On its Way: Curried Butternut Squash Soup with Coconut Milk

You guys. I've held my new cookbook in my hands and I'm in love. Seeing all of the words and photos and recipes come to life in this beautiful hardcover beauty has thrilled me to my core. I'm so happy that Vegetables: A Love Story is beginning to find its way into your kitchens and hearts. The official publication date is just over a week away (October 12th), but I've delivered many preorders to those who've ordered directly from me in Saskatoon, and even sent some copies as far away as Montreal and Vancouver. If you've been following me on social media, you've watched the progress of the book unfold. It's been a journey, that's for sure! I'm simply over the moon that Vegetables: A Love Story is on its way, out into the world, from my kitchen to yours.  

Summer Spread: Herby White Bean and Feta Dip

 

This is a sponsored post. While I was compensated by the Ontario Bean Growers, I've been a huge fan of all things bean related for a very long time. All opinions are mine.

While the “official” start to summer is less than a week away, I’ve been feeling those summertime vibes for some time now. It’s another scorcher of a day here in Saskatoon, and with a house that lacks air conditioning, finding meals to cook without generating any heat inside the house is a huge deal for me. Heck, even when I boil the tea kettle, my thermostat goes up by half a degree! Gotta love old houses and the sweat boxes they truly are. Oh what I wouldn’t give for a finished basement and/or the hum of air conditioning right now. Alas, I’ve sweltered in the summer for well over a decade here, and I am more or less used to it. Doesn’t mean I won’t whine about it from time to time!

First Look: Springtime Risotto with Asparagus and Peas

It's a beautiful June day here in Saskatoon. We've had a decent amount of rain, which means my yard is green and lush, and while the grass is getting too tall, I kind of love it because the cats can scoot around in it and hide like it's their own jungle playground. This totally cracks me up. I love those little critters. The peonies have formed small heads and in about 2 weeks time they'll become the bombshells of the backyard, and honestly, there's no time like peony time! I also love the moisture because it means Dixon's huge vegetable plot is coming along nicely, and for the last month or so I've been enjoying the best springtime asparagus. If you follow me on Instagram you know how bonkers I get about it. I love it so much that it graces the cover of my new cookbook! Isn't it gorgeous? The inside is just as pretty, and I can't wait to share more with you. So much hard work and love and eating went into this collection of recipes. Plus the dishes. So many dishes. One day I will have a dishwasher! 

A New Year, A New Cookbook!

"Anything can happen! Anything can be!" 

~ Shel Silverstein

Happy New Year! I hope everyone enjoyed their holidays, and while I can't believe we've slipped into a new year, a new decade, here we are. I'm slowly coming out of the chocolate and cheese coma that is December, and ready to get roaring on my brand new project that will consume a great deal of my 2020. I'm writing another cookbook! Vegetables: A Love Story will be published in the fall of 2021 by the fantastic team at TouchWood Editions once again. I'm super excited to finally share the news with you, though I first broke it on my social media a few weeks ago. You follow me over there too, right? For more behind the scenes cookbook adventures, be sure to see what I'm up to on the Instagram and Facebook. Plus, sometimes there are photos of cats! And cookies!

Finish Line: Roasted Chickpea & Cauliflower Tacos

You guys!  I did it!  The manuscript and photographs for my first ever cookbook are now at the publisher’s and I’m still kinda in shock that hey, I just wrote a cookbook.  No big whoop.  Except of course, it is.  A very big whoop.  I’m still kinda processing the whole experience, really.  When people ask what it was like, all I can say is that I loved it.  So much.  Even the parts where I had to wash dishes until midnight, only remembering then that I never even brushed my teeth that day.  Such was the life!  I want to talk more about it later, after I’ve kinda calmed down a bit, but today, I’m spilling the beans on these really, really good tacos I made my mom went I went to visit her last week.  

