Lemony Zucchini and Corn Quinoa

My sister tagged this recipe on her Pinterest page a few weeks ago, and right away I knew I had to make it. I always keep a jar of quinoa on hand in case there's nothing to eat around the house, because with just a few condiments, it can go with almost any random odds and ends you can scrape up. Plus it sounded very similar to a recipe I'd made last year, and I ate that for weeks!

I reduced the butter in the dressing, added zucchini and stir fried it with the corn in a little bit of olive oil. In the end it came out delicious, just be warned, it makes a LOT. So either invite friends or get ready to eat quinoa all week (not a bad proposition when THIS is the quinoa in question).



Lemony Zucchini and Corn Quinoa
Adapted from Just a Taste

4 ears corn, shucked (or a 12oz bag of frozen corn...I won't judge)
1 Tbsp grated fresh lemon zest
2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice, just juice the lemon you just zested
2 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted
1 Tbsp honey
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
2 cups uncooked quinoa
2 Tbsp olive oil
4 scallions, chopped
2 zucchini, cubed
3 or 4 oven dried tomatoes, optional

- Shave the kernels off of your ears of corn or defrost the bag of frozen if that's what you're using. The original recipe calls for boiling ears of corn, but if I have fresh corn, I really like just using it as is. It's sweet, has great texture and the time it will spend in the pan will be more then enough to cook it.
- Prepare the dressing by whisking together the lemon zest, lemon juice, melted butter, honey, salt and pepper in a large bowl.
- Rinse the uncooked quinoa in a sieve under cold water until the water runs clear.
- Rinse the uncooked quinoa (I normally don't, and it's just fine) and cook it per the package directions.
- While the quinoa is cooking, add the olive oil into a pan set over medium-high heat and once it's hot, toss in the corn and the zucchini. Cook the veggies, stirring occasionally, just until the zucchini starts to get tender and then remove from heat.
- Add the quinoa into the pan with the veggies, add the scallions, pour the dressing over everything and toss until everything is evenly coated. If you have a few oven dried tomatoes on hand, chop them up and mix them in as well. Season with salt and pepper and serve.

On a somewhat unrelated note, I'll be going to California in a few days to attend the 2012 Camp Blogaway! This is my first event like this and I'm really excited to meet other people that get just as dorky about food as I do. Up until now the only person to "get it" has been my friend Joy and I'm hoping to relax, enjoy the mountain air, take a million pictures, talk to every single person there, and maybe even make a new friend or two. See you all when I get back!