Oven Baked Salmon with Arugula Pesto and Warm Quinoa and Roasted Veggie Salad

This meal was too good for words. Super healthy and super tasty.

Oven Baked Salmon with Arugula Pesto
For some reason it is very hard to find fresh basil in Southern CA, it is especially hard when you live in the middle of nowhere. Arugula, however, seems to be much easier to find and it makes an equally flavorful pesto. It is a little more bitter than basil, so it is perfect for cooking because it will lose that bitter bite. This dish is especially meaningful for my husband and I because it was one of the dishes served at our wedding, only we had basil pesto on the salmon.

For the pesto:
2 cups packed arugula, thoroughly washed and dried
4-6 cloves garlic
1/2 c olive oil
1/2 c grated Parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper to taste

In a food processor, place arugula and garlic. Pulse until well chopped. Drizzle in the olive oil until well combine. Stir in Parmesan and add salt and pepper to taste. You will need a good amount of salt since this is a more bitter green. Makes 1 generous cup.

Refrigerate any leftovers and look for my turkey, roasted pepper, and pesto paninis to use the leftover.

If you don't care for or can't find arugula, follow the same recipe for basil or even spinach.

For the Salmon:
2-4 salmon fillets, either skin on or off
Olive oil
Salt and pepper
Arugula pesto

Preheat oven to 425. In a baking pan, drizzle olive oil to lightly coat the bottom. Add salmon fillets and turn to coat, leaving them skin side down (if your fillets have skin). Sprinkle each fillet with a little salt and pepper. Place in the oven and cook for 10-12 minutes, depending on thickness.

Remove salmon from oven and top with 1/4 c pesto. Bake again for 3 minutes so that the pesto can warm through. It will turn a vibrant green.

Warm Quinoa Salad with Roasted Veggies
Quinoa is a super food. It is packed with protein (6 grams per serving) and high iron and vitamin E. If you haven't tried it, you need to. It is even good for breakfast when slow cooked with rolled oats.

1 c quinoa, uncooked
2 c water
Olive oil
1 small red pepper, chopped
1 small zucchini, chopped
1 small yellow squash, chopped
1/2 a red onion, chopped
a handful of asparagus, lower stems removed and upper part chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced

Preheat oven to 400. On a baking sheet, drizzle oil to coat bottom and add veggies. Sprinkle with a little salt and pepper and roast for about 20 minutes, until veggies are soft and lightly browned.

In a pot, bring quinoa, water, and a little salt to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 10-15 minutes. It will be done when the water is absorbed and the grain has puffed up and you can see the germ ring around the edge of the grain.

Add veggies to quinoa and stir together. Top with 1/4 c of the Dijon-White Wine Vinaigrette (recipe below).

Dijon-White Wine Vinaigrette
1/2 c white vinegar
2 tbs dry white wine (think Chardonnay)-this is optional, but does add a great flavor
1/4 c olive oil
2 heaping tbs Dijon mustard
1 small shallot, finely chopped (use can also use 2 tbs of finely chopped strong red onion)
1 clove garlic, minced

In a small bowl combine vinegar and wine. Whisk in oil and then whisk in Dijon. Add shallot and garlic and stir to combine. Refrigerate any extra. This would be terrific on a spinach salad (look for that in the next few days also).