Grilled Corn + Cheddar Quinoa.
I’m having this little issue… that’s involving not being able to close my eyes at night.
I’ve always had weirdo sleep anxiety, probably because I’m a first-born child and a full-blooded Scorpio with a major nutcase brain that pretends to be a normal brain, and if I can’t fall asleep within like 34 seconds of my head hitting the pillow, I’m all up in my own face whining “omg… I can’t sleep. OMG. I’m never going to be able to fall asleep tonight. Wait. Maybe I should turn the TV off. No. Then I’ll be scared. OMG. I can’t sleep. OMGGGGGGG. What am I going to do tomorrow when I’m soooo tired?”
I’m so ahead of myself that I’m behind.
See what I’m dealing with here?
Oh and guess what? I’m really fun to live with!!
Nevermind.
I’ve always been an early-to-bed, early-to-rise type of gal, moreso because I’ve never been cool enough to do anything, well… cool, late at night. And if I sleep in really late, then I start having anxiety about not getting anything done and wasting the day away. The OMGs just start all over again. Like, constant.
Yes yes, super fun to be in my presence 24/7.
So. This is the story of how real life tells me I am going to marry Ryan Gosling and live in a shack when I grow up. Because last night when I couldn’t sleep… I ended up playing MASH. With myself.
And playing MASH at the age of 29, while lying awake in your marital bed… is sort of different than playing MASH at the age of 12, while sitting at your 6th grade desk, elbows propped up on your trapper keeper and silk shirt sticking to your back because air conditioning like, wasn’t invented back then or something. And it gets even weirder, because then you’re like, supposed to pick four names to play MASH with – people you crush on and want to marry and people you really don’t like and really don’t want to marry?? But you feel like a giant creep because you already are married and so are some of the other people you know, so instead you write down names of your secret-brain boyfriends, that have unknown, uncommon names. Like George Clooney.
Oh and you definitely don’t write down names of boys that are in boy bands and stuff, because at some point, regardless of how exhausted you are, you remember that they ARE DECADES YOUNGER THAN YOU. Um. Mistake. Depressing mistake.
I seriously don’t know how I’d manage in middle school these days, because there is absolutely no way that some computer game could satisfy me like folding my notes into tiny paper footballs, making origami fortune teller finger-things and playing MASH did. I want a paper and pencil, not a hand and a keyboard please.
Oh… wait… you want to know about this quinoa? I dunno. I made a lot of quinoa last week. I even made some KALE that I’ll tell you about. What whaaaat. Weird.
Last year I freaked out over grilled corn. This year I’m continuing the freaking. I mixed it with some quinoa, but while the quinoa was still hot, I folded in a bunch of this incredible organic white cheddar that made it so crazy creamy and packed it with flavor. So few ingredients but such a taste explosion, it’s almost seems totally unfair. It’s way too easy. It’s an awesome side dish. And it’s definitely what I’m going to eat in my shack tonight. So there.
Grilled Corn + Cheddar Quinoa
Ingredients
- 1 cup uncooked quinoa, rinsed
- 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 4 ears of sweet corn grilled
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 4 ounces cheddar cheese, freshly grated
- 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
Instructions
- Preheat your grill on the highest setting. Shuck corn ears and brush each with olive oil and sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon of salt and pepper. Wrap each in a square of aluminum foil – just so there is one layer cover the corn. Grill for about 5 minutes each “side” – rotating corn 4-5 times during grilling.
- Once corn has cooled, cut the kernels off the cob.
- Add quinoa and chicken stock to a saucepan and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce to a simmer, cover and let cool for 15-18 minutes, then fluff with a fork. Immediately stir in butter, cheddar and remaining salt and pepper. Add in corn and stir to combine, then top with a bit of fresh cilantro. Serve!
Did you make this recipe?
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I appreciate you so much!
P.S. this is also wonderful with jalapenos! I did that. Later. By accident.
150 Comments on “Grilled Corn + Cheddar Quinoa.”
Nothing says late summer to me like grilled corn. I love quinoa too but haven’t been cooking with it much lately. Thanks for the yummy inspiration!
Hope you get some zzz’s. And in the meantime, enjoy the corn. It looks delish! Makes me wish I had a grill,
Ok, I have the same annoying sleep anxiety. I am also first born and when I was young & lived at home. Had to be last one asleep because I had to listen for robbers and protect my family. I can’t believ. Just admitted that.
And if I actually fall asleep at decent time but get woken up by hubby, kid or dog, forget it – I’m done!
Needless to say, I’ve been up since 4:30 bc hubby had early flight.
