This salad began its life Friday night as my intended contribution to a pre-Memorial Day block party on Saturday to which my good friend, Sharon Clohessy, invited me.   However, I ended up needing to work yesterday, which required an hour drive each way to and from Newport News.  A little weary of sitting in the car, I ended up deciding not to drive another half hour through resort strip traffic to get to the residential  “North End” of our beach where Sharon lives.

Friday night when I went to bed, the salad was a little lacking, but with the addition of Thai basil,  super sweet and juicy-firm grape tomatoes, and a little more lime juice, it turned out just right.  If you wanted to kick it up just a smidge, a tiny bit of seeded and minced hot pepper would do the trick.

The “Late Spring” of the title refers to fresh ingredients that span the cusp of spring and summer in Hampton Roads where we live.  (In our area, cilantro burns out once summer is in full swing.)  But please enjoy this burst of brightness whenever these ingredients are at their peak in your area.  I think this dish is best if allowed to chill several hours before serving.

I would have loved to have shared at the block party what turned out to be an utterly delicious and refreshing combination of some of my favorite flavors and crunchy-chewy textures.  However, friends invited me to the beach this afternoon, so I think I’ll take them a healthy portion.

But, while I’m enjoying delicious food with friends in an idyllic setting, I will be thinking with gratitude of those, past and present, whose sacrifices made this lifestyle possible.

Have a relaxing and reflective Memorial Day.

Salad:

2 cups water or vegetable stock

1 cup quinoa

Sea salt

2 cups fresh baby spinach, packed medium-firm, coarsely chopped

1 large yellow or orange bell pepper, halved, seeded, and cut into 1/4-inch dice

1 large spring onion, thinly sliced (approximately 1/2 cup)

1/2 cup grape tomatoes, sliced in half lengthwise

1/2 cup lightly salted roasted peanuts, chopped coarse-fine

1/2 cup loosely packed cilantro leaves, chopped coarse-fine

1/4 cup loosely packed thai basil leaves (about 16 leaves), chiffonade (leaves stacked, tightly rolled, and very thinly sliced

Dressing:

1 tablespoon canola oil, sesame oil, or 1 1/2 teaspoon of each

1/4 cup vegan fish sauce

1 tablespoon fresh lime juice (or to taste–I like a fairly pronounced lime flavor)

1 tablespoon agave nectar or natural sugar

2 cloves garlic, minced

Sea Salt

Freshly ground black pepper

In a 1-quart saucepan over medium-high heat, bring water or stock to a simmer.  Add quinoa and a pinch of salt, stir, cover loosely, and simmer for 10-15 minutes or until the water has mostly evaporated; quinoa will be tender and slightly.   Alternatively, cook, covered, in the microwave on high power for 4 minutes, stir, and then repeat for two additional 2-minute intervals.

Empty the cooked quinoa into a non-reactive bowl or container with a lid.  When quinoa is no longer steaming, but is still quite warm, add remaining salad ingredients and set aside.  In a small bowl, whisk together the dressing ingredients, seasoning to taste with salt and pepper.  Pour the dressing over salad ingredients, and toss gently to coat.  Adjust salt and pepper if necessary.  Refrigerate several hours or over night for best flavor.

Note: though this recipe is too new to be in The Blooming Platter Cookbook: A Harvest of Seasonal Vegan Recipes, which was just published, it does include more than 150 similarly fresh and flavorful ones that  you’re sure to love.