Quinoa and Grilled Zucchini Recipe

July 29, 2010
This dish is fun and light.  I have adapted it from 101Cookbooks to fit our needs and available ingredients.

A note or two as I have prepared it a few times now.  The Avocado can be easily replaced with a Zucchini.  Last night I did not have an Avocado so I substituted and we both enjoyed the Zucchini dressing.  Another happy accident with the dressing is we only had Vanilla Yogurt on hand, so I substituted it for Plain Yogurt.  The result was tasty.

Pine Nuts can be a topping, they tend to sometimes be at the grocery story.  We have prepared it both with and without and enjoyed it each time.  So it is your call.

When preparing to cook Quinoa rinsing it in a fine mesh strainer ahead of time is a must.  Then boil 2 cups of Water to 1 cup of Quinoa.  I ended up cooking off some extra Quinoa for future use.  Just let it cool to room temperature and then store in a ziplock baggie in the freezer.

Food:
for the dressing:
1 Avocado OR substitute 1/2 zucchini
Juice of a lime
1 clove garlic
1/4 cup plain yogurt OR substitute vanilla yogurt for a bit of sweetness
3/4 cup water (if using a zucchini 1/2 cup water)

3 large eggs

1 large zucchini, cut into 3/4 - inch thick coins
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

2 cups quinoa, cooked
1/4 cup goat cheese, cubed

How To:
Prepare the dressing by blending the avocado, lime juice, garlic, yogurt, and water in a blender.
Set aside

Hard boil the three eggs.
Set aside

While the eggs are cooling start preparing the zucchini by tossing it with a little olive oil.
Grill zucchini until tender and cooked through, about 5 minutes on each side.
Remove zucchini from grill and cut into quarters.

Crack and peel hard boiled eggs and quarter lengthwise.  We love our MoMA Colorful Rings Cutting Board so much that we leave it on the counter in our kitchen permanently.

Matt and I enjoy different amounts of dressing so we assemble this dish individually, however it could definitely be served family style.

Grab a bowl and fill it with a generous amount of quinoa.
Either toss with dressing now or drizzle dressing on after next step.
Top with grilled zucchini, eggs, goat cheese, and pine nuts (if you have them).