Now, I have had Quinoa before, in restaurants, but having never cooked it before, I wasn't entirely sure what to expect. I decided to make a chilled salad, containing all of those light summer ingredients- sweet corn, lemon, shrimp, even some arugula. I started by boiling the Quinoa in two cups of chicken stock to add some extra flavor to it. The recipe said two cups of water- but thought-why not amp it up some? I'm sure though it would be tasty with just water as well. At the same time, in a separate pot, I boiled up three ears of fresh corn as well. Once it was all done cooking, I just strained the Quinoa-which is actually a seed-, removed the corn from the water, and set everything aside to cool. Then, I lightly salted and peppered some beautiful fresh shrimp and then grilled them on my stove top grill pan. So far- this was an easy-peasy meal.
I wanted everything to cool before eating, so I set the shrimp aside as well until it got closer to dinner
I made just a quick dressing as well- a simple vinaigrette with the juice of a lemon, olive oil, salt, pepper, a sprinkle of Italian Seasoning, and a teaspoon of Dijon mustard. I tossed the salad in the dressing, and then laid the shrimp over the top.
This was a perfect meal for a hot summer night. The salad itself was cool, but really quite filling, especially when used as a side dish to a hearty hamburger! The Quinoa itself had an almost nutty flavor, but a texture similar to brown rice, though it didn't leave you with that "stuffed" feeling. I loved the combination of all of the other ingredients as well! Parsley-with its incredible "fresh" flavor is one of my favorite raw herbs that I just don't use raw enough. I feel as though it always lends itself so well to citrus flavors and yet I often fall into the rut of using it primarily in marinara sauces, or in soups. Parsley-I have neglected you long enough! It combined so nicely with the peppery arugula, as well as the slightly salty Ricotta Salata and the sweet corn.
I really loved how all of the flavors and textures came together for this salad- it is definitely one I will be enjoying again. I can also imagine all of the great combinations that can can be made with different proteins- steak or tuna- delicious!
2 comments:
That looks amazing!!
Quinoa is the best :)
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