Veggie-Packed Quinoa Salad with Roasted Salmon

This recipe is from my cookbook The Mediterranean Meal Plan Cookbook: Simple, Nutritious Recipes to Eat Well, Feel Great and Look Fabulous, available for pre-order now!

Veggie-Packed Quinoa Salad with Roasted Salmon

This is a beautiful salad, packed with vitamins, antioxidants, fiber and protein. The quinoa salad can be made ahead of time and stays fresh in the fridge for 2 to 3 days. It is perfect for meal prep since you can portion it in individual serving containers either for quick dinners during the week or to bring to work for lunch. I also like to add feta cheese and skip the salmon if I am in a rush. Plus, if you pre-cook the quinoa the day before, the dish comes together very easily within 15 minutes.

Veggie-Packed Quinoa Salad with Roasted Salmon

Makes 4 servings

Quinoa Salad Ingredients

• ½ cup (90 g) uncooked quinoa
• 1 English cucumber, seeded and cut into quarter-moons
• 1 cup (200 g) cherry tomatoes, cut in half
• 1 cup ( 165 g) canned chickpeas, rinsed and drained
• 1 cup (240 g) marinated jarred artichoke hearts, cut in quarters
• 1/3 cup (40 g) Kalamata olives, pitted ½ shallot, thinly sliced
  2 green onions, thinly sliced
• ¼ cup (25 g) finely chopped fresh mint
• 2 tbsp (30 ml) extra virgin olive oil
• ¼ cup (60 ml) fresh lemon juice
• 1 tsp sumac
• Sea salt to taste

Roasted Salmon Ingredients

• 4 (4-oz (113-g]) salmon filets
• 2 tbsp (30 ml) fresh lemon juice
• 2 tbsp (6 g) lemon zest
• ¼ cup (60 ml) extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tbsp (6 g) chopped chives
• 2 tsp (2 g) dried thyme
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• Sea salt and pepper to taste

Directions

• To make the salad, cook the quinoa per package instructions. When cooked, set aside to cool for 10 minutes.
• In a large bowl, combine the cucumber, cherry tomatoes, chickpeas, artichoke hearts, olives, shallots, green onions and the mint. Add the cooled quinoa and toss to combine all the ingredients.
• In a small bowl, combine the olive oil, lemon juice, sumac and salt. Whisk to combine. Pour the dressing over the salad and mix well.
• Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 425° F (220 °C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and place the salmon on the parchment-lined sheet.
• In a small bowl, combine the lemon juice, lemon zest, olive oil, chives, thyme, garlic, salt and pepper. Mix well and spread evenly over each salmon filet. Bake the salmon for 10 minutes for medium-rare or 12 minutes for medium.
• To assemble, divide the quinoa salad among four shallow bowls and place a salmon filet on top of each bowl.

Nedi’s Tips

To make this salad vegan, skip the salmon and top it with tofu, tempeh or warm mushrooms. The quinoa can be made ahead of time and stored in the fridge until ready to make the salad.

Pre-order The Mediterranean Meal Plan Cookbook: Simple, Nutritious Recipes to Eat Well, Feel Great and Look Fabulous now!