Grain Salaaaaaad!

All summer long I'm chewing on piles and piles of grain salad. They're the perfect summertime meal - no oven necessary, quick and easy, good served cold - and that's part of why they're one of my favorite ways to use up those CSA veggies. They're also healthy and super versatile - eat 'em up hot or cold, mix in leftovers, pour different dressings over them - a grain salad doesn't have to feel boring by the end of the week. And they're great for potlucks - this one came with me to a house concert in my friend Khrysti's backyard.

Whenever I'm getting to the end of the week I take a look around at my vegetable leftovers, and usually they can be pulled together into something new. Maybe they can go into a frittata or an omelet, maybe they would be great tossed with some pasta or cooked onto a pizza, maybe they would make a good centerpiece for a leafy green salad. But usually the first thing I think to do is to throw them in a bowl with some yummy whole grains. I try to stop by a local co-op every few weeks during the summer to stock up on bags of bulgur, barley, kasha, quinoa, or wheat berries so that there are always some good choices in my cupboard  ready to be mixed up with my CSA veggies.

This week when I looked around my fridge I found a couple of already-roasted beets left over from a meal, a little pile of sauteed green beans left from a different meal, and a couple of nice fat little cucumbers. Chopped 'em all up and threw 'em in a big bowl.

In my cupboard there was a bag of quinoa that I cooked up with a little salt, tossed in there with the veggies, and mixed together. The beets made the whole thing turn a pretty pink color, especially after a night in the fridge. For a dressing I mixed together some apple cider vinegar, lime juice, olive oil, and plenty of chopped garlic. And done! So easy, super filling, and a great way to use whatever's left in your fridge.

Picked up another big box of veggies this afternoon - here's a peek at what will go into my meals next week! Tomorrow I'll let you know how I prep my fridge, get my veggies ready once they've arrived, and make a plan of attack so that all the fruit and vegetable goodness will find a good home in my freezer or my belly before they go bad.