One cherry recipe and now another; if you can’t tell I bought a couple pounds of cherries last weekend and had to find ways to eat them. Now that they’re gone, I’m tempted to get more and see what comes out of it.

The great thing about fruits in the Summer is that you don’t really need to do anything to them. I thought about roasting the cherries before adding them in with quinoa(which you certainly can do), but the light and tangy flavors of fresh cherries mixed with herbs and seasoning didn’t need anything more.

Quinoa’s one of my favorite grains and a pantry-staple in my house. If you’re out of quinoa and still want to try this, you could use couscous or a short-grain rice like Arborio. You could roast the cherries before mixing them in for a different flavor, but when they’re this fresh I think they’re even better as is.

Cherry Basil Quinoa

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 20 minutes

Ingredients(Makes 4-6 servings):

• 1 1/2 cups dry quinoa, washed and rinsed
• 3 cups water*
• 3/4 cup pitted and halved cherries
• 2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• Small handful of basil, roughly chopped
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper

*This is the average amount of water I use for cooking quinoa. If you have a different method or the brand you use recommends more or less, by all means you can adjust this.

Method:

1. Bring the quinoa and water to a boil in a pot and put on the lid.
2. Turn the burner off and leave the quinoa undisturbed for 15-20 minutes until the water is entirely absorbed.
3. Toss in the cherries, olive oil, basil, salt, and pepper and mix. Transfer from a pot to a serving dish.
4. Serve hot or cold. Keep leftovers in the refrigerator for 2-3 days.

Who knew simple could be so good? You can add some beans into the mix or add crushed pistachios or almonds on top to make this more of an entrée.

I don’t like to throw around the word “perfect”, but some occasions just beg for it. If you’re looking for a grilled potato recipe, look no further. This is the best there is.

These potatoes are soft and starchy on the inside with a crunchy, crispy, slightly smoky crust. The hint of rosemary along with the salt and pepper brings out a softer flavor in the potato. The result isn’t too oily or too dry, too herby or too charred—it’s just perfect.

The one piece of equipment you need to make these is a mesh wire vegetable grilling rack. It’s a great addition for any griller that quickly pays off. You can grill any vegetables from potatoes to peppers to asparagus with it and it keeps them all contained so you’re not reaching around the whole surface or losing any through the grills while you’re cooking them.

Russet, red, or sweet potatoes will best stand up to the heat of grilling. Something fluffier like golden or yellow potatoes would not, so make sure you’re starting out with the right kind of potato.

Perfect Grilled Potatoes

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 45 minutes

Ingredients(Makes 4 servings):

• 4 russet potatoes, washed
• 2 Tablespoons olive oil
• 1 Tablespoon white vinegar
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 3 sprigs of rosemary

Method:

1. Heat your grill up to around 350 to 400 degrees.
2. Cut the potatoes into quarters or eighths depending on how thick you want them to be.
3. In a large bowl, toss the potatoes with the olive oil, vinegar, salt, pepper, and rosemary.
4. Dump the potatoes into a vegetable rack and place them on the grill.
5. Toss the rack to turn the vegetables around every 10 minutes. Cook for 40-50 minutes until the potatoes are soft and the outside is crispy.
6. Plate and serve hot.

See? Perfect.

If there’s one thing I’ve learned from living off meal plan in a dorm room, it’s how to get savvy with the foods and cooking tools available. I could probably count on one hand the number of times I made a meal on an actual stove the past few months, and I can’t wait to move back to somewhere where that’s more convenient.

I haven’t had a chance to run to the store and the day I made this it was pouring outside, so this was truly a winging-it meal made with whatever I had lying around. Quinoa’s a great pantry staple and cooks perfectly in any rice cooker(which is what I cooked this in, although I wrote the recipe for a stove since I figured that’s more common). Add some vegetables and a source of protein and you’ve got a meal.

