Quinoa Snap Pea Salad

You may have heard that we had an earthquake in D.C. on Tuesday. No, that doesn't really have anything to do with this recipe other than that it's what we had for dinner later that night (after evaluating the damage to our apartment and having several drinks to settle our nerves) (okay, the drinking was just me). Due to all the excitement and commotion, I forgot to take a picture of it that night -- so you all will have to settle with a cellphone pic snapped of my lunch leftovers the next day. They were still delicious, by the way.

Quinoa Snap Pea Salad
From Food & Wine

• 1/2 pound sugar snap peas
• 1 1/2 cups quinoa, rinsed and drained
• 1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
• Salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1/2 cup salted roasted pumpkin seeds
• 1/2 cup minced chives

In a small saucepan of boiling salted water, simmer the peas until bright green and crisp-tender, about 1 minute. Drain and spread out on a large plate to cool, then pat dry. Cut the peas on the diagonal into 1-inch pieces.

In a small saucepan, combine the quinoa with 2 cups of water and bring to a boil. Cover and cook over low heat until all of the water has evaporated and the quinoa is tender, about 15 minutes. Uncover and fluff the quinoa, then transfer to a large bowl and let cool to room temperature.

In a bowl, combine the oil and vinegar and season with salt and pepper. Add the peas to the quinoa with the tomatoes, pumpkin seeds, chives and dressing; stir. Season with salt and pepper and serve at room temperature or lightly chilled.

Pappardelle with Marinated Heirloom Tomatoes

The second I got the most recent issue of Martha Stewart Living (don't judge, I got the subscription as a gift from my aunt), I knew I was going to make the recipe on the cover. Despite the fact that it calls for half a cup of olive oil. It just looked that delicious. And it was! This recipe isn't elaborate and doesn't have a lot of ingredients. It really just lets the flavor of the tomatoes shine through, so make sure you spring for the most gorgeous heirlooms you can find at the farmers market.

Pappardelle with Marinated Heirloom Tomatoes

From Martha Stewart Living

• 5 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil (you can cut this back to 1/4 if you like (but it won't be as good...))
• 2 pounds heirloom tomatoes, sliced into 1/2-inch wedges
• 3/4 cup torn fresh basil, divided
• 3 tablespoons capers, rinsed
• 2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest, plus more for sprinkling
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1 pound pappardelle or other flat pasta, such as croxetti or maltagliati, cooked until al dente

Heat garlic in oil in a saucepan over low heat until pale gold, about 10 minutes. Strain; reserve oil and garlic. Let cool. Combine tomatoes, 1/4 cup basil, the capers, lemon zest, red pepper flakes, and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a large bowl. Pour garlic oil and chips over tomato mixture. Marinate, covered, tossing occasionally, for 30 minutes. Add warm pasta to bowl, and toss gently. Top with remaining 1/2 cup basil. Season with pepper. Sprinkle with lemon zest.

Fresh Corn & Potato Salad

While there's a lot to love about summer produce, there may be no greater joy than freshly harvested sweet corn, so tender that the kernels can be eaten raw. No need for blanching here! This salad showcases this wonderful crop in a citrusy lime-based dressing. It's perfect picnic material, though eating it left-over for lunch in your office kitchen is good too.

Fresh Corn & Potato Salad

From Southern Living

• 1 pound baby red potatoes
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 3 Tbsp. fresh lime juice
• 2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. freshly ground pepper
• 3 cups fresh corn kernels (about 6 ears)
• Large red bell pepper, diced
• Avocado, peeled and diced
• 1/2 cup sliced green onions

Bring potatoes and salted cold water to cover to a boil in a large Dutch oven; boil 10 minutes or just until tender. Drain and let cool 15 minutes.

Whisk together cilantro and next 4 ingredients in a large bowl. Add warm potatoes, corn, and remaining 3 ingredients; toss to coat. Serve at room temperature or chilled.

Baked Ziti and Summer Veggies

I know I always say fall is my favorite time of year, but farmer's market season has to be a close second. There's nothing like heading down to the market on a summer Sunday morning, smelling all the fresh produce warming in the sun, and picking out some beautiful specimens to use in dinner that very evening. The fact that the veggies were grown organically not far from your home on a small family-run farm doesn't hurt, either.

This dish is a great way to showcase some of your farmer's market haul. If squash isn't really your thing, feel free to sub out things you like more -- eggplant in particular would be great. A light green salad with a lemony dressing is the perfect accompaniment.

