Sweet, savoury, and fiery all at once, this ready-to-go salad is the epitome of summer and a surefire way to breathe new life into your lunch routine.
Ingredients
3/4 cup (180 mL) quinoa
2 corn cobs
1/4 cup (60 mL) extra-virgin olive oil or camelina oil, plus extra
2 Tbsp (30 mL) red wine vinegar
1 small jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced
1/2 tsp (2 mL) ground cumin
1/4 tsp (1 mL) salt, plus extra
1/4 tsp (1 mL) black pepper
1 medium cucumber, chopped
1 cup (250 mL) pitted cherries, halved
1 cup (250 mL) blueberries
2 green onions, thinly sliced
2 oz (57 g) soft goat cheese, crumbled
1/4 cup (60 mL) chopped cilantro
1/4 cup (60 mL) hemp hearts
Directions
In medium saucepan, place quinoa, 1 1/2 cups (350 mL) water, and a couple pinches of salt. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer, covered, until water is absorbed and quinoa is tender, about 12 minutes. Set aside, covered, for 5 minutes and then fluff with fork.
Preheat grill to medium. Remove husks from corn cobs and brush kernels with a little oil. Place corn on grill grate and heat until kernels are tender and darkened in a few places, turning cobs a few times. Once cool enough to handle, upend corn and slice off kernels into small bowl.
In another small bowl, whisk together oil, red wine vinegar, jalapeño, cumin, salt, and pepper. Divide dressing among 4 large wide-mouth jars. Layer in corn, cucumber, quinoa, cherries, blueberries, green onion, goat cheese, cilantro, and hemp hearts, in that order. Seal shut, and chill for up to 4 days.
To serve, empty contents of jar into a bowl or onto a plate.
