summer favorite. It's delicious and easy to make, especially if you've got some leftover grilled corn lying around. It also goes well with lots of things and tastes great the next day - my husband and I devoured the leftovers and I wish I'd made a bigger batch. I plan to make it again very soon!

Quinoa, corn & feta salad by Eve Fox, The Garden of Eating blog, copyright 2013

The inspiration for this salad came from Beveraly, a dear family friend who was like my second mother when I was growing up. Her daughter, Dawn, was my mostly companion until about 9th grade and the three of us spent many happy hours together, swimming at Big Deep, walking around town, and, of course, eating. Bev is a wonderful cook - I still sigh just thinking of her divine fried chicken and potato salad...

Leftover grilled corn by Eve Fox, Garden of Eating blog, copyright 2013

But back to this delightful salad! I recommend cooking the quinoa in vegetable broth to give it a little more flavor - it makes a big difference. And don't forget to rinse it first to get rid of the bitter saponins.

Quinoa by Eve Fox, Garden of Eating blog, copyright 2008.

A word to the wise, leave yourself time to let the quinoa cool down after you make it. I was in a rush when I made this so I did not have time to let my quinoa cool down and the feta kind of melted into it as you can probably see in the photos. It's just as delicious that way but not quite as pretty as when the feta is in distinct pieces. And, while we're on the topic of appearances, I didn't have any red quinoa on hand when I made this, but if you do, I think that would give the salad a little more visual pop.

Fresh herbs by Eve Fox, Garden of Eating blog, copyright 2012

Chop the herbs and prepare the corn if you don't already have it on hand. I like to cook an ear or two more corn that I need in order to have some handy to throw into salads, salsas, corn bread or fritters. As I've mentioned, I'm really enjoying my new corn stripper but a sharp knife will also work perfectly well.

Using Oxo's corn stripper to get all the kernels off quickly by Eve Fox, the Garden of Eating blog, copyright 2013

Mix it all together with a little olive oil and lemon juice, then season with sea salt and black pepper to taste and stir in the chunks of feta cheese. That's it!

Quinoa, corn & feta salad by Eve Fox, The Garden of Eating blog, copyright 2013

I hope you enjoy these last few weeks of golden summer.

Quinoa, Corn & Feta Salad with Fresh Herbs
Serves 4 as a side

Ingredients

* 1 1/2 cups quinoa
* 2 1/2 cups vegetable broth or water
* 1/4-1/2 cup (the more the better, I think) coarsely chopped fresh herbs -- you can use oregano, basil, cilantro, thyme, parsley, marjoram, mint, etc.,
* Juice of half a lemon
* 1-2 cups cooked corn kernels (grilled is the tastiest)
* 1 cup crumbled feta cheese - I would choose a harder/drier variety over one of the softer ones
* Olive oil
* Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Directions

1. Cook the quinoa: bring a medium-large pot of water to a boil; while it's heating up, rinse the quinoa in several changes of water and drain thoroughly. Once the water reaches a boil, add the quinoa, stir, and lower the heat to a simmer. Cook for 15-20 minutes on low heat or until you see the little curly white tail of the quinoa grains emerge. If there is too much liquid, leave the lid off for the last few minutes. Turn off the heat, stir in a few tablespoons of olive oil and set it aside to cool with the lid off.

2. If you don't have cooked corn kernels on hand, use the time that the quinoa is cooking to grill your corn - get the simple directions here - two ears should be plenty. Once it's cool enough to handle, cut the kernels off the cobs and set aside.

3. Wash, dry and chop the herbs. Combine the quinoa, corn, herbs and lemon juice with a little more olive oil and season to taste with salt and pepper. Add the crumbled feta cheese and toss to combine.

You might also like:

Want even more recipes, photos, giveaways, and food-related inspiration? "Like" the Garden of Eating on Facebook, or follow me on Twitter or Pinterest.

Friday, August 2, 2013

Grilled Corn Is The Best Corn

Although I grew up eating sweet corn every summer, somehow, I had never eaten it grilled until last summer. Unbelievable! I started humming "something tells me I'm into something good" at the first bite... It was sweet, salty, and a little bit smokey with nice little zings of mild heat from the black pepper.

I asked our friend, Kali, what magic she'd worked to make it so tasty and she looked at me like I was just a little bit crazy, "You mean the corn? It's really simple - just olive oil, salt and black pepper."

Herby grilled corn by Eve Fox, the Garden of Eating blog, copyright 2013

That sounded like my kind of recipe - quick, easy and delicious - so I gave it a try soon afterwards. The results were equally good! I especially love how the mild heat of the fresh pepper is heightened by the grilling - it gives it a nice little kick.

Corn rubbed with olive oil, salt and pepper by Eve Fox, the Garden of Eating blog, copyright 2013

Now that I've had it this way, I don't think I will ever go back to cooking corn in boiling water unless there is a hurricane  or tornado preventing me from reaching the grill (however, given the "new normal" for weather, I will not rule either thing out...)

Grilling the corn by Eve Fox, the Garden of Eating blog, copyright 2013

My recommendations for maximum eating pleasure are as follows:
  1. Buy your corn from a local farmer and try to get it at the farmers market to ensure that it was picked very recently (this will also benefit your local farms and farmers!) The fresher your corn is, the sweeter it will be as the sugar starts turning into starch as soon as it's picked.
  2. Don't skimp on the salt and pepper.
  3. Give it a nice light char - I know burning food is bad for you but the flavor it imparts is incredible and since this is a vegetable, I doubt the charring is carcinogenic.
And please do not be afraid to play with this recipe! I sometimes add a mixture of chopped fresh herbs from the garden -- oregano, basil, and cilantro -- and it's delicious. My cousin, Nina, (an honest to goodness Chef who is sometimes on TV!) does a riff on the ever-popular Mexican street corn by slathering her grilled corn with chipotle mayo and splashing a bit of lime juice over it. And those are just two ideas out of many, many more possibilities.

The photo below is of the herbed version along with my favorite, new kale salad and a tried and true classic, steamed potatoes slathered in herb butter*. Yum!

Herby grilled corn with steamed potatoes in herbed butter and massaged kale salad by Eve Fox, the Garden of Eating blog, copyright 2013

I love to have grilled corn on hand to add to salads, salsas, soups and more so I usually make a few extra ears and then cut the kernels off the cob and store them in a glass tupperware in the fridge (or freeze them, depending on when I think I'll need them.)

A sharp knife works pretty well but my husband got me this handy-dandy OXO corn stripper for my birthday this spring and it works even better.

Using Oxo's corn stripper to get all the kernels off quickly by Eve Fox, the Garden of Eating blog, copyright 2013

I hope you like it as much as I do.

Grilled Corn
Serves as many or as few as you'd like it to

Ingredients

* Fresh sweet corn - get as many ears as you think you will need for the crowd you're serving
* Olive oil
* Sea salt
* Freshly ground black pepper

Directions

1. Shuck the corn, removing the husks and any silk left clinging to the cobs.

2. Preheat and clean your grill. You'll want even, medium heat.

3. Rub the ears of corn with olive oil, then sprinkle with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper - don't skimp on any of these things!

4. Place the ears on the grill and cook, turning with tongs every 2 minutes or so, to ensure even cooking on all sides, until lightly browned. Remove and serve (or sprinkle with some of the yummy additions mentioned above and then serve!)

You might also like:
Want even more recipes, photos, giveaways, and food-related inspiration? "Like" the Garden of Eating on Facebook, or follow me on Twitter or Pinterest.

* If you check this recipe out, forgive me for the less than stellar photos, I was really new to blogging then and also had not yet gotten a great camera :)