CSA Week 4

Happy belated Independence Day!

Hope all had a wonderful long holiday weekend☺

I'm a little late getting this post out (too much fun in New England).  However, now begins what I am calling the "potluck season."  Cookouts, picnics, backyard shindigs, beach days.  Hence, I realized last weekend that for the next six to seven weeks, I need to make a portable dish to share (preferably ones that can withstand little refrigeration and/or sitting outside for a couple hours). Luckily, last week's produce worked out perfectly for such a dish.

In week four, we received:
Swiss Chard
Lettuce (yes, again)
Carrots
Garlic Scrapes
Parsley
Blueberries

Drumroll... and potluck dish one is:

Quinoa Salad with Feta and Blueberries

Ingredients:
5 T olive oil, divided
1 bunch swiss chard, leaves chiffonaded and stems discarded
3 T fresh lemon juice
5-6 medium carrots or 4 large carrots, sliced into 1/4" half moons
1 bunch garlic scrapes (5-6 stems), thinly sliced
5 sprigs fresh thyme (optional, we just had some leftover from the prior week's haul)
1 1/2 cups quinoa, rinsed (I used multi-color)
3 c vegetable stock
1 head lettuce, chiffonaded
1 small bunch parsley (6 or so sprigs), roughly chopped
8 oz crumbled feta
1 pt blueberries, rinsed

1. Heat oven to 400 degrees.
2. In a large non-reactive (i.e. not copper) serving bowl, toss the chard with 3 T olive oil and lemon juice.  Season with salt and pepper.  Let macerate 2-3 hours on the counter, stirring occasionally.
3. On a rimmed baking sheet, toss carrots with 1 T olive oil and season with salt and pepper.  Roast for 20 minutes, or until crisp-tender.  Remove from oven and let cool.
4. In a medium saucepan, heat 1 T olive oil over medium-high heat. Add sliced garlic scrapes and cook 2 minutes, or until fragrant and starting to soften.  Add thyme and quinoa and cook a minute longer.  Stir in stock and season with salt and pepper.  Reduce heat to low and simmer for 30 minutes or until all liquid has been absorbed. Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature.
5. Add carrots and quinoa to the bowl of chard.  Gently stir in lettuce and parsley.  Refrigerate until ready to serve. Before serving, top with crumbled feta and blueberries.


Feel free to substitute whatever you have on hand.  The goal here is a fresh salad with different textures and flavor profiles (tangy creamy feta, tart blueberries, crisp lettuce, sweet roasted carrots). Some toasted almonds would also be delicious in this salad.  Serve some grilled chicken alongside for a more filling summer main dish!