Baked Ziti and Summer Veggies
From Cooking Light

• 4 oz uncooked ziti
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 cups chopped yellow squash
• 1 cup chopped zucchini
• 1 chopped onion
• 2-3 chopped tomatoes
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese, divided
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh oregano
• Salt and pepper
• 1/4 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• Cooking spray

Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain. Preheat oven to 400 F.

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add oil to pan. Add squash, zucchini, and onion; saute 5 minutes. Add tomato and garlic, saute 3 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in pasta, 1/2 cup mozzarella, herbs, and a big pinch of salt and pepper.

Combine ricotta, another big pinch of salt, and egg. Stir into pasta mixture. Spoon into an 8-inch square glass or ceramic baking dish coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle with remaining mozzarella. Bake for 15 minutes or until bubbly and browned.

Variations: Use eggplant instead of yellow squash. Kick up the heat in the dish by adding crushed red pepper.

Cooked Grains Salad with Tomato Vinaigrette

Hey, look! Another grain and vegetable summertime salad! Well, when summer produce is abundant and delicious, far be it from me to refrain from eating it whenever possible.

This recipe is borrowed with gratitude from the New York Times' Recipes for Health series. I love their fresh, light, seasonal recipes -- they always seem to know exactly what I would like. This one's simple yet really, really great. The tomato vinaigrette in particular is outrageously good. I could have just eaten that with a spoon. Of course, the quality of the vinaigrette will depend in large part on the quality of your tomatoes, so choose wisely.

If I were to change anything the next time around, I'd probably add a few more veggies. I think lightly steamed summer squash or chopped-up green beans would be really nice in this.

Cooked Grains Salad with Tomato Vinaigrette

• Half-a-pound ripe farmer's market tomatoes (I used a yellow heirloom variety)
• 1 clove garlic, minced finely
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar (or sherry vinegar if you have it)
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 4 cups cooked grains (I used pearl barley and brown rice; you could also use farro, quinoa, or bulgur)
• Kernels from one ear of corn, steamed (you can steam the whole cob before slicing it up, or zap the kernels in the microwave for about 30 seconds)
• 1 medium cucumber, diced
• 2-3 tablespoons fresh herbs (I used dill, but tarragon or parsley would have been great too)

Cut the tomatoes in half across the equator and grate on the large holes of a box grater into a wide bowl. Stir in the garlic, salt and pepper, vinegar, and oil. Add the remaining ingredients, toss together, and serve.

Curried Quinoa Salad with Cucumber-Mint Raita

First recipe on the new blog! Woo! Good times. I figured tonight's dinner was as worthy of a blog post as any, so why not start off with it? This is a great and very different recipe from the most recent issue of Cooking Light, a magazine that often frustrates me (some months it contains very few vegetarian recipes). But this one was kind of fun.

It's the kind of grain/vegetable salad, served at room temperature, that I'm so drawn to during hot summer weather. It has a nice savory-sweet balance: the curried quinoa is salty and spicy, mango and currants add sweetness, and celery provides just the right amount of crunch. A minty raita ties it all together.

This is a great vegetarian meal because quinoa has lots of protein. In fact, it's a "complete" protein, meaning that it has pretty much all the amino acids that people need. If you haven't tried it, you should -- it's a delightfully chewy little grain.

Curried Quinoa Salad with Cucumber-Mint Raita

• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 2 teaspoons curry powder
• 1 garlic clove, pressed or minced
• 1 cup uncooked quinoa
• 2 cups water
• 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 diced peeled mango
• 1/2 cup diced celery
• 1/4 cup thinly sliced scallions
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
• 3 tablespoons dried currants (*note: you can find these near the raisins in the grocery store)
• 1/4 cup finely diced peeled cucumber
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh mint
• 1 six-ounce carton plain low-fat yogurt
• 1 five-ounce package fresh baby spinach

Heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add curry powder and garlic to pan; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add quinoa and 2 cups water; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 10-15 minutes or until tender. Remove from heat; stir in salt. Cool completely.

Add mango, diced celery, scallions, chopped cilantro, and currants to cooled quinoa; toss gently.

Combine cucumber, mint, and yogurt in a small bowl, and stir well. Divide spinach evenly among 4 plates, and top each serving with about 1 and 1/4 cup quinoa mixture and about 2-3 tablespoons raita.