Berry + Quinoa Salad with Fresh Herbs and Feta

Berry + Quinoa Salad with Fresh Herbs and Feta // A Thought For Food

Berry + Quinoa Salad with Fresh Herbs and Feta // A Thought For Food

Berry + Quinoa Salad with Fresh Herbs and Feta // A Thought For Food

It took me a while to fall in love with quinoa. It was a recipe I prepared a few years ago from a cookbook that taught me the proper way to season it and, since then, I've been hooked. The trick, I've learned, is to make a dressing that is incorporated into the cooked quinoa. If you just drizzle it with oil and citrus and a sprinkle of salt, it won't distribute the flavor and, instead, you'll be left with sections that are intensely seasoned and others that are lacking it.

This salad is definitely not lacking flavor. I found myself building off each element. I started with the dressing, which is primarily a mixture of fresh herbs (mint, basil and parsley) and lime juice. There's a bit of minced ginger in there, adding even more brightness to the dish. The berries and feta were the last to go in. At first I thought, "Berries and quinoa. Is that weird?" I threw some of the quinoa mixture into a separate bowl, topped it with some blueberries and raspberries and feta. First bite. I knew. We had a winner. Even my father, who gave it a quizzical look when I passed the bowl to him, ate his serving. Always a sign that a recipe is a success.

Berry + Quinoa Salad with Fresh Herbs and Feta // A Thought For Food

Berry + Quinoa Salad with Fresh Herbs and Feta

Ingredients
1 cup red quinoa, rinsed
1 pint blueberries, rinsed and dried
1 pint raspberries, rinsed and dried
1/8 cup thinly sliced red onion
1/2 cup crumbled feta
3 tablespoons minced mint
1 tablespoon minced basil
1 tablespoon minced parsley
2 teaspoons minced fresh ginger
Kosher salt
Juice of one lime 3 tablespoons olive oil

Directions

1. To cook the quinoa, add the quinoa and water to a pot and bring to a boil.  Once it reaches a boil, cover and reduce heat to low. Simmer until all the water has been absorbed, approximately 18 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, whisk together minced mint, ginger, lime juice, olive oil and 1 teaspoon salt.

3. Transfer quinoa to a large serving bowl. Let cool for 10-15 minutes. Pour dressing over quinoa and toss to combine.

4. Gently mix in red onion and feta and most of the berries, reserving a handful of each. Taste for seasoning and, if necessary, add a little more salt, about another 1/2 teaspoon.

5. Distribute the remaining berries on top and serve.

Cucumber Salad

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Cucumber Salad

Cucumber Salad Triptich

It's hard to believe that in less than a week I leave for Alaska. A few months ago, I was approached by the Copper River salmon fishery to join them on a trip to Cordova, Alaska. The idea of being on a boat with fishermen, to watch them catch salmon and then eat it fresh... well, there's nothing that could bring me more joy.  I envision myself on the deck of this vessel, hands open, awaiting a slice of sashimi. Ok, maybe I'm getting carried away. It most likely won't go exactly as I imagine (a boy can dream, though, right?), but I'm fairly certain that I'll eat the freshest fish I've ever consumed.

I'm also thrilled to be away from the 90+ degree weather we've had here. I swore I wouldn't complain about the heat, but, what can I say, this is what us Bostonians do. We can't help but talk about the temperature, except between April and May (when we whine about the rain) and September and October. Right now it looks to be in the 60s while I'm in Cordova. Which sounds perfect to me!

I refuse to turn on the oven when it's above 80 degrees and, therefore, we've been eating a lot of salads. Not lettuce-laden salads, but hearty salads loaded with grilled fish and hard-boiled eggs and cheese.  This pickled cucumber salad often makes its way onto the plate. It does the trick in cooling things down: the combination of thinly sliced cucumbers, fresh herbs and vinegar helps cut the heat and humidity in just a few bites.

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Cucumber Salad

Servings 8-10 servings as a side

Ingredients

4 cucumbers, slightly peeled, leaving a little green for color 1 tbsp fresh mint, chopped 1 cup white vinegar 1/4 cup sugar 1 tbsp salt Black pepper 1 tbsp fresh or dried dill

Directions

1. Thinly slice the cucumbers using a mandolin, grater or with a food processor.  Put the sliced cucumber in a bowl and pour white vinegar over them.  Sprinkle in the sugar, salt, some black pepper, dill, and mint.

2. Stir together and let sit for about 2 hours before using.  Great alone, or can be served on top of a green salad.

Spicy Squid and Mango Salad

Spicy Squid and Mango Salad

Spicy Mango and Squid Salad

Spicy Mango and Squid Salad

We closed on our house last week!!! (I think that deserved more than a single exclamation point) After we did the walk through and signed a gazillion documents, Eric and I went back and had a quiet moment together. There was Prosecco consumed out on the front porch. We got to meet a few of our neighbors, all of whom greeted us warmly. Now we begin the process of moving. We immediately started moving fragile items and the massive amounts of photography props just to make room for more boxes.  Next week, the movers come which, along with hiring a painter, was one of the smartest things we could have done in this whole process. Those cookbooks are heavy!

Despite having no furniture in our house, we managed to throw our first dinner party on Sunday. Ok, so we took in Thai food and ate on the kitchen floor, but it was still a lot of fun. And we drank some delicious wine (thanks to Eric's brother and sister-in-law). My heart melted a little when our niece came up to me and asked me if this was our new home. Seriously, precious.

This weekend will be spent in NJ hanging with my mom as she turns the big 6-0 (sorry, Mom, I had to share!). For months, she kept telling me that it was crazy to come down in the middle of the move. But celebrating this milestone... well, there's no way we are missing this.

Spicy Mango and Squid Salad

Spicy Squid and Mango Salad

Ingredients

1 1/2 pounds small squid, cleaned, bodies cut into 1/3-inch rings and tentacles halved 1 mango, ripe but still firm, peeled and julienned 2 tablespoons olive oil 1 cup lightly packed mint leaves 4 basil leaves, chiffonade 1 tablespoon coarsely chopped cilantro Juice of one lime 1 tablespoon sesame oil 1 1/2 teaspoons minced ginger 1 shallot, sliced thinly 1 tsp chopped habanero pepper 1 1/2 tablespoons finely chopped red bell pepper 1/4 cup unsalted roasted peanuts Salt Black pepper

Instructions

1. Add the oil to a skillet and set over medium heat. Add the squid and cook on low heat for approximately 5 minutes, or until they become opaque. Season with 2 teaspoons Kosher salt and 1 teaspoon black pepper. Remove from heat and transfer squid, but not the cooking liquid, to a bowl to cool.

2. In a separate bowl, add the lime juice, sesame oil, ginger, shallot, and habanero. Season with 1/2 teaspoon salt and whisk to combine.

3. Add the mango, red pepper, mint, basil, and cilantro to the bowl with the squid. Pour the dressing over and toss to combine.

4. Transfer salad to a serving bowl and top with peanuts. Season with salt, to taste.