Last year I made a wretchedly shameful confession on this blog.
I am totally guilty of going to the Farmer’s Market on Saturday mornings, not buying a thing, then going to the grocery store the next day to purchase my produce there.
I know. I hate me enough for the two of us!
It’s just that, I don’t usually do my weekly meal planning until Sunday, and as much as I hate not buying directly from the farmers themselves, I hate the thought of buying something and letting it go to waste even more, as I’m not the type of person who can come up with a fabulous dish upon seeing a spectacularly arranged pile of vine-ripened tomatoes, or something, at the market.
Sistah needs a plan!
Anyway, this year I’ve vowed to change my despicable ways and am creating a bunch of Farmer’s Market friendly recipes to keep handy so I can pick up whatever looks fresh and beautiful at the market, and know it won’t go to waste at home.
The first recipe in my Farmer’s Market Collection? Farmer’s Market Skillet!
This creamy, quinoa-based dish utilizes in-season, locally grown produce including zucchini, sweet corn, and tomatoes, wrapped up in melty feta cheese, and seasoned with herby, fresh basil. Plus it’s made in just one skillet!
I used what’s available to me here locally, but use whatever produce you’ve got available in your area to make this a Farmer’s Market friendly meal wherever you live.
Start the Farmer’s Market Skillet by cooking 1 cup rinsed quinoa in 1-3/4 cups chicken broth. You could make this dish completely vegetarian by using vegetable stock instead. Cook the quinoa until the broth is absorbed, then fluff it with a fork, and let it cool slightly.
While the quinoa’s doin’ it’s thang, get to work on the Honey Lemon Vinaigrette for the skillet. Yeeeeah…it’s the same dressing I used on the Sweet Corn & Quinoa dish a few weeks ago. I am obsessed with it and can’t help myself.
Honey, lemon zest, lemon juice, garlic, salt & pepper swirl together to create the most magnificent flavor combo. I just love it!
If you don’t think you can get into the honey flavor in here (I hate the flavor of honey, but I absolutely adore this dressing,) I would try any of the lemon vinaigrettes or balsamic vinaigrette dressings here, or a good olive-oil based Italian dressing would be divine as well.
PS I used the leftover lemon zest to make a refreshing drink to sip on while I cooked. It’s just lemon zest + water + ice. The lemon zest floats to the bottom of the glass, but permeates the water and is SO NICE TO SIP ON, AHHH.
Served up nice and cold in one of my Cat Studio drinking glasses. I got a set as a bridal shower gift (what seems) like a million years ago. I always forget about them, but aren’t they adorable? There are designs available for tons of states/cities/countries!
Anyway. :)
After the dressing is made, heat 1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil in a very large skillet – the skillet in Farmer’s Market skillet – then add in 2 cloves minced garlic, and saute until they’re golden brown, about 30 seconds.
Next, add in the veggies!
Like I said, my Farmer’s Market always has a plethora of sweet corn, zucchini, and green onions, so that’s what I used, but you can use whatever is in season and available locally to you. That’s the whole point!
Add the veggies to the skillet, season liberally with salt and pepper, then saute ’em until they’re just barely tender, about 4 minutes.
Next, add in the cooked and slightly cooled quinoa, then drizzle in half the Honey Lemon Vinaigrette and let that cook for about another minute.
I happen to love the sweet-tart flavor contrast of raw lemon juice vs cooked lemon juice, like in Lemon Chicken Pasta, which is why I add half now, and half when the skillet is off the heat.
Now add 1 chopped tomato,
(another classic Farmer’s Market find!)
and 1/2 cup feta cheese.
Finish ‘er up with 2 Tablespoons chopped basil, then give everything a good stir, taste and add more salt & pepper if you need to.
Let the skillet cool for about 10 minutes, then dig on in!
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Farmer’s Market Skillet
Description
Farmer's Market Skillet puts fresh farmer's market finds to good use in a creamy, wholesome skillet.
Ingredients
- 1-3/4 cups chicken broth
- 1 cup quinoa, rinsed and drained
- 1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 small zucchini, quartered and sliced (or half a large one)
- 2 ears sweet corn, kernels cut off the cob (about 1-1/2 cups)
- 2 green onions
- salt & pepper
- 1 vine-ripened tomato, chopped
- 1/2 cup feta
- 2 Tablespoons chopped basil
- For the Honey Lemon Vinaigrette:
- 1 Tablespoon lemon zest
- 2 Tablespoons lemon juice
- 1-1/2 Tablespoons honey
- 1 garlic clove, microplaned or finely minced
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
Directions
- Bring chicken broth to a boil in a saucepan. Add rinsed quinoa and place a lid on top, turn the heat down to medium-low, then cook until the broth is absorbed and quinoa is tender, about 25 minutes. Fluff the cooked quinoa with a fork and let cool slightly.
- Meanwhile, combine all ingredients for the Honey Lemon Vinaigrette in a jar or bowl, then shake or whisk to combine and set aside.
- Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add garlic and saute until golden brown, about 30 seconds. Add zucchini, sweet corn, and green onions, season with salt and pepper, then saute until barely tender, about 4 minutes. Add cooked quinoa and half the Honey Lemon Vinaigrette, then stir and cook for 1 more minute.*
- Add remaining vinaigrette, tomatoes, feta cheese, and basil to the skillet. Stir well, taste, and add more salt and pepper if necessary. Let cool 10 minutes before serving.
Notes
- If you want to make this a cold salad, cool cooked quinoa and veggies separately, then mix with the remaining vinaigrette, tomatoes, feta cheese, and basil, and chill completely.
This recipe is courtesy of Iowa Girl Eats, http://iowagirleats.com.
