Taco Seasoned Quinoa Zucchini Black Bean Corn Salad

I had some quinoa and zucchini to use and found this recipe on closetcooking website. I actually had all the ingredients on hand and this is a keeper - simple, quick and yummy - my kind of recipe!            I had a homemade flour tortilla on hand, so I made a taco with the filling and garnished with chopped tomato and avocado.

Serves 2 hungry people as a main dish, or 4 -6 normal side dish servings


1 cup quinoa, rinsed and drained
1 3/4 cup water ( the recipe calls for 2 cups, but I feel this ratio makes quinoa mushy)
1 batch taco seasoning ( see recipe below)
1 ear corn, grilled, and kernels cut off the cob ( or 3/4 cup frozen corn, thawed)
1 zucchini, grated with a box grater ( 1 small zucchini)
1 cup black beans
1 jalapeño, seeded and chopped
2 green onions, sliced
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
1 Tablespoon olive oil
juice of 1 lime
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup cotija, or feta cheese, crumbled

Put rinsed quinoa in a medium sauce pan with taco seasoning and water. Bring to a simmer, cover and simmer until all water is absorbed, about 20 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool.

In a large bowl mix the cooked quinoa, corn, zucchini, black beans, jalapeno, green onions and cilantro.

Mix the olive oil and lime juice a little salt and pepper to taste. Toss the salad with the dressing and serve garnished with the cheese.

One batch Taco Seasoning:
1 Tablespoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon salt ( I only used 1/2 tsp)
1 teaspoon pepper

Mix spices together in a small bowl.

Zucchini Ribbon Salad

I found this salad at prouditaliancook.com.  Make this salad on a platter since there are so many pretty colors you want them all to be seen. There are no hard, or fast rules with this salad - you just add what vegetables you like. 

I used ribbons* of green and yellow zucchini on top a bed of mixed greens, cherry tomatoes, jullienne strips of carrots, beets, green onion, corn and feta cheese.

Drizzle with vinaigrette:

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 splash of balsamic vinegar
1 smashed clove of garlic
heaping teaspoon dijon mustard
pinch of dried oregano
salt and pepper to taste

put all vinaigrette ingredients in a jar and shake.

*to make zucchini ribbons lay the washed and dried zucchini on a cutting board. Slice off both end pieces. Using a vegetable peeler draw the peeler down the length of the zucchini. Turn zucchini after you get to the seeds and repeat on other side. Save the core for use in another recipe if so desired.

Grilled Vegetable Quinoa Salad

I found this recipe on the Cooking Quinoa.net website - its a keeper!

 6 servings

4 cups cooked quinoa
1 red bell pepper, seeded and cut into thin strips
1 red onion, sliced 1/4 inch thick
1 zucchini, sliced lengthwise into thin slices

3 Tbl red wine vinegar
2 Tbl extra virgin olive oil
2 tsp minced garlic
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 cup cherry tomatoes, quartered
1/4 cup thin sliced fresh basil
1/4 cup fresh chives, chopped
(sprinkle with goat cheese OR feta - optional - but why wouldn't ya!)

Heat an indoor grill pan over medium high heat. Brush both sides of the vegetables with olive oil ( I just put them in a big bowl and tossed them with a little olive oil - I'm lazy) and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Grill vegetables until tender, flipping once. Remove from heat and when cool enough to handle cut the vegetables into 1/2 inch pieces. Stir in quiona. Meanwhile make dressing by combining vinegar, olive oil, garlic, crushed red pepper and sea salt. Toss vegetables/quinoa mixture and dressing. Stir in cherry tomatoes. Sprinkle with basil and chives and serve. Sprinkle with goat cheese, or feta if using.

Tuna Salad with Grilled Zucchini

 

I found this recipe while browsing around the internet at a blog called The Healthy Foodie. It's a keeper! Quick, easy, and so yummy. It serves one, so I doubled the ingredients, and put the other half in a container for lunch tomorrow. I packed my tuna and dressing separately.  It's a dress just before serving kind of salad, and I didn't want the tuna to make anything soggy.

2 cups mixed greens

1 large tomato, diced ( I like to seed mine, I learned that from Grandma Fisher)

1/4 cup parsley, chopped ( I used cilantro, because I love it)

1/4 cup fresh mint, chopped

10 kalamata olive, pitted

1 small zucchini, sliced lengthwise

1/2 avocado, diced

1 green onion, diced

1 can tuna, drained 

1 tbl. balsamic vinegar

1 tbl. extra virgin olive oil

sea salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste 

Grill the zucchini in a screaming hot grill pan or skillet sprayed with some olive oil spray - not too long, because you want it to still be a bit firm. Let cool for a few minutes and cut into bite size pieces.   Put everything in a big bowl and stir gently. (after all - the zucchini has been through a lot in that screaming hot pan earlier!) Serve immediately. 

*I didn't add salt, I felt it was great without it, because the kalamata olives add a nice touch of salt as is.  I also had some diced red pepper on hand, so I threw those in as well. 

Zucchini Gratin

This is a really easy recipe that comes from the cookbook "Sunday Suppers at Lucques". It's pretty much layer the ingredients and bake, but I like to verge off from the original recipe a bit, and saute the onions in the olive oil for a little while to get them carmelized  - I think it makes a big difference in the finished product - before topping with the zucchini and the kosher salt)

• 3 onions, sliced
• olive oil
• 2 large zucchini, sliced into rounds
• basket of cherry tomatoes (not grape tomatoes)
• 1/2 cup of grated Parmesan or Romano cheese, divided in half
• 1/2 cup of fresh breadcrumbs, divided in half
• fresh basil leaves and kosher salt

Pour olive oil on the bottom of a 12" cast iron skillet.
Layer 1/2 of the onions on the bottom, then top with 1/2 of the zucchini. Sprinkle a little kosher salt on top.
Sprinkle 1/4 cup of the cheese on the zucchini, then 1/4 cup of the breadcrumbs.
Drizzle with olive oil. Scatter the cherry tomatoes around.
Repeat with another layer of onions, zucchini, cheese, breadcrumbs, oil and tomatoes.
Finish with basil leaves and bake in a 425F oven for about 30 minutes until the skillet is bubbling!
** Put under the broiler for a few minutes if you want it more brown on top. Wait about 20 minutes before serving.