Another example of ingenuity? The eggs I ate this with were baked, not boiled! I picked that up from this post I found on Pinterest. If you ask me I’d much rather toss eggs in an oven for 30 minutes and get other stuff done than stand over a stove waiting for water to boil. You could also serve this with baked tofu, tempeh, or chicken on top and it’d be just as good. 

Tangy Kale and Carrot Quinoa

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 20 minutes

Ingredients(Makes 2 servings):

• 3/4 cup dry quinoa
• 1 1/2 cup water*
• 2 cup kale
• 2 large carrots, shaved into thin strips
• 2 Tablespoons mustard
• 1 Tablespoon agave
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

*This is the ratio with water I usually cook my quinoa in. If the brand you’re using tells you to do differently, follow the box’s cooking instructions.

Method:

1. Rinse the quinoa and then combine it with the water in a small pot. Cook for 15 minutes or until all the water has been absorbed and the quinoa is light and fluffy.
2. Turn off the heat and add the kale and carrot strips into the pot. Cover with a lid for 5 minutes until the kale and carrots have steamed.
3. Add in the agave, mustard, and salt and mix everything together. Serve while still hot.

The agave and mustard aren’t too strong or overpowering but give this just the right amount of flavor to be light and refreshing. Next time I might add toasted cashews and eat this all on its own.

It’s exciting to have fresh produce back on grocery store shelves. I was getting tired of looking at potatoes and squash, but now asparagus, berries, and avocado are all plump and on sale and it actually makes cooking seem less like a chore now.

My favorite method of cooking is still to chuck things in the oven and forget about it. I mean, how easy is that?(Cue the Ina Garten voice) Roasting also adds a lot of flavor as it cooks the vegetables through in a way that steaming or boiling doesn’t. This asparagus comes out much richer and nuttier than if it were cooked any other way.

The lemon and salt at the end brighten up the flavor and brings out the sweet side of the asparagus. The garlic powder is completely optional but a nice touch to add a comforting savoriness to the dish that would go well along side red meat and potatoes.

Roasted Asparagus

Prep time: 5 minutes

Cook time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 bundle of asparagus, washed
• 2 Tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder(optional)
• 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Method:

1. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees
2. Toss the asparagus in the oil and garlic powder if using.
3. Roast for 30 minutes until the asparagus is slightly past fork tender
4. Remove from the oven and drizzle with the lemon juice. Finish with a sprinkling of salt.
5. Serve hot.

Alright, show of hands—who else forgot vegetables could actually taste good after the last 6 months?

Let’s look past the fact that Thanksgiving was now 2 weeks ago. You might want to make cranberry sauce for Christmas, or just for anytime, right? Maybe? Sure.

I wanted to make a sauce with a twist. Since my whole family is from northern New Hampshire, I tried adding some blueberries into the cranberry sauce. And a little ginger because who doesn’t like ginger? Orange juice replaces some of the sugar with a less refined sweetness to round out the flavor of the sauce.

And since I figure somebody’s going to wonder or ask: No, that’s not my plate. Yes, I am still a vegetarian. But I did carve the turkey for the second year in a row because I’m damn good at it.

Thanksgiving Cranberry Sauce

Prep time: 5 minutes

Cook time: 30 minutes

Ingredients(Makes around 6 cups):

• 24oz fresh cranberries
• 1 cup blueberries
• 2 cups orange juice
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2-inch fresh ginger peeled and grated
• 6 Tablespoons cane sugar

Method:

1. Combine the cranberries, blueberries, and orange juice together in a large pot.
2. Cover the pot and bring the contents to a boil. Keep boiling until the juice evaporates.
3. Once finished, pour the cranberries and blueberries into a food processor. Add in the salt, ginger, and cane sugar and puree until smooth.
4. Move the sauce to a container and leave it out to cool. Once at room temperature, place the sauce in the refrigerator to until eating.

Next time I make this I want to swap another cup of cranberries for blueberries to make the flavor more prevalent. Nobody noticed there was blueberries in the sauce; I didn’t even notice and I made it.