Basil Pasted Salmon & Sweet Potato Broccoli Quinoa

Salmon is one of the healthiest foods packed with omega 3s. One of my favorite versatile foods is quinoa — the new super grain gaining popularity for its amazing benefits– which is a complete protein, meaning it contains all of the essential amino acids that we need from our diet.

With added vegetables, it can be a great side dish or even main dish (especially for vegetarians looking to fulfil their protein quotas, or just anyone who loves some good quinoa!) The basil paste really takes the salmon up a notch. I also added sunflower seeds to the quinoa which gives it a nice crunch.

Basil Pasted Salmon & Sweet Potato Broccoli Quinoa

Serves 5-7

Ingredients:

For the salmon:

-5 frozen wild salmon fillets, thawed
-1 handful of basil
-1/3 cup of extra virgin olive oil
-juice from 1/4 lemon
-2 garlic cloves
-salt and pepper

For the Sweet Potato Broccoli Quinoa:

-5 medium sweet potatoes, cubed
-1 cup of quinoa, dry
-3/4 bag of frozen broccoli (or more if desired)
-1/4 cup of sunflower seeds
-juice from 1 lemon, divided
-2 garlic cloves
-1 tsp. each of oregano, garlic powder, divided
-2 tsp. fresh chopped oregano
-2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
-sea salt and pepper

Method:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Wash and chop the sweet potatoes, keeping the skin on. Grease a large baking pan with olive oil. Mix the sweet potatoes with the olive oil, grated garlic, 1/2 tsp. each of dried oregano and garlic poweder, the fresh oregano, sea salt, and pepper in the pan. Bake in the oven for about 45 minutes.

To make the Basil paste for the salmon, combine all ingredients in a Nutribullet or food processor until smooth. Grease a large baking dish and place the salmon in, covering each with some Basil paste. Place in the oven with 20 minutes left to spare for the sweet potatoes (they only need 20 minutes at 400 degrees F.) Add the sunflower seeds to the sweet potatoes after 35 minutes and bake for another 10 minutes.

While the sweet potatoes are baking, start cooking the quinoa. Rinse the quinoa, then place in a sauce pan with 2 cups of water. Add the juice from 1/2 lemon, 1/2 tsp. of garlic powder and oregano and bring to a boil. Then turn down to a simmer and cover, allowing to simmer for about 7 minutes. Add the broccoli to the quinoa and let it simmer covered for another 8 minutes or until the water is evaporated and broccoli is tender.

Remove the sweet potato and sunflower seeds from the oven, along with the salmon. Let cool for 5 minutes then combine the sweet potato with the quinoa and broccoli mixture. Serve with the salmon!