Nashville Arts Magazine

Culinary | Joe Natural’s Farm Store & Cafe

Red Quinoa Salad with Lemon Curry Vinaigrette

by Nancy Vienneau  |  photography by Anthony Scarlati

red quinoa

chicken stock

diced cucumber, red and green pepper, tomatoes

feta cheese

slivered almonds

lemon zest

mixed greens

lemon curry vinaigrette

There is abundant beauty in the natural things that surround us, offering simple pleasures that speak to simpler times. This abiding sensibility is present at a quaint house in historic Leiper’s Fork, TN, home of Joe Natural’s Farm Store & Café.

Here, owners Deborah and Paul Schertz have assembled the best of homespun and homegrown. You’ll find handcrafted soaps, dried aromatic herbs, jars of lush preserves and nut butters, and a plethora of freshly prepared dishes showcasing locally sourced ingredients.

Consider her Red Quinoa Salad, a healthful harmony of textures and flavors. It’s brimming with vegetables grown in her garden, set on a bed of greens and spicy sprouts from Smyrna’s Gourmet Nutrition, and dusted with feta cheese from Noble Springs Farm in Franklin.

The salad’s anchor is organic red quinoa, a protein-rich grain cultivated in the Andes Mountains since ancient times. Revered as the “Mother Grain” by the Incas, quinoa has only in recent years reemerged on the culinary scene. Chefs hail it for its toasted nutlike flavor, high nutritive value, and versatile cooking applications.

Schertz tosses the quinoa with sun gold cherry tomatoes, sweet red and green bell peppers, and cucumbers—all picked that morning at their Roaring Creek Farm. She gives the salad a contemporary kick with her Lemon Curry Vinaigrette. Infused with Dijon mustard, curry powder, fresh lemon juice, and their farm honey, this dressing is golden. It paints the plate with sunshine and spice. Each forkful is abundantly beautiful and naturally delicious.

www.joenaturals.com

See Recipe Below:

Joe Natural’s Farm Store & Café Red Quinoa Salad with Feta and Lemon Curry Vinaigrette

Serves 4–6

Ingredients

1 cup red quinoa, rinsed well and drained

2 cups chicken stock (or vegetable stock)

1 cup diced cucumber

1 cup diced small red pepper

1 cup diced small green pepper

2 diced medium tomatoes, or 1 pt. cherry tomatoes–halved

1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese

1/2 cup slivered almonds

1 T. lemon zest

8 cups seasonal mixed greens of choice (mesclun, arugula, bibb, romaine)

Directions

Combine quinoa and stock in medium pot; bring to boil. Reduce to simmer and cover. Cook 15 minutes or until liquid has been absorbed. Let cool.

In a large bowl, combine cooled quinoa with remaining ingredients. Toss to mix thoroughly with Lemon Curry Vinaigrette, reserving some of the vinaigrette to drizzle over the greens on the plate.

Serve chilled on a bed of mixed lettuces and sprouts.

Lemon Curry Vinaigrette

Ingredients

1 T. lemon zest

4 T. fresh lemon juice (2 lemons)

1 t. curry powder

1 T. Dijon mustard

1 T. honey

Salt and black pepper to taste

1/2 c. canola oil

Directions

Combine lemon zest, lemon juice, curry powder, mustard, honey, salt and pepper in small bowl. Slowly whisk oil into lemon mixture until well combined.