Salmon with Quinoa and Kale, and a Roasted Shallot and Cherry Vinaigrette

I was watching the food network the other day.  I have been stuck in a rut...cooking the same recipes.  They are all good, but I missed the the fun of cooking something new.  Emeril's Table was on and I had never seen it.  (Reminds me of Molto Mario...copy cat Emeril!)  Anyway, he had a show that I really enjoyed.  He had these nutritionists on and they were raving about quinoa and kale.  Quinoa we make a lot...it's fantastic.  I love it, the kids love it, and my hubby loves it too.  I make mine with chicken broth to add flavor to it.  This recipe used balsamic vinegar and dried cherries.  Talk about flavor!  If you are wondering what quinoa is...google it.  Then go out and buy some and enjoy!  

I got the quinoa started first.  Simple:  balsamic vinegar, dried cherries, then quinoa, chicken broth and a shallot I roasted in the oven.  Simmered and fluffed with a fork when done.

Kale is another story...we've never had it.  I went ahead and got it when I did my grocery shopping that same day.  It looks like curly parsley gone wild.  It tastes like a cross between spinach and broccoli, but it has it's own taste.  Definitely give it a try!

Here I've sauted some onion and fresh thyme in a skillet and added the chopped kale.  It's such a bright green!  Later I added chicken broth and dried cranberries to it. 

Another favorite at our house is salmon.  I love it any way you want to cook it.  Its great grilled, sauted, baked, steamed...oh I love salmon!  This time I grilled it in a grill pan about 3 minutes on each side and only seasoned it with salt and pepper.   It's so good on it's own it doesn't need anything really.

To plate the dish you put the quinoa mixture on the bottom, top with kale and then the grilled salmon.

It got a thumbs up from my 10 year old son, Nicholas.

Even Marcus was ready to dig in.  (He's 7!)

I topped my plate with an amazing Roasted Shallot and Cherry Vinaigrette.  Easy to make and really complimented the salmon.  Enjoy!  This is a delicious and healthy dish!

You can find the recipes at Emeril's Table:  

http://www.emerils.com/recipe/8181/Salmon-with-Quinoa-and-a-Roasted-Shallot-and-Cherry-Vinaigrette

Grilled Salmon with Quionoa Salad and Hericot Verts

I love salmon!  My family does too.  It's really easy to cook and it tastes delicious.  This meal was made quickly and made everyone happy.  Those of you asking how I get my 5 and 9 year olds to eat all of these foods....they have no choice.  I follow the eat it or eat nothing and if you stick to it, it actually works.  They may refuse a day or two, but once they know the drill, then they just eat their dinner.  Yes, it is easily said, but I'm telling you, if you do it, it works.

Back to the meal!  For the salmon, I heat my indoor grill pan to a medium heat.  I don't add oil to the pan since it is an oily fish.  I seasoned the fish with a dill seasoning, salt and pepper. 

I usually start the fish skin side down, but the kids distracted me and I did flesh side first.  It's fine either way.  Once the skin side cooks, you pull off the skin and then can flip it back to get grill marks on both sides of the fish.

Five minutes per side is all it takes to cook the salmon completely through.

This is great served with green beans or another green veggie.  (We had these leftover from the other night, so I just reheated them in the microwave.)

Another favorite dish which I have posted on this blog since I started is the Quinoa Black Bean Salad.  My kids always request it and it is delicious either hot or cold.  This time I attempted adding red pepper flakes (just a pinch) and they didn't even notice.

It usually has cherry tomatoes sliced in it, but I used them up with my stuffed meatballs over the weekend, so I used sundried tomatoes.  (Check out that recipe!  It's super yummy too.) 

 

You can also grill the salmon on the outdoor grill, as well as the green beans.  I love grilled green beans.  If you have never tried it, you are missing out! 

Grilled Maple Honey Mustard Chicken and Vegetable Quinoa

Bring out the barbecue!  Oh how I love to cook on the grill.  (I do admit that I HATE smelling like charcoal afterward, but the taste is so worth it!)  I cut up a whole chicken into pieces after my youngest son asked for chicken legs for dinner.  How can I resist those big brown eyes?

I seasoned the chicken with salt and pepper and grilled the chicken on the grill.  As the smaller pieces cook, you move them to the outside so they don't over cook.  (I'm sure you know the grill scene, so I won't go into grilling detail.)  When I took the meat off the grill, I coated it with Maple Honey Mustard Sauce (except the legs and wings since the kids were having those and don't care for spicy). 

While the chicken was on the grill.  I cooked the quinoa.  I always use chicken broth instead of water for more flavor.  Once it was cooked I added olive oil and sauted veggies.  (I had leftover from the other night). 

Here is how that turned out.  I also threw some asparagus on the grill when I took  the chicken off of it.  Olive oil, salt and pepper are all the seasoning it needs!

This was dinner.  DELICIOUS!

Roasted Shrimp with Quinoa Blackbean Salad and Broccoli

Are you saying, "what is quinoa?"

"Quinoa is pronounced as KEEN-WAH.  Quinoa is 100% whole grain and is close to being a perfect food source in the balance of nutrition it provides. Technically it's not a grain but the seed of a leafy plant related to spinach. Quinoa is an excellent source of protein - 12% to 18%" (source: quinoarecipes.com).

Go to link http://www.quinoarecipes.com/index.html for more information and fantastic recipes that use quinoa. 

My all time favorite quinoa recipe is Quinoa Black Bean Salad from Clean Eating Magazine.  I will post the recipe at the end for you to try for yourself! 

My 9 year old loves the quinoa so much he will even take it to school. It can be served hot, at room temperature or chilled. It is good any way you want it!

I roasted shrimp in the oven for this meal.  I had seen Ina Garten (The Barefoot Contessa) do it on one of her shows and I had the cookbook on hand to get the accurate oven temp.  It is so easy!  And you don't have to stand over the shrimp watching them so they don't overcook, or even flip them!  Place your shrimp on a sheet pan.  Sprinkle with extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper and make sure they are evenly coated.  Place sheet pan in a 400 degree oven for 8-10 minutes.  Take them out and they are PERFECT!!!

I also steamed fresh broccoli as a side.  Delish!! 

Give it a try.  This is so good for you and will be a winner for anyone you cook it for.  You can even entertain them with some fun quinoa facts! 

Quinoa Black Bean Salad
serves 6

Ingredients
1 cup quinoa, washed and drained  (mine is prepackaged, so I skip this)
2 cups water  (I used chicken broth, I think it adds more flavor)
1/4 cup olive oil  (oops, just realized I forgot this..still was good!)
Juice of 2 fresh limes  (I used lemon, that was what I had in the fridge)
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes  (I usually omit this because of the kids, and did so today)
1 can black beans, rinsed
1 1/2 cups cherry tomatoes cut in half  (I substituted sundried tomatoes, the fresh ones are better in this recipe for sure, but it was still good!)
5 green onions, finely chopped
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions
Wash and rinse quinoa.  In a saucepan, bring quinoa and water to a boil.  Reduce to simmer, cover and cook until all the water is absorbed, about 10-15 minutes.  Let cool.  (I like it served warm.)

In a bowl, whisk together olive oil, lime juice, cumin and red pepper flakes.  (I told you I forgot the EVOO and omitted the flakes.)

Combine quinoa, beans, tomatoes and onions in a large bowl.

Drizzle dressing over salad and toss in cilantro.  Season with salt and pepper.