Quinoa, Cherry, and Goat Cheese Salad

May 2022 and I've been thinking about the land question again. Caleb had mentioned buying land months ago and the idea had lodged in me too, not urgently but persistently. The forty-five acres behind the house where I hunt are leased from an aging neighbor who has been letting the lease continue at a rate that hasn't changed in years. That arrangement depends on him staying alive and willing. Neither is guaranteed.

I've been looking at property listings in a low-stakes way, just orienting myself to what's available and what things cost. Land east of Kenwood, as I'd told Caleb, is still more accessible than near Tahlequah. Twenty acres of mixed timber and meadow could be had for a price I could reach with the pipeline income and some savings if I was serious about it. The question is whether I'm serious about it.

I think I am. The food journal, the catering work, the things I've been learning and carrying—they all point toward needing a place where that practice has a permanent home. Not the rented garden beds behind this house but land I own, land I can plant and hunt and pass on. Danny had a piece of land. His father had a piece before him. There's a logic to the lineage.

Talked to Hannah about it over dinner one evening. She said if it's land you want to stay on for twenty years then find the right piece and don't let the money be the reason you don't. I said that's easier to say than to do. She said she knows. She said she also thinks I've been building toward this for a while without calling it that.

She's right. I've been building toward it.

Hannah’s words stayed with me for days after that dinner—that I’d been building toward something without calling it that. That’s exactly how I feel about the way I cook now too: deliberately, with ingredients that feel like they belong to a season and a place. This quinoa, cherry, and goat cheese salad is the kind of thing I keep coming back to in May, when the light is long and the thinking is big—something clean and grounded that holds its own without being fussy, the way I want whatever land I find to feel.

Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 20 min | Total Time: 35 min | Servings: 4

Ingredients

1 cup dry quinoa, rinsed
2 cups water or low-sodium vegetable broth
1 1/2 cups fresh or thawed frozen cherries, pitted and halved
3 oz crumbled goat cheese
1/3 cup sliced almonds, lightly toasted
3 cups baby arugula or mixed spring greens
1/4 cup thinly sliced red onion
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon honey
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
Salt and black pepper to taste

Instructions

Cook the quinoa. Combine quinoa and water (or broth) in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes or until liquid is absorbed. Fluff with a fork and let cool to room temperature, about 10 minutes.
Make the dressing. In a small bowl or jar, whisk together olive oil, red wine vinegar, honey, and Dijon mustard until emulsified. Season with salt and pepper.
Assemble the salad. In a large bowl, combine the cooled quinoa, cherries, red onion, and arugula. Drizzle dressing over the salad and toss gently to coat.
Finish and serve. Divide among plates or bowls. Top each serving with crumbled goat cheese and toasted almonds. Serve immediately or refrigerate (without goat cheese and almonds) for up to one day.

Nutrition (per serving)

Quinoa, Cherry, and Goat Cheese Salad — Cooking With the Land You’re Still Working Toward