Just Like That: Ratatouille

 

Gosh September, you're (almost) already gone.  Just like that.  I don't know about you guys, but it's been a busy one, especially if you grow your own food.  Recent road trips saw me crisscrossing the prairies, with combines out in full force, trying to get crops off before it's gets too cold or too wet.  My projects run on a much smaller scale, mainly putting the garden to bed and making tomato sauce with the generous offering of tomatoes from my sister.  She had a bumper crop this year, and I'm happy to use what she can't.  Sister love!  And, recent offerings of zucchini (okay, they kind of pleaded with me to take some) and peppers saw me bring out my giant stock pot and whip of a batch of ratatouille.  You know the stuff.  Peppers, eggplant, tomatoes, and yes, zucchini, simmered for a couple of hours into a silky stew that is so fantastic this time of year.  You can read more about here, in the latest issue of Culinaire Magazine.  It's super simple, you just need good knife skills and a good soundtrack to chop away to.  I listen to this about at least once a day. Happy autumn, y'all.

Roasted Mushroom Tart with Goat Cheese & Onion Jam

Wow.  Feels like I've been gone forever - okay a week - but I missed you!  My trip to Ontario was brilliant.  There's more to share about that later this week, once I unpack and do about 20 loads of laundry and settle back into life and all of the accumulation that tends to happen when one is on holiday and having fun.  But for now I have a real treat for you.  Mushrooms Canada asked me to create another recipe for their blog and I'm really, really excited to tell you about this savoury tart, using two varieties of mushrooms, goat cheese and a fabulous onion jam. 

Lentil & Kale Shepherd's Pie with Roasted Garlic Potatoes

This about the time of year when winter behaves like the beloved house guest that has overstayed their welcome.  You know the type.  Things start off really well - it's great seeing them again and catching up on old times.  You radiate in the coziness they bring with them - hauling out the blankets and DVDs you're too busy to watch in summer.  Copious amounts of tea (and chocolate!) are consumed as you settle in together over dark and cold nights.  Things are fine.  Things aren't perfect but you adjust to the dry skin, runny noses, the cold, cold car, and scarves wrapped around your face so only your eyes peek out.  But then, after FIVE months of this, you start to feel annoyed and grumpy.  The faults of the unwanted house guest are noticed and annoying. You don't want the cold, cold car and dry skin and sweaters any longer.  The parka has played its part, but it is time, now, to part.  There are no hard feelings, and without a doubt, the houseguest will return.  They always do.  A send off is in order, encouraged even, with a comforting bowl of lentils and potatoes.

Sprouted Kitchen: Braised White Beans with Leeks & Bacon

My email inbox is often full of surprises.  Sure there are the requests to pimp out products, and hey, have you heard blah blah blah is happening, and hey can I advertise on your site, and so on and so forth.  Then there is the really good stuff, like when sweet strangers comment on a recipe, and when I was offered a job doing this, and when I was invited to go here, and when a classmate from over 30 years ago (I'm old, okay) dropped me a line to say hi, because she saw me making these on TV.  And then there was the biggie, the email that pretty much took my breath away, the one thing I still think about almost every day.  Email.  Almost like Christmas morning.  Almost.  So you can imagine my delight when I received an email from Ali at Ten Speed Press wondering if I would like a review copy of The Sprouted Kitchen cookbook to check out.  Yes!  Please!

Kickin' It: Kale Slaw with Peanut Dressing

So I did something weird and wacky the other day (I know, what else is new?).  I lifted myself high out of my rock solid comfort zone and put myself out there.  Like appearing-on-your-TV-set out there.  I told you it was crazy.  Here's the scoop - a few weeks ago I was contacted by one of the production assistants for the Marilyn Denis Show, letting me know that they are holding auditions for a food expert on her show.  Have you considered applying, he said?  Sure as hell not, I thought.  But then again, why not?  Lord knows cooking pro the last 13 years has racked up loads of experience and knowledge and I pretty much think about food constantly and love it passionately.  And maybe just maybe I'm ready for my culinary career to careen down a new path.  And really, there's nothing to lose; you never know would could happen.  And I like that.  

