C, L, H, Q: Warm Quinoa Salad with Leeks, Corn and Heirloom Tomatoes

Heidi Swanson, one of my cooking heroes, seems to have a thing for quinoa. It shows up in many recipes and she tends to describe it with such tenderness and love... I knew eventually I would have to get over whatever reservations I might have about using a totally foreign (to me) grain and commit to a quinoa-inspired dish.

Tonight's dinner was the result. Surprisingly tasty and doubly successful because my daughter was willing to try every ingredient (save the leeks) on its own. So... not only did my husband and I discover a new tasty "foundation" option for meals involving lots of veg, but the bunny tried quinoa, corn, and heirloom tomatoes—only one of which she willingly ate before tonight.

I cry, "Success!"

If, like me, you are hesitant to venture into the world of quinoa... hopefully I can allay your fears. I totally see now why Heidi waxes somewhat rhapsodic. Somehow the grain is transformed from a small, stone-like dot to these lovely, fluffy swirls of cracked cloud. It's really quite beautiful to see. Slightly more high maintenance then cous cous but less so than rice, preparation is neither difficult nor time consuming.

I'll also add a little note about the leeks, because I've never cooked with those either. You see, I am a hater of onions—primarily because they make my stomach hurt and I find their taste wholly unpalatable. But I had heard leeks had a much milder and sweeter taste, and my husband is a big fan of the onion family... so with a bit of trepidation, I tried them out in this dish.

Another happy success, and I have yet another unused stalk still sitting in the fridge. So I will have to decide how else to use it this week! The dill in this dish was a total whim, but one that worked quite well. I also paired this with a side of sweet cornbread (Jiffy with a little maple syrup thrown in... don't judge!). Supremely filling and delicious.

Warm Quinoa Salad with Leeks, Corn and Heirloom Tomatoes

Ingredients
1 c quinoa (washed and drained)
2 c water
2 tbsp olive oil
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1 leek, thinly sliced
1 c corn, cooked
4 heirloom tomatoes (any color), diced
1 tsp dill
salt and pepper (to taste)

Directions
1. Cook your corn whatever way you like (or you can always get the frozen stuff and just thaw it out). I had some ears on hand from the farmer's market and so simply cut the kernels off once it had cooled. (I like to cook my corn the old fashioned way: boiling water with a dash of salt.) Three ears yielded roughly 1 cup cooked kernels.

2. Prepare your quinoa as directed on the package or – if you've bought in bulk – use 1 c quinoa to 2 c water. Just as with rice, you are supposed to rinse and drain the grain before you start. Once it's clean, transfer to a pot for which you have a lid, bring the water/quinoa mixture to a boil.

Reduce to a simmer and cook, covered, for another 10-15 minutes. Basically, you want it to cook down until there is no water left... making sure to rescue it from the heat before it starts to bake onto the sides of your pot and burn itself into little scorched nuggets.

3. Meanwhile, saute your leeks in a large frying pan with a bit of olive oil and crushed garlic. Once they begin to look softly translucent and are just hinting some browning on the edges, add the corn and tomatoes. I had two red heirlooms and two green, which was nice for the splash of color it provided.

4. Once you've got your veg all nice and warm and not too cooked (you want everything to stay firm rather than sliding toward a mushy consistency), add in the dill, salt and pepper. Give it all a good stir to blend the flavors; then remove the pan from the heat and get back to the final stages of your quinoa.

5. Add the cooked quinoa to your pan and stir everything together. Give it a bit more love and stirring over a low to medium flame and serve warm. Voila!