Here’s a step by step recipe for a quick weeknight Salmon Quinoa Bowl. It is healthy, high protein, low sodium, gluten free and chock full of flavor. Budget friendly too! The key is to start with the longer cooking elements (the quinoa pilaf) and take care of the rest in parallel – gets you dinner on the table in 30 minutes (or less!). So delicious and so very satisfying!

There are 4 elements to this salmon quinoa bowl:

• Quinoa Pilaf
• Salmon Bites
• Sauteed Spinach
• Cilantro-Yogurt Sauce

Ingredients

Quinoa Pilaf

• 1 bag of frozen sliced onions and mixed bell peppers
• 1 bag of frozen roasted corn
• A cup of dry quinoa, rinsed thoroughly
• 2 cups of water
• A can of low sodium black beans (or home cooked black beans)
• Spices – 1 tsp each chipotle chili powder, cumin, oregano, black pepper, anything else that gives you the flavor hit!

Salmon Bites

• 8oz salmon filet for 2 servings (skin removed, fresh – never frozen please!)
• Spices – 1/2 tsp each Paprika, chili powder, garlic, ginger, oregano, thyme, black pepper, cumin
• Olive oil

Sauteed Spinach

• A tub of fresh baby spinach (Use more than you think – this will shrink down to nothing!)
• 1 clove of fresh garlic

Cilantro-Yogurt Sauce

• A generous bunch of cilantro, washed thoroughly
• 2 tablespoons of plain unsweetened yogurt
• Juice of a lemon
• 1 tbsp honey
• 1 tsp apple cider vinegar

Method

Start by pre-heating the oven to 425F. We will start with the quinoa pilaf and do the rest while the quinoa is cooking.

Quinoa Pilaf

• Sauté the frozen vegetables in a couple of tablespoons of oil over medium heat. Use a heavy bottom sauce pan with a lid.
• Add the rinsed quinoa, the black beans, all the spices and 2 cups of water.
• Bring to a boil, lower the heat to a simmer, cover and cook for 20 min.
• Remove from heat and let sit covered till ready to serve.

Salmon Bites

• Cut the fresh salmon filet into bite sized pieces.
• Drizzle olive oil to coat the salmon pieces.
• Toss the salmon with all the spices to cover each piece evenly.
• Bake in oven at 425F for 7 minutes (careful not to overcook!)
• Remove and set aside till ready to serve.

Spinach

• Once the quinoa pilaf and salmon are cooking, quickly sauté the baby spinach with minced garlic in olive oil over medium-high heat.
• This step takes 5 minutes or less – just till the spinach is wilted.
• Set aside.

Cilantro-Yogurt Sauce

• Blend all the ingredients for the cilantro-yogurt sauce till smooth. Done!

Once you have all the elements ready, all you need is a bowl to dish it up! Start with the quinoa pilaf. Add the spinach to the side. Arrange the salmon bites on top of the quinoa pilaf. Tossing the salmon pieces with spices and then cooking makes each piece a flavor bomb! Drizzle the cilantro-yogurt sauce generously over it all. Add a lemon wedge to the bowl and dig in! The salmon quinoa bowl is ready. So good!!