c'mon summer

After a week of summer weather, it seemed Vancouver didn't want to cooperate with the season and grey skies, rain and cool weather arrived again. I don't mean to be pushy, but dammit, let's get on with summer already! This morning does seem to be warming up and I see blue skies and the sun peeking out, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed. But maybe I'll have to chant some kind of mantra over and over again: c'monsummerc'monsummerc'monsummerc'monsummer....

Last week when it was warm outside, we ate this meal out on our balcony with a couple of icy cold beers. A cold salad dressed with a tart lemony dressing, chock full of green beans and fresh garden herbs...it seemed like there was no question about it: summer was here to stay. I'm hoping that by adding this recipe to my archives, summer will stay put.

And if you are spending your summer reading fashion & lifestyle magazines by the pool, be sure to check out the July issue of Chatelaine magazine (a popular Canadian mag). I was recently interviewed (briefly) by one of their writers about How to Start a Blog. Check it out!

green bean quinoa salad
1 c quinoa
2 c vegetable stock
3 c green beans, trimmed and cut into bite sized peices
1/2 red onion, diced
1 c fresh corn or thawed frozen corn
handfuls of fresh chives & parsley, chopped
1 lemon, juiced & zested
1/2 c olive oil
2 cloves garlic, crushed
salt & pepper
1/2 c feta cheese, crumbled

1. In a dry pan, toast the quinoa until it gets golden and start to jump around. Remove from heat and rinse well under cold water. Meanwhile, in a medium sized pot, add the stock and bring to a boil. Add the rinsed quinoa to the stock and simmer for about 20 minutes or until the quinoa is dry and fluffy.

2. In another pot, steam the green beans until bright green but still crisp. Rinse well under cold water to prevent further cooking.

3. Mix the lemon juice, zest, garlic, olive oil, salt & pepper into a dressing. Place the quinoa, green beans, corn, red onion and fresh herbs into a serving bowl and toss with the dressing. Chill until cool. Garnish with crumbled feta cheese.