Chipotle Roasted Corn & Quinoa Salad with Prawns

Today's post is short and sweet, kinda like the remaining days of summer.  In between picking loads of strawberries at the U-Pick, and doing loads of laundry, and checking on the garden and checking the clock I thought I'd squeeze in a quick post to tell you about this awesome salad.  Wait a second, back up Renee, what's the deal with watching the clock?  Well, by handsome man returns from his holidays tonight, in exactly 4.25 hours and I'm just a wee bit excited.  It's been a long long long nine days.  Funny thing is we both booked our holidays before we met way back in April, and the funnier thing is that we both went to the Windsor/Detroit/Toronto area for our time off.  Neato, huh?  It's just one of many good signs guiding our way.  Warning:  I could go all mushy and stuff on you in this post.  Just sayin'.

Quinoa With Roasted Butternut Squash and Pecans

 

So check it out - these photos were all taken in my backyard a couple of days ago.  The cats stretched out, chewing on new shoots of grass while I snapped away.  Every once in awhile they'd stop chomping and start horking and give me a look like "she's still at it - that quinoa must be cold."  Oh the feline attitude I deal with.  I'm totally loving these days of longer light and the ability to shoot outside again.  I've gots the springtime fever I tell ya!  There are baby buds on trees and life is popping out allover.  Spring just oozes possibilities and I'm totally digging it.  

Lucky: Lentil & Chickpea Curry with Coconut Milk

 

There are plenty of things I love about living in this beautiful province - the copious amounts of sunshine, even in the depths of winter; the endless, blue blue sky; the quirky, lovely people; the fact that we never, ever change our clocks forwards or backwards; how we call a hoodie a bunnyhug; and that we boast some of the most fertile, productive agricultural land in the whole world.  Saskatchewan is a prolific producer of Durum wheat, canola, mustard, peas, and of course lentils.  A whopping 61% of the world's finest lentils are grown practically in my backyard.  Please forgive if I sound like a Sask tourism ad - I just really dig my little corner of the world.

DIY Take-out: Pad Thai with Shrimp & Tofu

 

What is going on with me?  First I was baking brownies without butter, and now I'm craving tofu?  It's crazy talk.  But you know, the brownies turned out super awesome, and so did this Pad Thai.  So I'm onto something good, right?  Every so often it's cool to shake up the whole culinary routine.  Or just shake up life's little routines in general. Go for something that you normally wouldn't have picked out for yourself in the first place.  You don't have to dye your hair red or paint your walls blue (or dye your hair blue and paint your walls red), but do something a little bit different.  You may be surprised (in the best way!) by the end result.

Zucchini Fritters with Fresh Tomato and Feta Salsa

 

The end is in sight my friends, the end is in sight.  No, I haven't been on some massive mountainous trek (though that sounds like fun!).  My news is more ground level:  I'm down to my final 2 zucchini.  Woo hoo!  For the last couple of months I've been somewhat overwhelmed by the plethora of yellow squash creeping along my vegetable garden floor.  This is the first year the zucchini seeds have actually done anything, and I blame it all on that manure I lovingly spread across the garden way back in May.  The garden rocked this year, plain and simple.  Never before have I grown vegetables with such success - goes to show that the health of your garden really does depend on the health of your soil.  Plus the weather in Saskatoon was absolutely perfect - lovely, hot, sunny days, with not a lot of rain.  Dragging the hose around the yard was no fun, but I like to think I burned a million calories while doing so.

If you've been reading me regularly, and are aware of my squash "issues", you know I've stuffed it and grilled it; eaten it roasted and raw.  There was a week in early September where I was eating zucchini every day...and tempted to put them into neighbour's mailboxes.  Yes, there was a squash-palooza at my place this Summer, and I'm happy to report it's finally winding down.

