Quinoa salad with egg, zucchini, and avocado-cilantro dressing

This is a delicious and summery quinoa salad, adapted from 101 Cookbooks.

Ingredients

1 large avocado, ripe
juice of 1 lime
1/4 c lightly packed cilantro
1 clove garlic
1/4 c plain yogurt
1/2 c water
1/2 t salt
2 T mayonaisse
4 large eggs
1 large zucchini, cut into 3/4-inch thick coins
2 T extra-virgin olive oil
couple pinches of fine grain sea salt
1 cups quinoa, cooked according to package instructions
handful pine nuts, toasted
1/4 c feta, crumbled
1-2 c fresh spinach, chopped finely
2 T chopped cilantro
1/4 c cooked corn (optional)

Instructions

1) Prepare the avocado-cilantro dressing by blending the avocado, lime juice, cilantro, garlic, yogurt, water, salt, and mayonaise with a hand blender, and set aside.
2) Hard boil three eggs and set aside.  (Try this technique: place eggs in a medium pot and cover with cold water by 1/2 inch.  Bring to a gentle boil, turn off heat and cover.  Let sit for 7 minutes, then dunk eggs in ice water to stop cooking.)
3) Use a grill pan (or a normal pan if you don't have one) to cook zucchini: heat olive oil over medium heat and cook zucchini for ~5 minutes on each side.
4) Crack and peel each egg, then cut into quarters.
5) Toss quinoa with zucchini, spinach, feta, cilantro, and corn (if using).
6) To assemble salad, top quinoa mix with avocado sauce and slices of egg.

Mango, cabbage, and cashew cole slaw

This is a delicious alternative to a side vegetable to serve with asian food.  I find it's a particularly good combination for fish.  Adapted from Smitten Kitchen.

Ingredients

2 mangos, peeled, pitted, and sliced into tiny slivers (julienned using a mandolin is best)
1 medium (1 pound) napa cabbage, halved and sliced into thin slivers
1/2 red onion, sliced thinly
1 red pepper, sliced into tiny slivers
5-6 T lime juice
1/4 c rice vinegar
2 T sesame oil
1/2 t salt
1/4 t red pepper flakes
1/4 c fresh cilantro or mint (or both)
1/4 c cashews, toasted and chopped coarsely

Instructions

1) Toss mango, cabbage, pepper. and onion in a large bowl.
2) Combine lime juice, vinegar, oil, salt, and red pepper flakes into a small bowl.
3) Pour sauce over mango mix, and sprinkle with herbs and cashews before serving.

Lemony goat cheese pasta

This is an easy and very tasty dish that smacks of goat cheese.  The lemon zest rounds off the flavor nicely.  I think that other vegetables could easily be substituted for the asparagus.  Adapted from Smitten Kitchen.

Ingredients

1 pound spiral pasta (or whatever pasta you prefer)
1 pound asparagus, stalks trimmed, cut into 1 inch chunks
1/8 to 1/4 c olive oil
1 T grated lemon peel
2 T basil (or your herb of choice)
5 oz soft, fresh goat cheese
1/2 c grated parmesian
salt and pepper to taste
lemon juice to taste

Instructions

1) Cook pasta in a large pot of boiling water until al dente, 3-4 minutes shy of the full cooking time on the package
2) Add asparagus and cook until tender but still firm, about 2-3 minutes.
3) Drain and reserve one cup of pasta water
4) Combine olive oil, lemon peel, basil, and goat cheese in a large bowl, and mix until smooth.
5) Add pasta and asparagus to goat cheese mixture, plus a couple T of pasta water, and toss until well incorporated.  Add more pasta water for a thinner sauce.
6) Add salt, pepper, and lemon to taste.  Sprinkle with parmesian to serve.