two-bean-quinoa-salad-with-fried-bananas.md

Two-Bean Quinoa Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette and Deep-Fried Bananas

Makes about 8 servings

Ingredients:

• 2 ears of yellow corn, still in husk
• 3/4 cup red quinoa, well-rinsed
• 3/4 cup white quinoa, well-rinsed
• 15 oz can of black beans, drained and rinsed
• 15 oz can of kidney beans drained and rinsed
• 2 medium tomatoes, diced
• 4 scallions, chopped
• 4 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted and cooled
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 2 Tbsp lemon juice
• 2 tsp sugar
• 2 cups buttermilk
• 1 cup less 2 Tbsp all-purpose flower
• 2 Tbsp potato flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 5 ripe bananas, peeled and sliced into roughly 1" pieces
• 1/8 cup red wine vinegar
• 1/8 cup olive oil
• 1/8 cup lemon juice
• About 6 cups of baby spinach leaves
• Honey (at least a few tablespoons)

Equipment:

• Charcoal grill
• Large stock pot
• Large wire strainer
• Deep fryer

Steps that can be done in advance:

Place ears of corn in a large stock pot and fill with enough water to cover them. Let corn soak for at least 30 minutes before grilling.

Start the charcoal and, once you have a nice hot bed of coals, grill the corn for about 10 minutes per side. The husks may burn and smoke a bit, but try to keep them from burning through too much. Remove the corn from the grill and allow it to cool.

Once cool enough to handle, remove the husks and silk from the corn. Using a table knife, scrape the corn kernels off of the cob into a bowl and set aside.

Add several quarts of water to a large stockpot and bring to a boil. Add both red and white quinoa and continue boiling for about 10 minutes. Pour out all of the water from the stockpot through a large wire strainer and scrape all of the quinoa into the strainer. Add several inches of fresh water to the pot and return to a boil. Run cold tap water over the quinoa to rinse well. Set the strainer on top of the stock pot, making sure that it does not touch the water. Cover the pot with a kitchen towel and then loosely cover with the lid. Steam the quinoa for about 10 minutes.

Remove quinoa from the heat and remove the lid. Keep the towel in place and let stand for about 5 minutes. Meanwhile, whisk together the butter, 2 Tbsp olive oil, 2 Tbsp lemon juice, and 2 tsp sugar in the bottom of a large bowl. Add the quinoa to the bowl and toss until the dressing is absorbed and distributed through the quinoa.

Add the roasted corn, black and kidney beans, scallions and tomatoes to the bowl and toss until thoroughly combined. Toss in salt and ground black pepper to taste. Cover and refrigerate.

Steps to be done just prior to serving:

Heat fryer oil to 350° F

In a shallow bowl, sift together flour, potato flour, baking powder and cinnamon. In a separate bowl, stir together 1 cup of buttermilk and the vanilla extract. Pour wet ingredients into the dry bowl and whisk together gently until most lumps disappear. Add more buttermilk, a little at a time, until the batter is thick enough to coat a spoon but isn't pasty.

Dip banana slices in batter and place in fryer. Work in batches and try to keep the slices from touching each other. Fry for about 2 minutes. When batter is puffy and golden brown, remove the slices to a cookie sheet lined with kitchen paper.

Add olive oil, vinegar, and lemon juice to an empty spritzer bottle and shake well. To plate, cover serving dish with a layer of baby spinach leaves, and spritz with the lemon vinaigrette. Place a serving of the quinoa pilaf on one side of the plate. On the other side of the plate add a serving of still-warm fried bananas. Lightly drizzle the bananas with honey. Finish it off with a slice of French bread and serve.