Farmer's Market Fridays: Corn, Feta and Quinoa Salad

So I'm going to be honest: the new Sunday farmer's market had a poor turnout from both customers and farmers. It was all bedding plants and cheese. 

Lucky for me, I like cheese. And, also lucky, I haven't killed any of my herb and pepper plants yet! Let's make use of these two strokes of luck, shall we?

Tomato basil feta from a local farmer. I love the speckles of green and red in the salty, creamy, crumbly feta.

A simple quinoa and chickpea salad gets jazzed up with lemon juice and a splash of rice wine vinegar. Top off the tart and sour with a little salt from the feta, a little sweet from the sweet corn (fresh off the cobb) and verdant basil, and you've got a winner.

This would be a perfect side for meat eaters at a barbeque, or a main for vegetarian/gluten-free guests. You could even swap out the feta for crumbled Daiya cheese or tofu for a vegan option. Since the dressing is a vinaigrette and isn't dairy- or mayonnaise-based, you can leave the salad out at room temperature with no fear.

It's summer, so let's eat lighter... so we can have seconds of Klondike bars and firecracker pops later.

Truth.

Corn, Feta, and Quinoa Salad

Adapted from Everyday with Rachel Ray

2 cups quinoa, cooked
1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 tbsp rice wine vinegar
3 tbsp lemon juice
Pinch of salt and pepper
1/2 cup basil leaves, juilienned
1 cup corn kernels (2 ears of corn)
3 oz feta cheese, cubed (I used a tomato basil feta from the Farmer's Market)
4 cups baby spinach

Toss quinoa, chickpeas, basil, corn, and feta together. In a separate bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, olive oil, and salt and pepper. Drizzle over the quinoa mixture, and serve room temperature or chilled over baby spinach.