Looooooooove this corn & quinoa dish. Obsessed with both these days.
OMG… I couldn’t be the last to fall asleep because I was afraid that the robbers would come get me first!
Nice typos in my comment above. Sleep deprived iPad typing.
Love everything about this quinoa! Yum! And I MASH. Sigh…such fun memories!
Quinoa, corn AND cheddar? I’m going to have to whip this one up! Thanks!
I loved playing MASH as a kid. lol Your dish is simple and tasty, love the combination.
If you wrote a book about your everyday life and your kitchen escapades, I would read it every day… twice. That’s how much I heart your blog! MASH. It’s just too much!
You’re hilarious, and playing MASH now may be different but it’s still cool. I used to get anxious about sleep, now I just act like I don’t need it, until I get cranky anyway…then I nap.
I love corn based dishes, cheese and quinoa as well? Awesome.
Can I freak out over grilled corn with you… maybe while eating grilled corn? Because I love it, a LOT. Like, I actually went to bed last night thinking about it and all it’s possibilities (not exactly sleep anxiety, but more like an urge to spring out of bed at midnight and fire up the barbie… don’t worry, I didn’t actually do it.) This sounds awesome!
This looks utterly delicious and it’s perfect for summer! Love!
I should have suspected you were a Scorpio. I tend to have a deep and abiding love for them.
xoxox
Oh exciting! Most people hate them… ha. :)
Not being able to sleep and then staring at the clock and doing the math in your head while trying to fall asleep but growing more and more anxious because with every minute that passes, you’re going to get THAT much less sleep. omg, I know. I go through cycles of that and every time it hits I feel like the world is going to end. ha.
Ps-we have twin recipes today. Mine are just in ball form ;) quinoa <3
Seriously the funniest post I’ve read of yours.
I just found your blog and I’m absolutely loving it! I love the way you write and the dishes look (and I’m sure taste) amazing!!
I have major sleep problems from time to time and I go through the EXACT SAME THOUGHT PROCESSES as you. Own worst enemy!
So glad I’m not alone in the world.
I hate to burst your bubble but I got Ryan Gosling in a mansion, sooooo…..
But you can bring some of this cheesy corn quinoa over and eat it with us. But then you have to go home. To the shack.
hahaha…LOVE the MASH reference! i mean, who didn’t play that game?!
You should definitely Google “second sleep” because I’m pretty sure that we were meant to lay awake in the middle of the night playing MASH. Totally normal.
Oh my goodness, you are hysterical! Whoa, MASH and Trapper Keepers! Was that a blast from the past or what? Too funny!
I haven’t been able to sleep lately, either. Maybe there’s something in the air. I go to bed tired, but then I lay there for hours not falling asleep. And then while I’m laying there thinking about how I can’t go to sleep, I feel every wrinkle in the sheets, my hair starts to scratch my neck, I can’t get comfortable and consequently can’t stop wriggling around. It’s such a pain in the @$# and I want it to STOP!!!!
Maybe this delicious grilled corn and cheddar quinoa would solve some insomnia problems. Imagine if this could bring sleep to the world, Jessica. How wonderful would that be? *sigh*
I’ll be thinking of you as I crawl under my covers tonight, 3 hours behind you Arizona time, and wonder if you’re having sweet dreams or which “men” you’ve MASHed. ;-)
I love the combination of flavors here! Also, adding cheddar to quinoa is a brilliant move – I bet it gets a nice creaminess?
This sounds wonderful!! Great recipe!
I am a weird sleeper too. I can not sleep whenever Keith isn’t here. It is so bad. I usually end up sleeping at my parents…and yes I am 31. I am ridiculous.
Same!
I just made a similar salad:) Love yours! I hope you can sleep better soon. If not, come hangout with me and Caleb. He still likes to wake up some nights:)
I totally think I should do that!! :)
Now I need to buy a grill. Or at least a grill pan… because all I want now is grilled corn.
I was all about some MASH back in the day! Gotta love the throwbacks.
Yep, quinoa and cheese is definitely the way to go. I’ve been known to throw milk, cheese, and some spices in a saucepan and then dump it over leftover quinoa. If I’m feeling decadent, then I top it with breadcrumbs before I stick it in the oven.
Cheese + quinoa + grilled corn = get at me.
What a great new way of eating quinoa! A wonderful side dish!
This post brings me back… seriously nothing beats paper anything. Now kids get in trouble for texting in class. Come on! Oh and Ryan… well, he’s mine :p
I will play MASH with you. And then go to bed early. And also freak out that I’m so old that people in pop culture are now waaaaaaay younger than I am. And love grilled corn. We can do all of that together.
