I had so much fun a the Brookhaven Farmer’s Market today! Wish you were there! Above you can see our crew from Cooks Warehouse along with Julie from the Farmers Market, (and her small greens-muncher). Brady from Double Bee Farm had beautiful bunches of mixed greens and gorgeous squash. I combined them for the first recipe – and Sean from Dillwood farms gave me some Kale – so I used that for a Kale Pesto!
Try using the salad in a wrap – and the kale pesto would rock as a pizza on a whole wheat pita, topped with the grilled squash and sprinkled with a little more parmesan!
Mediterranean Quinoa Salad
The Salad
2 Cups Quinoa, Prepared as the Package Directs
2 Cups Thinly Sliced Fresh Kale, Collards or Chard
2 Roasted Red Peppers, Cut in Strips
2 Summer Squashes, Sliced Thinly and Grilled with Salt and Pepper
1 Cup Green Peas, or Black-eyed Peas
Corn from 2 Ears of Cooked Corn (if you have really fresh corn – no need to cook it!)
½ Cup Capers (Rinsed if you desire)
¼ Cup Chopped Cilantro
½ Cup Chopped Green Onion Tops or Chopped Chives
1 Recipe Mediterranean Salad Dressing*
Toss the salad ingredients together and drizzle with ½ of the dressing to start, adding more as desired. Chill for at least an hour to let the ingredients and dressing meld together.
Mediterranean Salad Dressing*
1/3 Cup White Balsamic Vinegar
1 ½ TB Whole Grain Dijon Mustard
1 Tsp Smoked Paprika
2 Tsp Pomegranate Molasses**
1 Tsp Sea Salt
½ Tsp Freshly Cracked Black Pepper
½ Cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
In a small bowl, (or jar) whisk together the vinegar, mustard, paprika, pomegranate molasses, sea salt and black pepper. Slowly add in the olive oil until the dressing emulsifies.
**You can find the pomegranate molasses at Cooks Warehouse, or make it yourself by reducing ¼ Cup Pomegranate Juice to 1 TB. OR, substitute honey for the molasses.
½ Cup Raw Whole Almonds
1 Large Garlic Clove, Peeled
3 Cups Chopped Kale
¼ Cup Freshly Grated Parmesan Cheese
¾ – 1 Cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
¼ Tsp Red Pepper Flacks
Sea Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper to taste
Step One Place on the almonds on a sheet pan and roast at 400F for 8 – 10 minutes
Step Two Pulse garlic clove in a food processor or blender until it is finely chopped, about 30 seconds. Add the kale, almonds and Parmesan – process until very finely chopped.
Step Three With the food processor running, add the olive oil in a steady stream until you get the consistency you desire. Add the red pepper flakes and season to taste with salt and pepper.