My friend Chelsey texted me a couple of weeks ago, just to say hey, and to let me know she made the most amazing zucchini fritters.  Hello!  Chelse and I have been friends since the days of big hair and bigger glasses; since the dawn of cassette singles and stirrup pants; since the days of "Twin Peaks" and gorging on Ritz crackers with barbecue sauce.  Chelse was clearly reading my mind when she sent that text.  Further follow up resulted in her giving me the recipe, which she acquired from a lovely British food mag called 'Olive'. 

Looking at it online, I'm thinking I may just have to get a subscription...

So about the fritters.  They were freaking amazing.  The batter is quite simple - coarsely grated zucchini, with some eggs, flour, diced onion and hot pepper.  I added a little lemon zest just to brighten the flavour, and a good shake of coarse salt.  Next time - and yes, there will be a next time -  I would add some fresh herbs to the mix - like cilantro, parsley or basil.  The fritters were like how fritters should be:  crispy good on the outside and tender on the inside.  The fresh salsa (Yay!  I get to use up some tomatoes sitting on my counter too!) was the perfect accompaniment - and really, there's never a bad time for feta cheese, is there?  I only had yellow zucchini, so I had to purchase some green from the market, just to add more pop of colour in my photos.  You can imagine how ridiculous I felt buying zucchini!  Oh well.  Just two more to go, and I think I'll just grate them up too, for something deep, dark and decadent.  Stay tuned for that.

Zucchini Fritters with Fresh Tomato and Feta Salsa

Fritters:
1 hot pepper, finely diced (use any variety you like, just remember to seed it if you don't want it too spicy, and wear rubber gloves while handling!)
1/2 red onion, finely diced
zest of 1 lemon
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp ground cumin
2 eggs
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/4 tsp coarse salt (more for sprinkling after)
1 tsp baking powder
3 medium zucchini, coarsely grated, juice squeezed out (about 2 cups, packed)
canola oil for frying

In a large bowl, combine the pepper, onion, lemon zest, spices, eggs.  Stir well.  Add the flour, stirring to moisten, then add the grated zucchini, stirring until all combined.   Heat oil, about 1/2 inch deep in a large skillet, dropping the batter by heaping spoonfuls.  Spread out a little to make round.  Fry on each side, about 3 minutes over medium high heat, until golden.  Sprinkle with salt, heap with your fresh salsa.  Makes about 8 fritters.

Salsa:
Combine in a bowl:
Fresh tomatoes, diced
red onion, diced
fresh herbs like mint, cilantro or basil
squeeze of honey
squeeze of a lime
drizzle of olive oil
salt, pepper, dash of hot sauce
diced feta cheese

Season it as you like!

Orange Scented Quinoa Cereal with Maple Syrup & Pecans

 

I learned something new the other day:  quinoa is not just for salads, or pilafs, or side dishes of any kind.  I know what you're thinking though: quinoa for breakfast sounds kind of weird.  That's what I thought too when I first saw this recipe slide into my inbox.  But upon further perusing, I thought, well, why the hell not?  Especially when the quinoa is laden with maple syrup and cinnamon, oh and yeah, all of those glorious pecans.

Oatmeal is fabulous and fibre-rific.  We all know that.  But sometimes, it can be a little too, um, hearty?  Quinoa is light and yet so satisfying, and being the protein powerhouse that is, it's a nice way to shake up the ol' breakfast routine.  It doesn't have a lot of flavour of it's own, but will magically take on all of the loveliness you put with it.  Plus it's really fun to eat.  And breakfast should have a little fun factor to it. 

I've made breakfast quinoa a couple of times now, and I'm kind of hooked.  There's not a lot of stirring, which I appreciate, because I stir for a living, and sometimes a girl just has to give it a rest.  I love the whole simmer, cover and forget about it breakfast.  Just be sure to set your timer for 12 minutes - otherwise you'll have burnt quinoa, and I've done it.  Not pretty. 