Fresh and ultra flavorful! The crispy, chewy, poppy textures are too fun, while the sweet, herby, tangy flavors are totally mouthwatering. Repeater, fa sho!
I included a mandatory (I’ll be watching…) 10 minute resting period before eating this skillet, simply because it tastes so much better when it’s not piping hot. You can really pick out each individual ingredient when it’s come down a bit in temp.
I also included instructions for making this a cold salad, which I think I might like even better. The feta melts when it’s hot, which kinda makes this taste like healthy mac & cheese, but I do adore a nice cold salad in the steamy summahtime!
In other news, raise your hand if you can’t wait for The Bachelorette tonight?! EMILY! WHEE!! I was so sad to hear that she and Brad didn’t work out (although it sounds like she and her daughter are better off without his temper…) so I’m curious to see what kind of guy she goes for this time around.
#talkingaboutrealitystarslikeiknowthem
Have a nice night!
~~~~~
Is it easy for you to come up with meal ideas on the spot, or do you need to have a plan/recipe?
Brittany 10.22.2012
I made this on Friday and it was fabulous! I didn’t add any cheese and served the vinaigrette on the side (it didn’t need it, but it was a nice addition).
Thanks for sharing this recipe! I will be sharing this link with many friends and family members.
Ana 10.09.2012
Thank you for sharing this recipe! This was my first time eat quinoa and my husband and I both love this salad.
Can’t wait to try more of your quinoa recipes.
Alyssa 10.05.2012
Wow, this looks delicious! Pinning and trying it! Thanks :)
Ali 09.29.2012
Just wanted to let you know that this is amazing! I’ve done it with a few different combinations of veggies(whatever was leftover from the last farmer’s market trip!) and I can’t get enough of it! The flavors in the dressing are amazing. Thank you for such a wonderful way to use up my farmer’s market finds!
LK 09.17.2012
Made this tonight for dinner! used zucchini, corn and red onions, it was absolutely delicious! what a creative spin on quinoa, I will definitely be trying this again!
Austin 08.28.2012
I have had this recipe pinned for a while now, and finally made it tonight. All I can say is, WOW. Absolutely delicious. Will suggest it to lots of people!
J Hannah 08.25.2012
This looks *AMAZING*, we are definitely having this for dinner this week. Thanks so much!
KIM 08.16.2012
My first quinoa experience! I love this recipe and have made it several times now. So yummy!
Lauren 08.04.2012
I was able to try this when a friend made it and it was so good I had to do the same. I skipped on the corn because hubby is allergic and used yellow squash instead. Then took 2 cubanelles cut them lengthwise in the best bowl I could and grilled them with a little oil s&p then stuffed the cubanelles with the skillet mix and topped with a mild white cheddar which melted with little help. Needless to say my mainly carnivorous hubby found this to be a veggie delight! Thanks for the recipe and I love the honey lemon dressing!
Jennifer 08.04.2012
This is our new favorite recipe. We can’t get enough of it! We live in Prague and didn’t want to go to the “specialty” store for some quinoa so we used (and I quote) “pig-slaughtering barley” and it was delicious. It was just normal barley :).
Also, I’m 100% guilty of the farmers market thing. I just went today, bought nothing and will go way out of my way on Monday to buy produce. It’s embarrassing!
Ellaine 08.01.2012
O-M-G!! Thank you, thank you, thank you!!! It is blogs like this that make it so much easier to eat better. This dish was so delicious!!! Such a medley of flavors perfectly married by the zesty lemon vinaigrette. I had this for dinner last night and I was super happy when I tasted the end result. Bravoooo keep em coming! BTW typing this as I sip on one of your green smoothies… ummmm, yumm :)
Beth 07.30.2012
Wow. I cook a lot of new recipes from Pinterest, and this is the first time that something has been just THAT good that I HAD to post a comment and tell you how delicious it is! Thanks!
Heather 07.26.2012
I found this recipe on Pinterest and it was SO.GOOD!! This was my first time making quinoa and I was happily surprised at how good this was. I used mushrooms, zuchinni and tomatoes since I didn’t have corn. Ah-ma-zing. Great job :)
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Dusty 07.19.2012
WOW! I added some sliced kale that I was gifted at the farmer’s market since there was so much leftover late in the day and this is an incredible way to utilize all the delicious flavors and produce the Iowa markets offer this time of year! Thank you!
Alicia 07.18.2012
I found this recipe on Pinterest and I plan on making it tomorrow night for dinner. From the looks of this, I’m going to be subscribing to your blog now!
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Maija 07.16.2012
Holy smokes this is good!
First of all… I absolutely love your honey lemon vinaigrette! I cut the honey back a little because of diabetes. I will definitely be making it again.
Secondly, I made this as a salad. As recommended, I cooked and cooled the veggies separately and tossed everything together at the end. I let it sit for an hour before I ate. I have another bowl in the fridge for tomorrow. I’m curious to see if the extra sitting time makes it even yummier.
I had fresh tomatoes and corn from the farmer’s stand. A yellow zucchini, chives and basil came from my own garden. Since I had chives rather than green onions I used them raw/fresh at the end with the tomato instead of sauteing them with the others. Also, I had just bought a small brick of feta from a local cheese factory for the first time. YUMMERS! So, when I read your recipe I had everything already! Fate and extremely good luck!
Thank you so much for sharing this wonderful dish. (and the salad option!)
Janice@ better off thread 07.15.2012
This was heavenly! I making it for my family again this week!
chassady 07.08.2012
This is the best recipe I’ve made all year! Extremely healthy and filling. This recipe has definitely made my favorites list.