Fun & Fresh 4th of July - Fresh Dish Post from Price Chopper

We love celebrating the 4th of July! Food, family, friends - did we mention food? This year we were inspired to add a fresh touch to our menu. After a few parties full of the standard cookout fare we start craving something with great flavor but a bit on the lighter side. Our Southwest Quinoa Salad is easy to make in advance and can be served chilled or room temp. No, it’s not red, white & blue, but we will get to that next!

Southwest Quinoa Salad

Ingredients:

2 Cups Quinoa (cook as directed)

2 Fresh ears of corn steamed & cut off the cob

1 Can black beans (can be southwestern or flavored if desired)

1 Cup Cherry or Grape tomatoes quartered

Juice of 2 Limes

Cilantro (as much as you like!)

Salt & Pepper to taste

Tabasco sauce (10 drops or to taste)

3 to 4 Avocados sliced

Queso Fresco or Goat cheese

Directions:

Cook quinoa as directed and then allow to cool while preparing the corn & tomatoes. Add beans, corn & tomatoes to quinoa. Then add cilantro, lime juice, salt, pepper & tabasco. Chill covered until ready to serve. When ready to serve, slice avocados & sprinkle Queso Fresco or goat cheese on salad or serve in bowls to add as toppings. Can also be served with tortilla chips, tortillas etc. 

Red, White & Blue drinks  

Now, we know it’s not really the 4th until you have something red, white & blue on the menu. Pinterest agrees. Make these simple drinks & done! Seriously, the kids will love them (and older kids might be able to help). Once the kids are off enjoying their drinks- make another round for the adults and add a shot of vodka or your favorite liquor. 

What you need:

Simply Fruit Punch (refrigerated by OJ)

Powerade White Cherry

G2 Blue gatorade

*you can use other red, white & blue drinks, but the trick is in how you layer them w/ the sugar content. The highest sugar content must be on the bottom and the least amount of sugar on top. 

Fun straws in red, white or blue etc.

How to:

Fill highball or clear glass cup (Mason Jars!) halfway with Ice.

Pour Simply Fruit Punch until ⅓ full

Slowly pour white powerade on top until cup is ⅔ full. Pouring slowly is important so it doesn’t mix too much w/ red fruit punch.

Last pour G2 Blue on top. Again, pour slowly so it will stay mostly on top.

Colors will mix slightly, but in our experiment the colors still showed off the red, white & blue making this a festive and tasty drink for the 4th. 

What are your favorite 4th of July traditions? Share with us on Facebook, Send us a tweet or check out more 4th of July ideas on Pinterest.