Far From Boring

I can tell you one thing - I'm certainly not bored with summer cooking and eating. Surprisingly, I haven't tired of zucchini yet. I could eat it grilled with a little olive oil, salt, pepper and red chili every day, though I think tonight we'll grate one of our giant zucchinis and turn it into Egg Foo Yung.

We've got gobs of family from out of town coming in for the weekend, and several eggplants will be ready for picking tomorrow - just in time to make a double batch of my new favorite salad. A favorite because it tastes delicious and also because almost all of the ingredients are growing in my garden.



Macedonian Quinoa Salad

Dressing:
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
2 cloves crushed garlic
juice of one lemon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon (or more) fresh chopped basil
2 teaspoons each chopped fresh oregano and thyme
black pepper to taste

Salad:
eggplant
tomato
cucumber
green pepper
red pepper
red onion
1 cup quinoa (rinse and cook in 2 cups water, about 15 minutes, until water is absorbed)

Slice eggplant into rounds and brush with a little oil, sprinkle with a little salt, and broil on both sides until lightly browned. Chop into bite sized chunks and marinate in dressing for 2 hours. Chop the tomato, cucumber and peppers into bite sized chunks. Mix veggies, cooked quinoa, marinated eggplant and dressing.

Now you're ready for dessert - which can be enjoyed before, during and after the quinoa salad:



Blackberry - Limoncello Cooler

1 part blackberry syrup
1 part limoncello
3 parts water
fresh squeezed lemon juice, to taste
ice

Mix. Drink. Enjoy. I'll be whipping up at least one pitcher full to share with family this weekend. Cheers!