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During the summer there’s lots of fresh zucchini and corn to find at your local farmers market! This salad is a delicious way to use up fresh produce and can be meal prepped on the weekend for a nutrient dense side all week! Or serve it at your next cookout! I like to make it on the weekends so that I know I have a nutritious side for quick lunches while I’m watching my one year old! Lunches can be hectic and I don’t always remember to take the time to cook myself up something nutritious, so it helps to have something premade full of good things my body needs. I will serve alongside a quick protein that I can grab such as sardine and arugula wraps, leftover salmon patties, hard boiled eggs, or even a grassfed meat stick from paleo valley if its been a crazy day!
Quinoa is a nutrient dense grain filled with protein, fiber, iron, zinc, magnesium and folate! The fiber in this grain makes it a complex carb which helps keep blood sugar levels stable and supports healthy digestion. Zucchini and corn also add a healthy dose of fiber and essential nutrients while the olive oil is a healthy fat that stabilizes blood sugar and keeps you full.
I like to just flash saute the zucchini with a bit of lemon and salt so it softens just a tad without getting mushy and has a delicious flavor. No one wants a mushy tasteless veggie! For the corn you can boil fresh corn and cut it off the cob or you can take the shortcut and use canned organic corn.
Enjoy the flavors of summer with this bright dish that’s easy to whip up!
Zucchini Corn Quinoa Salad
Ingredients
- 1 cup quinoa
- 2 cups bone broth or water
- 1 large zucchini (diced)
- 1 can corn
- ½ small red onion (or a shallot)
Dressing
- 1 lemon
- ⅓ cup olive oil
- ½ cup shredded parmesan (optional)
- ¼ cup chopped parsley
- salt and pepper
Instructions
- Cook the quinoa with the broth and a bit of salt on the stove or using a rice cooker if you have one.
- Chop up the zucchini and sprinkle with some sea salt, letting sit for a few minutes then patting dry with a paper towel or linen to remove extra moisture.
- Flash cook the chopped zucchini in a very hot pan with olive oil for 2 minutes, adding a small squeeze of lemon and a couple grinds of pepper. Be careful not to overcook, you mostly just want to soften slightly and brown a tad, but avoid making mushy zucchini!
- In a large bowl combine the cooled quinoa, cooked zucchini, diced red onion, corn, shredded parmesan (if using) and chopped parsley.
- Mix the olive oil and the juice of one lemon together then pour over the salad and salt and pepper to taste. Keeps great in the fridge for up to 5 days and best served cold!
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