Happy Labor Day! I hope you enjoyed a day of parading, picnicking, and precious time with family, neighbors, and friends! I had the most incredible weekend visiting my friend Kate in NYC, followed by a brief trip to CT to see my parents. And after all the hype about Hermine, the weather could not have been more perfect!
Back in Durham now, and another gorgeous day. Ben and I went for a 5 mile walk with Samoa and it was one of those September afternoons that you wish you could just bottle up and take out in February just to remind yourself that IT WILL NOT BE WINTER FOREVER.
So I’m kind of at a cross-roads between summer and fall. Part of me wants to hang onto the summer with its breezy evenings, don’t-even-need-a-jacket type weather… but the other part of me is anticipating the fragrance of cloves, cinnamon, and all things pumpkin spice. (Sidenote: Kate and I made pumpkin hummus this past weekend. It was epic on a piece of Ezekiel bread with half of a mashed banana and drizzle of maple syrup on top.) To marry the fresh flavors of summer produce with the warm fuzzy feeling of fall, I decided to create this salad.
And here you have it- the marriage of summer and fall. Packed with zucchini, roasted corn, vine tomatoes, sweet potatoes, chickpeas and tied together with a light lemon vinaigrette, this is one to definitely keep making all season. I used lentils to bulk it up a little bit, since I usually eat salads like this as my entree, but you could easily leave it out if you wanted a looser salad.
Recipe below. Hope you enjoy!
- 1 cup lentils
- 1/2 cup quinoa
- 3 cobs corn, husked
- 3 medium sweet potatoes, diced
- 1/2 red onion, sliced thinly
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, divided
- 1 tbsp minced garlic
- 1 tsp paprika
- dash of salt, to taste
- 3 medium zucchini, diced
- 4 ripe on-the-vine tomatoes, diced
- 1 lemon
- 1/4 cup parsley
- 1 tsp red wine vinegar
- 1 tsp honey
- 2 cans chickpeas, rinsed and drained
- salt and pepper, to taste
- feta cheese, for topping (optional)
- Preheat oven to 375. Roast corn on lower rack for 30 minutes or until tender. Remove and cool.
- Meanwhile, mix lentils and quinoa with 3 cups of water and bring to a boil. Reduce to simmer for 15 minutes or until al dente, then drain.
- In a large bowl, mix sweet potatoes, red onion, 1 tbsp olive oil, garlic, paprika, and salt. Toss to combine.
- Spread potato mixture on a silicone-lined baking sheet, then roast for 30 minutes, tossing halfway through, until tender. Remove and cool.
- Zest lemon into large bowl and squeeze in half of its juice. Add zucchini and tomatoes.
- In a food processor, combine parsley, remaining lemon juice, 1 tbsp remaining oil, red wine vinegar, and honey. Add salt and pepper to taste. Pulse until liquefied. Stir in chickpeas, then pulse for 3-4 pulses until chickpeas are just sliced a little (do NOT over-pulse here or you will end up with hummus!).
- Stir chickpea and parsley mixture into bowl with the zucchini and tomatoes. Stir in sweet potatoes, corn, and grains.
- Toss and serve with feta cheese. I also drizzled on a little balsamic vinegar!
Claire Tastes 
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