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8.28.2013

KITCHEN SINK QUINOA


the kitchen sink quinoa is a trick i stole from becca baust (all my good tricks come from becca baust), because nobody wants egg and cheese on a bagel every night. becca has a million recipes on her blog for clever grains salads, you should go peruse. my go-to has always been this quinoa/arugula/beet/goat cheese number i invented after ordering an insane beet salad at patsy's a few years ago, but the one i've been knocking out lately is quickly becoming a favorite, simply because it requires zero brain cells and almost no planning whatsoever.

basically it's any grain you have in the pantry (this time it wasn't quinoa, it was: barley)
plus any vegetable you have in the fridge that looks interesting (this time: sweet corn on the cob, haricots verts, cherry tomato, beets, and carrots)
then two big old handfuls of raw almonds (crunch, very necessary)
aaand a crumbly cheese if you have any (i didn't)

i also added lentils (legumes!) and then snapped these ultra high quality photos on my cell phone because i like to live life on the wild side.


so you cook your grains and chop your veggies then mix them all together, it's not too tough. i like to nuke a bowlful for about 30 seconds till it's warm-ish, then add a little olive oil/vinegar dressing and salt and pepper to taste. it's terribly homemakey of me.

i'm working on getting henry holbrook thrilled about barley, because barley, let me assure you, is a particularly rad grain.

becca explains the concept better HERE

i have a testimony of the kitchen sink quinoa and i love my mom and dad amen.


if any of you know of any earth shattering ingredients i should be adding to these situations, please do let a girl know. or if you have advice for slicing corn from the cob without making a huge mess of yellow confetti all over the stove. because . . . 

xo!

36 comments:

  1. Quinoa + olive oil + lime juice + seasoned salt + tomato + cucumber + sweet bell peppers (yellow, red, orange) + green onion + avocado + cooked mushroom + mozzarella cheese = the best quinoa salad I've ever made/eaten.

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    1. that sounds AMAZING. noting this for later, thank you!

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  2. Your testimony at the end is the best. Made my night ;)

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  3. So for corn ... I finally figured this out- http://monpetitplat.blogspot.com/2009/08/warm-corn-salad-with-shallots-and-basil.html?m=1 I put the corn in a largish bowl and cut it in there. The corn stays in the bowl for the most part and doesn't fly everywhere. Hope it works for you too.
    - Laura
    www.mylittleplate.com

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  4. It's not so much a recipe as a bunch of stuff to taste, but I eat this quinoa salad at least 3 times a week. Basically I use olive oil, a good drizzle of honey, juice of half a lemon, about a heaping tsp each of cumin and turmeric, and a good pinch of salt. If you have it you can add a spoonful of whole grain mustard but it's perfect without as well.

    Then I just add whatever raw veggies I have on hand (bell peppers, sugar peas, cucumbers, cherry tomatoes), chickpeas, toasted almonds, dried cranberries and dried apricots.

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  5. I put a small bowl upside down in a bigger bowl to slice corn and I love it. All those corny kernels fall right into the big bowl, mess avoided! This looks tasty, thanks for sharing! Also, I add dry dill and feta to my concoctions like this and I say, it is a right tasty snack. ;)

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  6. i'd try some cranberries/craisins with- just a little sweet to go with it.

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  7. This looks so tasty I love barleyxx

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  8. Zero brain cells sounds like my kind of cooking. If I ever end up with a cookery show on TV, they are going to call it The Brainless Chef. Et voila.

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  9. Your testimony made me laugh! Brought me back to my childhood!

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  10. I love non-recipe/recipes like this! and...corn trick: http://styledbyjess.com/2013/07/charred-corn-and-zucchini-with-basil/

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  11. This looks really good. I love this kind of cooking. -Hanna Lei

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  12. This looks delicious! The corn thing...putting it in the center of a bundt cake form is magic!

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  13. add some petit pois! my favorite. especially because not only does that word mean peas in french but also polk a dots. (i love french)

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  14. I'm going to make this! Yum!! And I would add feta cheese because it's what I most often have tin the fridge.

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  15. That looks way good! And that black skull on your counter is making those carrots look super ominous. ;) I'll be trying this out later!

    http://sometimesgracefully.com

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  16. Recently read a tip to just cut the corn with a clean kitchen towel under it which keeps the kernels from bouncing all over the place. Then just pick up the towel and pour the kernels off.

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  17. We add crunchy onions to it (little tiny salad-type ahem *fried* onions) and it makes my heart happy.

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  18. Add avocado (makes it creamy), juice of one lemon, about 1 TB of maple syrup and a little chili powder!! I make this same thing with farro... sooo good!!

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  19. this looks so delish! xo

    http://allthingsprettyandlittle.blogspot.com

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  20. my favorite "go-to" meal is: a package of precooked lentils + bruschetta (both from trader joes) + spinach + crushed garlic (they also add feta, but we are plant-based in this house).. eat it with a spoon, a chip, a wrap, your hands... it's THAT good.

    i really must insist you try it.

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  21. I just made a roasted root vegetable (beets, carrots, kohlrabi, sweet potato) and wheat berry salad with goat cheese! It was great. I finished it off with lemon juice and olive oil, and some chopped parsley. I was thinking pine nuts would be good, and maybe... raisins? Not sure.

    Also, the corn trick, according to Martha, is to cut it into a bundt cake pa - you rest the end of the corn cop on the center part of the bunt pan, and the cut corn falls into the pan. I do that, only with a bowl. It's a *little* less messy, but still annoying. Oh well, fresh corn!

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  22. doode, i am so all about this type of salad. made a killer farro one that is still heavy in the lunch rotation:

    http://semiweeklyeats.blogspot.com/2013/05/farro-salad.html

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  23. your testimony is the best.

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  24. but seriously how on earth do you cut the corn off the cob without it decorating your kitchen floor?! That is need to know info for sure

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  25. Ohhhh yum , these are my favourite kinds of salad too! I love Barley and my boyfriend does as well, it's de-lish.
    To salads like this you should definitely try frying off some smoked bacon, chopping up some mozzerella and roasting some chopped up peaches (honest, just try it) and mix them together with a little fresh mint. It's heaven heaven heaven.

    Or an easier and really tastey combination is the above, but with a can of tuna, some crumbled feta cheese and a really generous handful of torn basil. Huck's a lucky boy, I would love someone to serve me this!

    Flora
    www.twowithseven.blogspot.co.uk

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  26. great title! and great cutting board!
    xx

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  27. Girl, you are not only entertaining and inspiring me - you are now educating me! I had to google me some haricot verts ... and my respect for you just eeked up another notch.
    And, now I'm hungry.

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  28. Pampered Chef sells a tool that takes the corn off the cobb. It's mess free, a snap to use, and takes only seconds to "clear the cob." LOL We don't eat corn on the cob without it. :) P.S Love your blog and your little guy is a darling.

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  29. First time caller here :) Your blog is a fun read, thanks for sharing.
    This salad sounds so good! Just great for a Summer to Fall transition.

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  30. Golden raisins or dried cranberries! Adds a little kick of sweetness here and there to the mixture.

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  31. http://www.mynewroots.org/site/2008/03/soak-your-nuts-2/

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    1. Hi nat! mynewroots (a blog that features super healthy food) said its better for nutrient uptake if you soak the nuts over night! I have yet to try but maybe you could!

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  32. Where is your heart shaped cutting board from? It's adorable!

    Jillian

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  33. Capers, everything is better with capers. And the little bowl upside down in the big bowl works great for corn :)

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  34. yum! this is such a simple recipe, with seemingly little to no effort. sounds right up my alley. xo

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