Another Summer Salad

Wegmans has done it again. Another Menu magazine, loaded with ideas, recipes, and new products to try, appeared in our mailbox a few weeks ago. The large section devoted to fresh summer salads is especially appealing. We've tried several and have an early favorite to share.

Quinoa has long been something of a mystery to me. Even its pronunciation posed a problem (the consensus seems to be keen-wah). This recipe for Red Quinoa-Avocado Salad contains many of our favorite summer ingredients and seemed a promising place to begin.

Red Quinoa-Avocado Salad

Ingredients:

1 pkg (7 oz) Food You Feel Good About Red Quinoa, cooked per pkg directions, chilled
1 pkg (12 oz) Food You Feel Good About Frozen Super-Sweet Corn, thawed
1 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro
1 cup green onions, thinly sliced on the bias
2 plum tomatoes, 1/4-inch dice (about 1 cup)
2 avocados, peeled, pitted, cubed small
1/2 cup Food You Feel Good About Lemon Vinaigrette
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper

Directions:
Add cooked quinoa, corn, cilantro, green onions, and tomatoes to mixing bowl. Fold in avocados and dressing; mix until well-combined. Season with salt and pepper; serve


Nutrition Info: Each serving (1 cup) contains 210 calories, 27 g carbohydrate, (4 g fiber), 5 g protein, 9 g fat, (1 g saturated fat), 0 mg cholesterol, and 240 mg sodium.
Calories: 210

It was delicious! The nutty flavor of the quinoa was an unexpected treat. Are you a quinoa fan?  How do you prepare it? Any ideas would be welcome.

Weekend Cooking is open to anyone with a food-related post to share: Book reviews, cookbook reviews, movie reviews, recipes, random thoughts, gadgets, fabulous quotations, photographs. If your post is even vaguely foodie, feel free to grab the button, head over to Beth Fish Reads, and link up anytime over the weekend.
*cross-posted at Lakeside Musing

Weekend Cooking: Greek Lentil Salad

Weekend Cooking is open to anyone with a food-related post to share: Book reviews, cookbook reviews, movie reviews, recipes, random thoughts, gadgets, fabulous quotations, photographs. If your post is even vaguely foodie, feel free to grab the button, head over to Beth Fish Reads, and link up anytime over the weekend.

Before heading to the grocery store checkout, I like to make a quick pass through Wegmans book and magazine aisle. Their selection is second only to Barnes & Noble and I have been known to make an occasional impulse purchase - usually a cooking magazine.

It was Vegetarian Times that caught my eye last week. Since Margaret has become a vegetarian, I've been on a quest to expand my meatless recipe repertoire. The June 2011 issue has several interesting ideas, but with summer salad season just around the corner, I decided to try the Greek Lentil Salad first.

GREEK LENTIL SALAD

Ingredients:

1 cup French green lentils, rinsed and drained
1/4 small onion
2 bay leaves
1 large shallot, finely chopped (1/4 cup)
2 Tbs. lemon juice
1 small cucumber, diced (1 cup)
2 medium tomatoes, diced (1 cup)
1/4 cup chopped fresh mint
1 Tbs. olive oil
1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese

Directions:

1. Place lentils, onion, bay leaves, and 6 cups water in large saucepan; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, and cook 25 to 30 minutes, or until lentils are tender. Drain, remove onion and bay leaves, and cool.

2. Stir together shallot and lemon juice in large bowl. Add lentils, cucumber, tomatoes, mint, and oil; stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper, if desired. Chill 1 hour, or overnight. Serve topped with feta.

Serves 4

My Notes:

• The organic green lentils (from Wegmans) cooked in just 20 minutes.
• I skipped the shallot.
• When served with lettuce and a tomato, this was perfect for lunch. 
• I'm sure it would also be a welcome addition to the potato or macaroni salads usually served at summer barbecues.

This is my May submission for the The Foodie Challenge.

Weekend Cooking: Summer Shortcuts

Summer is finally here! We get up early, go to bed late, spend lots of time outdoors, and less time in the kitchen. Still, I want to serve quick, healthy, and delicious summer meals. That's where Wegman's is a life-saver. If you're lucky enough to have this supermarket in your area, you know exactly what I mean.

Their Menu magazine is published quarterly. Although on sale in the stores, it magically appears in my mailbox. They know what a good customer I am! It features wonderful seasonal recipes (often using their own convenience or specialty items), suggested wine pairings, farm features, and cooking techniques.

This week I tried Grilled Jamaican-Style Jerk Chicken Breasts served with Mango & Cashew Salad. The chicken is packaged in the marinade and grill ready. The salad is simple to prepare, and delicious. Both will make future appearances on our summer table.

Mango & Cashew Salad

1 1/2 Tbsp and 1/3 cup Wegmans Extra-Virgin Olive Oil, divided

1/2 lb whole, unsalted cashews (Bulk Foods) (about 1 1/2 cups)

1/8 tsp cayenne pepper

3/4 tsp salt

2 Tbsp Wegmans Clover Honey

juice from 1 lime (about 2 Tbsp)

3 bags (5 oz each) Food You Feel Good About Arugula Blend Salad

3 mangos, peeled, seeded, 1-inch dice (about 3 1/2 cups)

Heat 1 1/2 Tbsp oil in skillet on MEDIUM. Add cashews, cayenne pepper and salt; stir in honey.

Remove from heat; toss, set aside to cool.

Whisk lime juice and remaining 1/3 cup olive oil in small bowl.

Combine arugula, mango and cashew mixture in large bowl; drizzle with dressing.

Notes: Mangos aren't popular with my family, so we used apples instead. We also made only 1/3 of the recipe.

Weekend Cooking, hosted at Beth Fish Reads, is open to anyone with a food-related post to share: Book (novel, nonfiction) reviews, cookbook reviews, movie reviews, recipes, random thoughts, gadgets, fabulous quotations, photographs. If your post is even vaguely foodie, feel free to grab the button, head over to Beth Fish Reads, and link up anytime over the weekend.