I kind of love that you flavour the quinoa with vanilla and cinnamon and orange zest then nestle it into bowls. I'm having a torrid love affair with anything peach so of course slices of those beauties go on top.  If you don't have peaches or hate them, then substitute whatever has your fancy - apples or pears would be lovely right now or heck go wild and crazy and slice a banana on top.  Or go crazier and do it up with mangoes!  Give it a drizzle of maple syrup or a little honey, even brown sugar would do. Sprinkle with toasted pecans and add a splash of almond milk. A hot and healthy breakfast in under 20 minutes.  And you don't even have to stir that much.

See, not so weird after all.

Orange Scented Quinoa Cereal with Maple Syrup and Pecans

1 cup quinoa, rinsed thoroughly
1/2 tsp vanilla
zest of one orange
1 tsp cinnamon
2 peaches, sliced (or other fruit of your choosing)
4 tbsp maple syrup or honey or brown sugar
1/2 cup toasted pecan pieces (or other nuts)
almond milk, soy milk, or cow's milk.  whatever your preference

In a medium saucepan, bring water to boil.  Stir in the rinsed quinoa.  Bring back to a boil, cover, reduce heat and cook for 12 minutes, until tender.  Drain into a fine mesh strainer and put back into the pot. cover and let stand for 5 minutes.  Transfer into a large bowl and stir in the vanilla, orange zest and cinnamon.  Divide into bowls and garnish with fruit, maple syrup and nuts. Add a splash of milk.  The cooked quinoa will keep in the fridge, covered for a few days, so go ahead a make a large batch.  It's that good.  Serves 3-4.  Adapted from 20 minute Supper Club

Grilled Italian Bread Salad with Basil and Feta

 

I'll let you in on a secret, only if you promise not to laugh:  I haven't been using my barbecue throughout most of the summer.  Not since propane ran out while I was cooking this salmon, in fact.  Silly, I know, but I have a fear of changing propane tanks.  Sillier still, I work with natural gas on a daily basis and have lit my fair share of pilot lights.  Heck, I even know what a thermal coupler is! 

Nope, that tank was empty all summer.  You maybe even wondered why I wasn't featuring more grilled dishes, but were too polite to ask.  Given that there's no man action around the place to take care of such jobs, I had to suck up my crazy phobia and figure it out, eventually. 

Not sure why I thought changing a propane tank was so darn complicated, or why I had visions of myself being blown to smithereens, but in the end all I had to do was unscrew the tank (thanks to Tara's bf for giving such an excellent demo!).  That was the easy part!  Trucking it to Canadian Tire, while it rolled around in the trunk, freaked me out big time.  Driving with a full tank of propane in the passenger seat, also super freaky!  Home re-attached to the barbecue, not so freaky.   Whew!  That was intense.  And all so I could make this salad.

When I was first learning to cook for myself, way way back then, I ate this salad, or a version of it, loads.  Who knew toasted stale bread with heaps of fresh tomatoes and basil could be so delicious?  Plus I was a student and perpetually broke, so this cheap and cheerful salad kind of made my summer.  Years later, it still does.

 

Grilled vegetables and feta add a more sophisticated turn to the salad.  Everywhere I look I see zucchini (still!) so I grilled that up, and some red onion too. (I'm super happy my barbecue is back in business!)  But peppers, eggplant would also be fabulous.  Tossed with heaps of glorious tomatoes and scattered with my favourite herb, this salad is a lovely way to showcase the best of the best vegetables.  Switch things up and add goat cheese and other herbs too.  Just be sure not to use junky white bread.  Get thee to a good bakery and buy a nice crusty loaf of Italian, or baguette, or even sourdough.  The bread I used had whole cloves of roasted garlic in it - amazing stuff.  Rustic and fresh, with all kinds of flavours running around,  this salad was totally worth the freaky drive with the propane tank in the passenger seat.

