I love making all types of preserves, pickles, vinegars, etc...  so "The Food in Jars Kitchen:  140 ways to cook, bake, plate and share your homemade pantry" cookbook definitely speaks to me.  Never have a come across such a great resource to help me use up some of these jars of stuff!

This quinoa salad uses pesto (I had carrot top pesto on hand), pickles (yep, had some of those!), vinegar (I used beer vinegar I made from a keg we had that went flat).  And to be extra instead of water I used whey from mozzarella cheese making.
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This salad helped me clean out my fridge and is really interesting.  I'd never thought to use pickles in a salad but I'm loving that!  I highly recommend this book for any preserver!

Quinoa Salad with Pesto Dressing
The Food in Jars Kitchen:  140 ways to cook, bake, plate and share your homemade pantry by Marisa McClellan

2 cups quinoa, uncooked
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
3 cups water
4 ounces pesto 
1/4 cup cider or red wine vinegar
salt
pepper, freshly ground
1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced
1 red onion, diced
1 cup sour pickles, diced
15 ounces chickpeas, drained and rinsed
6 ounces feta cheese, crumbled
1 bunch flat leaf parsley, chopped

​1. Pour the quinoa into a fine mesh sieve or very fine colander and rinse under running water.  Heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat and add the wet quinoa.  Add the 3 cups fresh water, increase the heat to high, and bring to a boil.  Once the water boils, lower the heat to medium-low and cover the pan.  Cook for 18 to 20 minutes, or until the quinoa is finished cooking, spread it out on a rimmed baking sheet so that it will cool quickly and won't become gummy.

2. In a spouted measuring cup, combine the pesto and vinegar.  Whisk the vinegar into the pesto to loose in.  Still whisking, stream in the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil.  Taste and add salt and black pepper as needed.

3. Place the red pepper, onion, pickles, chickpeas, feta and parsley in a large bowl.  Add the pesto vinaigrette and stir to combine.  

4. Once the quinoa is cool enough so that it won't immediately wilt the parsley, stir it into the salad.  Taste and add salt, if necessary.

5. Serve at room temperature or chilled.

One of my favorite things about Wisconsin summers is enjoying fresh zucchini. 

A good friend is keeping us supplied since I didn't get any planted this year. 

For a party I was hosting I just knew there had to be some of this amazing veggie so I turned to my grill and some other local veggies available at Growing Power!

FOR THE GRILL:
4 ears corn, shucked and soaked in sugar water overnight or longer 
    (I fill a container with water and sprinkle some sugar in and cover and set in the fridge for a couple days)
1 large zucchini, ends cut off and sliced the long way into 4-8 pieces depending on the thickness
1 large bell pepper, any color
1 serrano chili pepper

Grill the above veggies on medium heat until you see grill marks or blistered skin on the peppers.  I go for low fat so I grilled all naked.  For a richer salad, you can coat all the veggies in olive oil.
Allow all veggies to cool.  Cut corn off cobs, chop zucchini into 1/4" wide triangles and dice peppers.  Toss with drssing below.

FOR THE DRESSING:
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
2 Tablespoons Cider Vinegar
1 Teaspoon Ground Cumin
Whisk the above together.  Season with salt and pepper (I prefer celrey salt) here.

FINISH WITH:
1/2 Cup Chopped Onion (Red or whatever you have on hand, I used a nice local cippolini)
1/4 Cup Crumbled Feta Cheese
1/2 Cup Chopped Fresh Cilantro
Mix veggies with the dressing along with the feta, onions and cilantro.  Save a little cilantro to put on top for garnish.