Tag Archives: romaine

quinoa & corn salad

. Mexico/Central America, picnic food, salads . , , , ,

quinoa_corn_salad
This summer salad features delightfully crunchy quinoa and sweet corn kernels in a tangy dressing. Never tried quinoa? It’s similar to millet; look for it in the bulk section of your local natural foods store. We used red quinoa for this recipe, but other colors are available.

1 cup quinoa, rinsed and drained
1/2 tsp. salt
2 cups corn kernels (canned, frozen, or fresh; if fresh, briefly cook kernels in boiling water, rinse with cold water, and drain)
1 medium cucumber, diced
8-oz. package cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
Several large romaine leaves, sliced into ribbons

Dressing
1/2 cup olive oil
Juice from 1 large, fresh lemon
3 Tbs. maple syrup
1 Tbs. Dijon mustard
1 tsp. salt

1. Combine rinsed quinoa, salt, and 1 1/2 cups water in a small saucepan over high heat. Bring to a boil; cover and reduce heat. Let quinoa simmer until all the water is absorbed (about 20 minutes). Remove from heat. After about 10 minutes, “fluff” the quinoa with a fork by lightly stirring.

2. In a large bowl, combine the cooked quinoa with the corn kernels, diced cucumbers, and tomatoes.

3. Whisk all the dressing ingredients together, and stir into the salad.

4. Arrange romaine ribbons on plates. Scoop quinoa salad on top.

raw indian red curry salad

. India, salads . , ,

Thanks to Suresh Chandra and Kapil Sharma for this salad recipe. Sharma says that his mother makes a similar salad all the time in India. The flavor combination of ginger, onion, curry, and lemon makes this a tantalizing salad!

Romaine lettuce
1 medium white or red onion
4 Roma tomatoes
1 large piece of fresh ginger
Red Indian curry powder
2 lemons

1. Arrange this salad on a large plate or several small plates instead of mixing in a bowl. Place a layer of lettuce on the plate. Slice the onion in circles (not quarters). Slice the tomatoes in circles. Place a layer of the onion circles on the bed of lettuce. Place a layer of tomatoes on the layer of onions.

2. Cut the fresh ginger in 1/4″ matchsticks. On each tomato, arrange 3 strips of ginger like spokes on a wheel connecting at the center of the tomato. Garnish other strips of ginger creatively on the salad.

3. Cut the lemons in half. Set aside one half to squeeze on the salad. Place the open faces of the other three lemon halves flat on the cutting board. Cut into 1/16 sections, then cut the sections into small pieces. Arrange the lemon pieces on the salad.

4. Sprinkle the red curry powder over the entire salad. Squeeze the fresh lemon half over the top to allow the curry powder to seep into the vegetables. Enjoy!