So I try to play MASH “with my kids” all the time, but they’re boys and they so don’t get it, so basically I force my kids to play MASH so I can marry Mark Wahlberg.
I’m sick.
But yeah, grilled corn in a salad, so not sick.
I’ve been trying to think of ways to make quinoa more exciting, since I love how healthy it is.
Just add cheese – brilliant. And so simple.
Oh mash! Such a great game but I don’t think I’ll want to play it again. I was laughing at this whole post!
OMG this is gorgeous. I hate corn on the cob ’cause it’s so hard to eat, but corn salads are awesome.
And you are not alone with your sleep-related anxiety cycle :/
I am the EXACT same way with an obsession with grilled corn (to die) and sleeping. Go to bed early, get up early. I was plagued with insomnia in college, freaking out more the longer I couldn’t sleep. Now, I’ve got a new bakery job so I have to go to bed even earlier and am paranoid that I’m going to be tired the next day even before I’ve fallen asleep. It goes on and on, a never ending cycle!
Trapper Keepers!!! I miss those so much!!!
Wait…should I have not admitted to that?
i only had insomnia a little bit right after Wes was born and it was MISERABLE. like seriously the worst ever. if only i’d had some grilled corn to drown my exhausted sorrows in…
HOLY YUM pinning this right now.
mmmm thgere is nothing tastier than grilled corn in the summer! I loved playing mash when I was little! I always ended up with a cement truck as my car though. :(
I was telling my kids that we didn’t have air conditioning at school back in the day and one of them seriously asked if we didn’t have cars either.
This business of corn and quinoa is amazing. Amazing!
Yum! I have been wanting to try quinoa but for some reason I am intimidated by it… thanks for making it less scary & more yummy!
Love this story, I loved playing those games in middle school too! I’m sure I would still find them fun too ;)
This looks delicious! I need to pick up some fresh corn when I go to the farmer’s market. YUM!
Oh, mash. Those were the days. This quinoa dish sounds and looks totally amazing. I’ve been obsessed with sharp organic white cheddar lately, too!
omg, I have the same self-talk sleeping issues. The worst thing EVER is if the other person falls asleep before you-you know by the tell-tale heavy breathing or light snoring. I’ll start to thrash around and wake them up because NOTHING is worse than being the only one awake. I feel better now that I just confessed that.
I totally forgot about MASH! Thanks for the memory!!!
PS I never thought to add cheddar to quinoa! I bet it’s delicious! Plus, I have all these ingredients on hand! Score! :)
I love how you grilled the corn. Oh…and the game of MASH….those were the days!!! haha
The paragraph about your sleep anxiety made me laugh out loud. That is so me (& yep, I am a barrel of monkeys to live with too LOL) —- I guess it really must be the Scorpio thang huh?! This looks so good — I think I might go grab some corn so we can have it as a side tonight!
Love grilled corn and love MASH! haha
I find it awesome that you had MASH linked to Wikipedia. I read the article and found it hilarious! I was wondering how one would describe how to play it. Sigh… to be young again. This recipe looks great! I need a grill.. I know there are ways to get similiar results without a grill, but I want oneee!
Seriously, I had no idea how to describe it.
Dear Jessica,
I seriously love your blog. It is one of my favorites. You are so funny and entertaining. You light up my day. I have a question for you though. How do you get your pictures to look SO GOOD?? Do you use a special camera or do you use a background…?? I would really love to know! Thanks!!!
-Brooke
Thank you Brooke! I don’t use any equipment besides my Nikon d5000 and natural light. I usually shoot on my dining room table that backs up to a white wall, hence the light background. I wish I had more tips but I honestly don’t know much about photography – I just look at pics I like and try to emulate them!
I still pride myself on my 6th grade note folding skills. And I still remember how to make the oragami fortune teller thing (pick a color, pick a number, ohhh! you’ll marry Justin Timberlake!). I wanna make one now. Wonder if my coworkers will play with me? Haha
How many people can tell you “you are HILAIROUS”???? Cause, you are and I don’t have anything more original to add…love the stories! And, can I just tell you: you need some Melatonin. It’s magic. It’s phenomonal. You need it. The liquid form. Health food store. Go get it, take 2 drops and sleep in perfect peace without needing to sleep in either. It’s the best. My kids ask for it…don’t judge.
ANYHOO, can’t wait to try this recipe…think I’ll use black diamond cheddar…yumminess.
P.S. how do I add a picture for my profile? I feel naked.
Try gravatar.com!