Green Bean and Corn Quinoa Salad

Labor Day is next Monday and the end of August has the quality it always has — the last of the real summer before the city changes keys. Sean D. is back at school for pre-service days, which means the academic year has officially begun and the rhythm of the household shifts accordingly: his mornings earlier, his evenings sometimes fuller with papers, our Saturdays less improvised and more planned. This is the rhythm I married, and I find it comforting in the way that all predictable rhythms are comforting. You can set your life by it.

Twelve weeks pregnant. We had the twelve-week appointment and everything is fine — that phrase, "everything is fine," has a different weight when you're an oncology nurse who has watched "everything is fine" become something else in the space of a scan result. I do not take "everything is fine" for granted. I hold it with two hands and I am grateful for it. The baby is real. The baby is fine. The baby is going to be here in late February or early March.

I am starting to show. This is less visible to strangers than it is to me, but in the mirror it is clearly there, and I stand in the bathroom some mornings and look at the new shape of my body with a mix of recognition and unfamiliarity that I suspect is universal to this experience. This body knows what it's doing. I know less, and I'm learning.

Donovan Labor Day at the three-decker. My first married Labor Day. Maureen has told everyone but I was already showing to people who knew what to look for, so the cat was already partially out. Aunt Bridget — Sean Sr.'s sister, from Quincy, who appears at events with opinions — told me I was carrying "all in the front," which is apparently a diagnostic. Sean D. ate two plates and talked football with Patrick and I sat next to Maureen at the kitchen table and we didn't say anything and that was exactly enough.

I didn’t bring anything to Maureen’s this year — I was told not to, and I listened — but I’ve been thinking since about what I would bring next time, the kind of dish that belongs at a table like that one: something you can make the night before, something that gets better as it sits, something that doesn’t require a lot of fuss when you’re twelve weeks along and grateful just to be there. This quinoa salad is it. Green beans at their last real summer moment, sweet corn, a sharp mustardy dressing — it’s the kind of thing that sits next to the potato salad and holds its own, and it travels in a bowl with a lid, which is all I ask of a Labor Day contribution.

Prep Time: 20 minutes | Cook Time: 15 minutes | Total Time: 35 minutes plus 30 minutes chill | Servings: 8

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups dry quinoa, rinsed well
3 cups water or low-sodium vegetable broth
1 lb fresh green beans, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
2 cups fresh corn kernels (from about 3 ears) or thawed frozen corn
1 red bell pepper, diced small
1/2 small red onion, finely diced
1/4 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more for the blanching water
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

Cook the quinoa. Combine rinsed quinoa and water or broth in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce to low, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes until all liquid is absorbed. Remove from heat, fluff with a fork, and spread onto a rimmed baking sheet to cool completely.
Blanch the green beans. Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil. Add green beans and cook for 3 to 4 minutes until bright green and just tender but still with some snap. Immediately transfer to a bowl of ice water to stop cooking. Drain thoroughly and pat dry.
Char the corn. Heat a dry cast-iron or heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Add corn kernels in a single layer and cook undisturbed for 2 to 3 minutes, then stir and cook another 2 minutes until lightly golden in spots. Transfer to a plate to cool. (If using thawed frozen corn, skip this step or char briefly for flavor.)
Make the dressing. In a small bowl or jar, whisk together olive oil, red wine vinegar, lemon juice, Dijon mustard, minced garlic, salt, and black pepper until fully emulsified.
Combine the salad. In a large mixing bowl, combine cooled quinoa, green beans, charred corn, diced red bell pepper, and red onion. Pour the dressing over and toss well to coat everything evenly. Fold in the chopped parsley.
Chill before serving. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving to allow the flavors to come together. This salad can be made up to 24 hours in advance — taste and adjust salt and lemon just before serving.

Nutrition (per serving)

Green Bean and Corn Quinoa Salad — The First Married Labor Day