• Roasted Vegetable Quinoa Salad

It's definitely corn season.

I had 12 (yes, 12!!!) ears of corn in my CSA share this week from Cold Water Creek Farm. It's a good thing I split my share with a friend, but that still leaves me with six ears.

You can do some pretty magical things with corn. It's a wonderful way to add a bit of sweetness to all kinds of dishes, and it's even tastier this time of year when it's fresh-picked from the farm.

• The corn gives this salad a hint of sweetness

I love corn in salads, salsa, fritters, grilled, roasted, as a taco or quesadilla topping. The possibilities are endless. But first, let's start with something super simple. Those are the best kind of recipes, you know.

• Kelly Davis
• Tastes great hot or chillled

ROASTED VEGETABLE QUINOA SALAD (serves 4 as a meal, 6-8 as a side dish)
This quinoa salad is perfect for any season because you can serve it hot or chilled. I especially love the combination of flavors. Each bite is something different - different textures, different tastes. I just can't get enough of it!

1 cup quinoa, uncooked
1 16 oz. can chickpeas, drained
2 1/2 oz. feta cheese
1 cup of corn, cooked (~2 ears)
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 purple bell pepper, chopped*
1 1/2 cup yellow pear tomatoes, halved**
1 small white or yellow onion, chopped
2 large cloves of garlic, minced (~2 Tbsp.)
1 1/2 cup arugula
4 tsp. extra virgin olive oil
3 Tbsp. fresh rosemary, chopped finely
3/4 tsp. sea salt
fresh ground pepper

Cook quinoa in 2 cups of water according to package directions until fluffy and put in a large bowl. Cut corn from ears of corn and add to bowl of quinoa. Add beans and toss well to mix.

Preheat oven to 500 degrees F on the broil setting. Oil two large baking sheets using 1 tsp. of oil for each pan. Toss vegetables with oil (peppers, tomatoes, onion, and garlic) or spray well with a Misto. Place vegetables on the two pans, trying not to let them overlap if possible. Roast for about 10 minutes. Stir the vegetables and flip them with a spatula. Allow to roast an additional 5 minutes, or until they begin to brown. Remove from pan and allow to cool for 10 minutes. Toss vegetables with the quinoa mixture.

Crumble feta cheese and add to the salad. Add arugula, rosemary, salt, and pepper to taste. Toss the salad well and serve slightly chilled or at room temperature.

*May substitute with any color of bell pepper.
** May substitute with any variety of tomato, but cherry tomatoes would make the best substitute.

Kelly Davis is a blogger, freelance writer, food enthusiast, and native North Carolinian. When she's not training for a race or cooking something delicious in the kitchen, she's writing, reading, snuggling her dachshund, or plotting her next project. You can keep up with Kelly's antics and recipes on her blog, Foodie Fresh.