30-minute crunchy grain bowl!

Weeknights often call for maximum efficiency.
This veggie-packed grain bowl gives the customizable fun of build your own taco night, but puts the spotlight on fresh, late summer veg!

Ingredients:

2 summer squash
1 ear of corn or more :)
romaine lettuce
1 cup quinoa (or another grain of your preference)
1 onion
5 okra (depending on how many were in your box)
4 radishes
1 cucumber
dash of olive oil
salt & pepper

 

Let's get cracking! 

1. PUT A LARGE POT OF WATER ON TO BOIL: we'll use the same pot to blanch the okra and cook the corn. Additionally, put 1 cup quinoa and 2 cups water into a small pot and cook according to package directions.
2. MEANWHILE: As the water comes to a boil, dice one onion and slice two summer squash.
3. SKILLET SIZZLE: Put a medium pan over medium heat and add a dash of olive oil. Once warm, add onion and cook for a couple of minutes until starting to turn translucent. At that point add the summer squash and season with salt and pepper.
4. DOUBLE TIME: When the water comes to a boil, toss in your okra and cook for just 2-3 minutes before pulling out of the water and leaving to dry. Don't drain that water! Instead, toss the corn in and cook for around 5-mins.
5. CHOP CHOP: while onion and squash continue to cook down, thinly slice radish, cucumber and lettuce. Once corn and okra have cooled enough, slice off of the cob and thinly slice respectively. (I opted to toss my okra in with my onion and summer squash towards the end of cooking - I'm a new okra experimenter, you may want to try this or just sprinkle on top!)
6. ASSEMBLY TIME: Now for the fun part! Grab yourself or your crowd and let everyone build their own bowl. I started with a base of romaine, then quinoa, the cooked veg, and topped with the fresh radish, cucumber and corn! You could dress this bowl in many ways! I opted for a little of my grandma's "vermont special" salad dressing (olive oil, balsamic, maple syrup, dijon, black pepper), but you could opt for a squeeze of lemon, a dash of hot sauce, any of your other go-to dressings/condiments.
7. ENJOY!

Helpful tips and tricks: I love to make my own salad dressing. A mason jar or an old jam jar can make a great vehicle for this. I'll make a big batch and then work through it for a week or so at a time. It's natural to have separation occur when the dressing sits in the fridge. A key tip for best dressing results is to take your dressing out of the fridge while you start your bowl or salad prep. Let it come to room temperature and give it a good shake in its jar to bring it all back together before drizzling over your bowl!