Baked salmon with quinoa

With the price of food at the moment salmon is a rare treat, but when we do have it I want to make the most of it. This recipe is so good you’ll want to do it again and again! If you’re not into salmon you could probably do it with a white fish or even chicken breast.

Salmon (apart from being delicious) is a great source of protein and omega 3 fatty acids. Omega 3 fatty acids are an essential fatty acid which means our body needs them but can’t produce them, so we need to get them from our diet. They have been shown to be anti-inflammatory which is beneficial for our health and wellbeing in so many ways. Some in the health profession believe that it is inflammation which causes disease.

Protein is essential for growth and development of our body. It is also essential for repair when we hurt ourselves, nad to help our immune system and digestive system. There is a limit to the amount of protein which can be absorbed in one sitting, so eating protein throughout the day is a good way to making sure you’re absorbing and making use of what you’re eating.

Quinoa is actually a seed rather than a grain like it is often thought of, and is a great plant based source of carbohydrates and protein. It is one of the few plant based sources of protein that contains all essential amino acids (the building blocks of proteins).

If you don’t have quinoa, brown rice is a great substitute, or couscous if gluten isn’t an issue for you (cook them according to their cooking times).

Ingredients

Quinoa
1/2 C uncooked quinoa
2 cloves garlic
1 Tbsp tomato paste
1 chilli
1/4 C sundried tomato
lemon juice

Salmon and Veggies

160g salmon
6 serves green vegetables – we used broccoli, asparagus and green beans

Method

Place quinoa in a pan. Pour over 1C of water. Add the tomato paste, crushed garlic, chilli, sundried tomato and a squirt of lemon juice. Bring to boil, turn down the heat and simmer for 12 minutes or until the water has absorbed.

Remove the pan from heat, cover, and let the quinoa steam for 5 minutes. Remove the lid and fluff the quinoa with a fork.

Place the vegetables on a piece of tinfoil with the salmon on top. Squirt some lemon juice over the salmon and add salt and pepper to taste. Package up the tin foil and bake at 180 degrees celcius for 20 minutes or until salmon is cooked properly.

Serve the salmon and vegetables on top of the quinoa.

Enjoy!!