WE ARE AT PEAK SUMMER. It’s really rocking my world how much the produce at my local grocery stop is, well, rocking. I am more and more convinced that although grocers a little bit know no seasons, your personal kitchen benefits from cooking in sync with the calendar. Hear me when I say I’m no produce elitist. I buy non-organic more often than not. But, the flavor and quality of even something as simple as the pre-packaged bag of carrots I bought last week is far from the bag of water-y, tasteless carrots I bought in december.
Thus salads have become my routine because I’m loving summer and kind of not wanting to think about winter produce right now. For midwesterners that is a long six months with a short list of fresh options. But I won’t be sad because I love autumn cooking and winter baking.
And peach salad for today!
Peach Quinoa Salad
Serves four
1 cup quinoa
1 bell pepper, diced
1 cucumber, diced
15 ounces corn
15 ounces black beans
3 peaches, diced
2 shallots, diced
1 cup cilantro
1/4 cup lime juice
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons honey
A dash of salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
Prepare quinoa according to package instructions. Toss all ingredients together.
- 1 cup quinoa
- 1 bell pepper, diced
- 1 cucumber, diced
- 15 ounces corn
- 15 ounces black beans
- 3 peaches, diced
- 2 shallots, diced
- 1 cup cilantro
- ¼ cup lime juice
- ¼ cup red wine vinegar
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons honey
- A dash of salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- Prepare quinoa according to package instructions.
- Toss all ingredients together.