Grilled Corn and Quinoa Salad
Servings 4
Ingredients
for the salad
- 6 fresh corn cobs husks and silk removed
- 1 poblano pepper
- 1 small red bell pepper
- 3/4 cup cooked quinoa* I used red for the color
- 1 tablespoon minced cilantro or flat-leaf parsley
- 2 teaspoons minced chives
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
for the optional sesame dressing
- 1 tablespoon neutral-tasting oil grapeseed or light olive oil
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil I used toasted sesame oil
- 2 teaspoons rice wine vinegar
- 2 teaspoons agave or honey
- 2 teaspoons orange juice optional but lovely
- 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
Instructions
- Preheat grill to medium-high and prepare for direct grilling. Clean and lightly oil grates.
- Place the corn and peppers on the grill. Turn the cobs and peppers frequently to char on all sides. When the pepper skins are mostly black, remove them from the grill and place them in a paper bag or cover them foil to cool (this will make the skins easier to remove). Remove the corn from the grill when the kernels have a light char and let cool.
- Remove the skins from the peppers and chop. Use a chef's knife to cut the corn kernels from the cob. Combine the peppers, corn, quinoa, cilantro/parsley, and chives in a bowl. Season lightly with salt and pepper.
- To make the dressing, whisk all ingredients together in a small bowl. Taste, and add more salt, if needed. Drizzle over the corn and quinoa salad. Serve at room temperature. (Also tastes great after a night in the fridge.)
Notes
*This recipe is a great use for leftover quinoa, but if you need to cook some fresh: bring 1 cup of water to a boil and add 1/2 cup rinsed quinoa. Reduce heat to maintain a simmer, cover, and cook 15 minutes or until the water has evaporated and the curlicues have separated from the seed. I recommend doubling or tripling the amounts and freezing the extras.