Grilled Italian Bread Salad with Basil and Feta

2 small zucchini sliced into 1/2 inch rounds
1 small red onion, sliced into 1/2 inch rounds
1 red or yellow pepper, quartered
1/4 cup olive oil
4 slices Italian bread, preferable day old, 1 inch thick
4 tomatoes, quartered
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 garlic clove, minced
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup feta cheese, crumbled
1/4 cup shredded fresh basil

Preheat your barbecue to  medium.  Brush the vegetables with 1 tbsp of oil.  Lightly oil the grill and barbecue the vegetables, turning often until tender, 3 minutes or so.  Remove each piece as it is done.  Grill the bread until it is toasted, about 2 minutes per side.  Chop the bread and vegetables, combine with tomatoes in large bowl.  Whisk remaining oil with garlic and balsamic vinegar, seasoning it with salt and pepper.  Drizzle over bread mixture, tossing to coat.  Transfer to platter and scatter the feta and basil.  Serve immediately.  Serves 4.  Adapted from Chatelaine. 

And lastly, aren't my Lemon Boy tomatoes just lovely?  They taste super sweet, and were perfect in this salad.

Mexican Tomato Chickpea Soup - Don't Forget the Croutons!

 

My cilantro plant is monstrous.  Really.  Not sure what in the heck has gotten into it, but it is THRIVING hard core.  Maybe it's just really happy to be nestled between two Lemon Drop tomato plants, which are doing super well too, knock on wood. (Last year all of my twelve tomato plants were completely wiped out by blight, which took hold on the Prairies majorly last summer.  I scaled back to 4 plants this year, and I'm really really hoping to have a good crop.  Blight be damned!)

 

So what's a girl to do with all of this cilantro?  Some of you may have stopped reading already because you hate cilantro.  Don't give up on it!  Cilantro has a bright flavour, and yes, it can be a bit much when over done, so use sparingly, but in Mexican and Asian dishes, it really is a must have.  I wanted to make Mexican Tortilla Soup, but alas had no corn tortillas kicking around, but I DID have a few squares of this incredible foccacia left from the weekend.  Let me tell you, bathed in a little extra virgin olive oil, and tossed with some coarse salt, baked until golden, these were the best croutons I've ever had.  Lucky any of them made it into the soup!

 

This soup has similar flavours and textures to the Mexican Tortilla Soup - spicy, bright, crunchy, creamy avocado amazingness.  I used some good chicken stock I had made with the bones from this lovely bird, frozen a couple of months ago, and time to use it up.  Added some ripe Roma tomatoes, plenty of garlic, some diced jalapeno, red onion, and it was a pretty tasty broth in no time.  You could use chicken in place of the chickpeas, but I had none on hand, and I'm of lover of this legume, so I tossed them in.  At the last second added the chopped cilantro,  then scooped into bowls, garnished with amazing croutons and chunks of avocado, and a squeeze of lime.  Don't think it's impossible to make or eat soup in summer. This one is perfect because it's light, so incredibly flavourful, and a great way to use up any extra herbs or tomatoes you may have kicking around. Not to mention it was ready in under 30 minutes!  Done deal!

 

I'm not sure what my favourite part of this creation is - the crunch of the crouton; the spicy, limey broth; the bit when you get some chickpea AND some crouton AND some avocado in the same bite.  So. Good.  Nights like tonight I'm kind of glad I was eating alone, because after I took these photos, I slurped up both of these bowls of soup, with the broth running down my chin and I didn't care one bit.

 

Mexican Tomato Chickpea Soup

2 tbsp canola oil
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 jalapeno pepper, seeds removed, and finely chopped, or leave some seeds in for however spicy you like
6 cups chicken broth, or veggie broth, organic or homemade
2 tsp sugar
4 large Roma tomatoes, chopped
1 can (540ml) of chickpeas, rinsed very well
1 handful of cilantro, chopped
salt, pepper,
1 avocado, chopped
1 lime, cut into sections of 6 or so
homemade croutons


In a large pot, heat the canola oil over medium high heat.  Add the chopped onion and cook until translucent...add the garlic and jalapeno pepper.  Cook a couple of minutes.  Add your broth, bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium and add chopped tomatoes and sugar.  Simmer 10 minutes, add the chickpeas, simmer 5 minutes longer.  Remove from heat and stir in cilantro. Adjust seasonings...a bit more salt, or spiciness, you decide.  Scoop into bowls and garnish with more cilantro, lime wedges, croutons and avocado. Serves 3-4.

