Bonjour de Leysin ... Hello from Leysin, a small Alpine village in the heart of the Swiss Alps. It's a tiny alcove at the eastern end of Lake Geneva. It's my second summer here bringing my girls for summer camp. They just love it and this summer, I decided to say an emphatic 'Yes!' when my girls' summer school program asked me to teach a few cooking classes. I needed something to help me get back to what's important, and renting an Airbnb in the mountains, spending time here cooking, shooting pictures, swimming, and learning French daily - completely alone - has only helped.
My first night was at a hotel at the top of the mountain called 'Le Grand Chalet'. I was intrigued when I saw they had quinoa salad on their menu. I always love the intersection of delicious and healthy and thought I'd give it a try. I was blown away by how delicious it was. And, it was incredibly simple. Here's my attempt at replicating the recipe. The key is quality olive oil and salt. I have been obsessed with a local brand of salt called 'Fleur des Alpes' - mined from Bex, which I can see from my window. Any quality salt will do.
Eggplant-Zucchini Quinoa Salad
olive oil
1 medium eggplant, diced
1 medium zucchini, diced
1 cup multicolored quinoa, cooked
salt
dried herbs
1. Heat 1 to 2 tablespoons of oil in a pan. Add eggplant. Cook 1-2 minutes until cooked through.
2. Add zucchini. Cooking another 1-2 minutes until soft and cooked through.
3. Add salt to taste and whatever dried herbs you want. I used some basil and oregano. Set aside to cool.
4. Put cooked and cooled quinoa in a deep bowl. Add the eggplant-zucchini mixture and mix well. Salt a bit more if needed.
5. Pack into a small, round bowl and flip onto a plate. Garnish with sliced avocado and boiled egg.
Process Photos:
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