Warm summer nights are perfect for eating dinner outdoors. If its too hot to fire up the grill, try a grain salad for a refreshing and filling take on dinner. Its a great opportunity to try a new unfamiliar grain in a familiar setting. Mix together an ancient grain - like millet, sorghum, or quinoa- and dress it up with familiar fresh greens, fruit, and dressing. Voila - grain salad! You could also try mixing and matching grains! If youre feeling a little shy around millet, try mixing it 50/50 with rice just to get to know each other.
Our Farro is made from lightly scratched Triticum Spelta. The light scratching on the grain is traditional and helps the grain cook faster and pop open as bit as it cooks. The result is a chewy, nutty grain that goes well in a hearty salad. Weve mixed the cooked Farro withtomato, hard boiled eggs, green beans, and a herbed lemon dressing. If you cant find Nicoise Olives, sub in Kalamata Olives for a bright, briney bite.
This salad from Jessica in the Kitchen gets tons of bright flavor from the Sesame Ginger Dressing. It comes together quickly for a weeknight dinner or a last minute get together with friends. Leftovers dont get soggy, but the flavors continue to meld together as it sits. Quinoa is a complete protein on its own, but you could add some BBQ chicken or shrimp skewers to make this salad sing.
If you havent ever had it before, this salad from The Beach House Kitchen is based on the flavor profile of Mexican Street Corn (Elotes). Corn on the cob is charcoal grilled then topped with crema or sour cream, chile powder, cotija cheese, and lime. In this recipe, mix together all of those tasty ingredients and add our Tri Color Quinoa to round it out.
Curious about Millet? This tiny grain is naturally gluten free and has a nutty, sweet flavor. Transform it into a filling entree with fresh greens, butternut squash, and a simple vinaigrette. You could substitute roasted sweet potatoes, acorn squash, or rainbow carrots for the butternut squash - the flavors will all pair well with the millet and vinaigrette.