 

If you like, you can always substitute fresh basil for the cilantro, and it would still be delicious!

 

Look at that monster in the middle!!!

Quinoa Salad with Asparagus, Leeks, Fresh Basil and Feta

I'm trying to behave myself.  Eating-wise, that is.  After last weekend's total glutton fest at the farm, I'm feeling the need to eat a little lighter, with a little less emphasis on the butter and bacon :(

It's not such a hardship.  I love me a nice big salad in summer - something simple, not requiring much effort on my part, because honestly after a day spent in the extreme hell of hotness - aka the kitchen at work -  I just want to hang out in the tranquil shade of my backyard - sipping a cocktail, reading a juicy novel, or just watching the cats chase bugs and birds.  'Tis summer after all!

Quinoa is my new best friend.  Read here for how awesome it is with curry and for the nutritious bonus points it packs.  You can add a multitude of flavours to it too, and it's always a shining star.  In this case, it was a little clean-out-the-fridge-and-add-it-to-quinoa-and-see-what-happens.  Magic, I tell ya.  Magic!!!

Leeks are the cosmopolitan cousins to the scallion.  Sweeter, with less of a bite, and simply marvelous when sauteed in a little butter or olive oil.  I'm totally digging them lately, as I've been putting them on turkey burgers, and even in a quiche on the weekend.  Lovely stuff.  Julie had put them in a quinoa salad a little while back, so this recipe is a bit of take off from that, with some modifications here and there.  Like I said, anything goes really.  I added some asparagus and fresh basil from the market, a chunk of feta, some toasted almonds just for fun, and nice juicy organic Roma's I got for a steal.  All bathed in a light olive oil and lime juice vinaigrette.  I packed it up and took it over to my Mom's where we ate it with some incredible artichoke asiago foccacia from Christie's Bakery.  (Yes, we did the Earl's thing and dunked it in olive oil/balsamic vinegar.  THAT never gets old.)

What else can I say about this salad?  It's healthy, delicious, pretty, and pretty darn good the second day, if you have leftovers.  Have I mentioned it gluten-free too?  Celiacs rejoice!  Now the hard part is saying goodbye to my good buddy bacon...

Quinoa Salad with Asparagus, Leeks, Fresh Basil and Feta

1 cup quinoa, rinsed very well, for 3 minutes under running water
2 leeks, white and light green parts only; sliced in half lengthwise, then rinsed very well to get the gritty bits out and then thinly sliced
2 tbsp olive oil
6 or 7 asparagus spears, blanched, and chopped
2 Roma tomatoes, chopped
1/2 cup feta, chopped
1/2 cup sliced almonds, toasted
1 small handful basil, chopped
1/4 cup olive oil
juice of 1 lime or lemon
1 clove garlic, smashed
1 tsp honey
salt and pepper to taste

In a medium sauce pan, add the rinsed quinoa with 3 cups water.  Bring to a boil, stir, and reduce heat, cover, and cook for 15 minutes.  Drain, and put back into pot, cover with lid and steam for another half hour or so.  Put in a large bowl, and let cool.  Meanwhile, after you've rinsed the leeks very well, and sliced them, heat the olive oil in a frying pan, add the leeks when it's hot, and saute until they start to caramelize, oh about 12-15 minutes or so.  Add this to the quinoa.  Add the rest of your veggies.  In a jar, add the vinaigrette ingredients (oil-s&p) and shake shake shake.  Add to the quinoa mix and stir.  Adjust seasonings...let chill in the fridge while you go out and do something fun.  Or do nothing at all and take a nap.