Harvest Grains Summer Salad

Harvest Grains Blend from Trader Joe’s is a quick cooking blend of couscous, orzo pasta, baby garbanzo beans, and red quinoa. Combined with fresh vegetables, sweet Marzano plum tomatoes, avocado, a bit of olive oil, lemon juice, and dill, the cooked grain blend is the perfect base for a light and refreshing side dish for summertime meals. From stove to table in 20 minutes, the Harvest Grains Summer Salad is a delicious blend of textures and flavors that goes with nearly any dish placed on the table.

The secret to making this an easy side salad is to make all the vegetables into bite-sized pieces (about the size of a grain of orzo rice).

Harvest Grains Summer Salad

Ingredients:

• 1-1/4 cups of Trader Joe’s Harvest Grains Blend
• 1 10 ounce bag of Villagio Marzano Tomatoes (available at Trader Joe’s and grocery stores nationwide), half, quartered, and chopped into small pieces
• 1 medium zucchini, chopped into small pieces
• 1 large stalk celery, diced into small pieces
• 3 scallions, green part only, minced
• 1 avocado, chopped into small pieces
• Juice of 1 lemon (preferably a Meyer lemon)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon dried dill or 2 tablespoons of fresh dill, finely diced
• Salt and Pepper, to taste

Directions:

• Place 1-3/4 cups of water into a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil and the Harvest Grains Blend. Reduce the heat to a simmer, cover and cook for 10 minutes. Remove from the stove, fluff and scoop into a large serving bowl or platter.
• Heat a large skillet on medium-high heat. Place the chopped zucchini into the pan and sauté (the zucchini will release liquid during cooking). Sauté for 2-3 minutes until just slightly cooked but not translucent (do not overcook or the zucchini will be mushy). Remove from the heat and add to the cooked Harvest Grains Blend.
• Add the diced celery, minced scallions, and chopped tomatoes to the grain blend and zucchini. Drizzle 1 tablespoon of olive oil along with the salt, pepper and dill. Gently toss to blend.
• Squeeze the lemon juice over the chopped avocado pieces (keeps the avocado bright green longer) and then add to the other ingredients, gently stirring to blend the salad.
• Serve as a side dish as is or on a bed of spinach. Serves 6-8.