I’m a recent convert to quinoa.
I had never really understood the hype around the whole grain and brushed past it at my local grocery store in search of brown rice, whole wheat pasta, oatmeal, or, who am I kidding here, Cheez-Its.
It was actually my older (wiser) sister who introduced me to the pinhead-sized grain, and I’ve been hooked ever since. Although she uses it in place of pasta to pair with her homemade arrabiata sauce, I found a summer-friendly take featuring fresh corn, chopped scallions and a quick-fix honey butter dressing. It’s fresh, simple and hard to stick to just one serving. And cooking quinoa is easier than you might think! Tune in to my video below for a few tips and tricks for how to guarantee your quinoa is extra-light and fluffy.
I’m kicking off the month of August by joining the Williams-Sonoma Cooks’ Network. I’ve been a big fan of the brand ever since I started cooking, and I can never seem to spend enough time (note “time” and not “money”) in their stores. Check out the right rail for a selection of their famous foods and high-quality kitchenware and stay tuned for special offers and giveaways.
I’m also heading to Nashville this October for the fourth annual Food Blog Forum seminar, where I’ll be speaking about recipe writing and development for Gourmet Live. I hope to see many of you there!
And finally, I’m currently in Rwanda hanging with the gorillas and getting a taste of authentic bush cuisine. And let’s be honest, trying not to become bush cuisine. Hah… (insert nervous laughter). But I didn’t want to skip a blogging beat, so I’ve entrusted my best buddy to make sure this post gets published. You’ll hear from me next on Wednesday, August 10, for the nation-wide Pickling Party, where I’ll be serving up a homemade condiment guaranteed to add a spicy bite to your next hot dog roast.
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Ingredients
- 4 ears corn, shucked
- 1 tablespoon grated fresh lemon zest
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
- 1 Tablespoon honey
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 cups uncooked quinoa
- 4 scallions, chopped
Instructions
- Place the corn in a large pot and fill it with enough water to cover the corn. Cover the pot and bring it to a boil. As soon as the water comes to a boil, turn off the heat and let the pot stand, covered, for 5 minutes.
- Remove the corn from the pot and let it cool on a cutting board until it's easy to handle. Then, using a sharp knife, cut the kernels off the cob.
- 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.
- Cook the quinoa in a pot of of boiling salted water per the package directions.
- Add the quinoa, corn kernels and chopped scallions to the bowl with the dressing and toss until it's evenly coated. Season with salt and pepper and serve.
- ★ Did you make this recipe? Don't forget to give it a star rating below!
Nutrition
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Recipe adapted from Gourmet.
I’m making this today and had to leave a comment that I love this recipe! Been making it for years. Thanks for sharing it!
Yay! I’m so thrilled you’ve been enjoying the recipe, Lindsay!
What are good items to eat with this? I have never tried Quinoa and am not sure what to do with it!
Hi Lisa! I love serving this alongside Glazed Honey Garlic Shrimp (https://www.justataste.com/glazed-honey-garlic-shrimp-recipe/) or 5-Ingredient Beef Satays (https://www.justataste.com/5-ingredient-beef-satays-recipe/). Enjoy!
Made it for a small dinner party tonight. Everyone loved it!!!
So thrilled to hear this, Amber!
Made this for a vegan friend. Used olive oil instead of butter and agave nectar instead of honey. I also added some red bell pepper for more color. My friend LOVED IT… along with everbody at the potluck.
Woohoo! Love hearing this, Randi!
Different but oddly good. The kids didn’t like the sweet mixed with the chives. A lot of work for something that was ok but not delicious.
Thanks for your comment, Jules!
I have loved every recipe I have tried from justataste including this one. Thank you!!
Wow! SO thrilled to hear you’ve been enjoying Just a Taste, Nichole!
Delicious and very easy to prepare. Thank you for sharing
You are so welcome, MaryLou! I’m glad you enjoyed the recipe :)
I saw this recipe last week on TV and it was made by Annabel Langbein..
First time but not the last!!
I tried quinoa at a wedding reception for the first time a while back and thought it was time to give cooking it a try.
This recipe was simple and fantastic!! I cut the amounts in half and that was plenty for the wife and I.
It is a great change to rice and potatoes and much more flavorful!! It went perfect with a smoked steak.
I’ll definitely do this again and again!!
Thrilled you enjoyed the recipe, Rito! And thank you so much for rating it!
I had everything in my cupboard except quinoa so I used couscous & some cherry tomatoes I needed to use up! I must “Delish
I eat this cold with dill olive oil and Sicilian lemon balsamic vinegar it is wonderful
Yum! So glad you’re enjoying it, Pegi!
Am i suppose to eat this cold or hot?
Either! I prefer it room temp, but you could definitely chill it.
When NJ sweet corn is in season this is one of our go-to recipes! One time we didn’t have lemons on hand but we did have limes and we found we actually prefer the limes. Today I made it with shallots because again, we didn’t have scallions on hand but did have shallots. Also very good! I’m thinking of trying some dried ancho or aleppo pepper sprinkled on my serving too .
YUM! I’m so thrilled you’ve been enjoying the recipe, Kelly!
My husband and I love quinoa and we have eaten it for years in different variations. I made this one with salmon because lemon goes great with seafood. Against my better judgement however, I followed the recipe with the amount of butter and lemon. This had more butter in a serving, than we use in a month! My husband thought the amount of lemon overpowered the dish. I normally make our quinoa with a low sodium chicken stock, grilled chopped vegetables and seasonings. I appreciate you sharing and I will make adjustments accordingly.
Yumm…perfect with grilled shrimp or chicken!
Didn’t have lemons available so I used key limes instead and it turned out Amazing! Will definitely be making this again:)
If there’s 8 servings how much yields one serving? I made this just for myself and it made sooooo much. Hope I can eat it all before it goes bad. It’s delicious though : )
If anyone out there is a Gluten-Free Vegan (challenging as best), I made the recipe with Vegan Butter (Earth Balance) to remove the dairy. I also cut down the salt just a bit to accommodate for the butter as it has a slightly salty taste. It tasted pretty amazing. Thanks for the recipe, Kelly!