Grilled Corn and Peach Quinoa Salad

Peaches and sweet corn grow up to full, sweet and ripe maturity together, so I think they're destined to get along on a dinner plate too. Nature's cues really aren't something to overlook. She gives us advice on what to eat and when to eat it. If we tune into her quiet but reliable voice rather than that of the aggressive, cerebral-centric media, then the question of nutrition and what to feed our bodies becomes a lot more intuitive, and therefore simpler.

I loved this duo together in last week's platter salad so I decided to stick with the theme this week and make a quinoa salad with it. This recipe came about when I needed something to take to our friends for dinner. I wanted it to be transportable, but also freshly prepared (with minimal prep work) just before serving. They were grilling eggplant, tomato, and mozzarella stacks so I knew I had some handy grillers at the ready. I made the quinoa and mixed the dressing in a small glass jar at home, and the corn and peaches were grilled at their house. The only thing left last minute was to cut the corn off the cob, dice the peaches and toss it all together. Our friends made this again for their boss who was coming for dinner a few nights later, so they have nicknamed it "Boss Salad".

Take my advice. Don't wait to enjoy the salad because you are going to fall in love with this duo and will want to make it again before the sweet corn and peaches disappear.

Grilled Corn and Peach Quinoa Salad (a.k.a. Boss Salad)
Serves 4-6

• 1 1/2 cups (276 g) quinoa, cooked
• 2 1/2 cups (625 ml) water
• Lemon dressing (recipe below)
• 2 peaches (ripe but firm)
• 2 pieces corn on the cob
• Big handful cilantro, chopped
• 1/4 tsp. salt + freshly ground pepper, to taste

1. Rinse quinoa in a fine mesh sieve. Add to a medium sauce pan with water and a big pinch of salt. Cover and bring to a boil, then reduce to simmer (about medium heat) and cook for 15 minutes, shaking pan a few times in the last 2 minutes to make sure it's not sticking. Remove from heat and let sit covered for 5 minutes. Fluff with fork and while still warm add to the serving bowl with the lemon dressing and stir to combine.
2. While quinoa cooks, cut peaches in half and grill cut side down with corn until peaches are charred but not too soft and corn is charred on all sides.
3. Slice corn off cob and cut peaches in bite-size pieces. Add to quinoa along with cilantro, salt, and pepper. Gently toss everything together and serve warm!

Lemon Dressing

• 5 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
• Juice from 1 juicy lemon
• 3 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar
• 2 tsp. whole grain mustard
• 2 tsp. runny honey (or maple syrup)
• 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
• 1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp. turmeric (optional - for golden color)
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• Freshly ground pepper to taste

1. Use a fork to mix all ingredients together in the bottom of a large serving bowl.