Roast Salmon and Quinoa Paella



The SUPERFOOD +Healthy eating journey continues.  Everyone knows white bread, white rice, regular pasta, and highly processed foods are bad for you – they are defined as REFINED CARBOHYDRATES.  The more I read about nutrition the more I discover why refined carbohydrates (or simple carbohydrates) are TERRIBLE for you – you get no nutritional value from simple carbs.  Your body metabolizes refined carbs and any carb that isn’t immediately used as energy is stored… as FAT.  Over eating carbohydrates is going to elevate the amount of fat your body stores.   The China Study (a eye-opening book by Dr. Campbell on the relationship between nutrition and disease) reports that obesity and poor diet lead to heart disease, diabetes and cancer.   While highly refined carbohydrates are BAD BAD BAD – complex carbohydrates are EXCELLENT for you.  I was under the impression that all carbs are bad carbs, but that’s not true.  Eating a diet high in complex carbohydrates promotes good health – reverses heart disease, reverses diabetes and prevents a bunch of chronic diseases.  Complex carbohydrates are found in plants: fruits, veggies and whole grains.   More on healthy eating next time.

For dinner – my take on Paella!  I’ll mix in all my favorite Paella ingredients – red peppers, peas, garlic, tomatoes, olives, paprika – but cook with quinoa instead of rice.  Quinoa is actually a plant-protein.  It’s a grain-like crop, grown for its seeds, and full of amino-acids.  It is also high in dietary fiber – and a high dose of dietary fiber is part of the reason vegetables are good COMPLEX carbohydrates.  

Here’s how to make it…

Roast Salmon with Quinoa Paella

2 salmon filets

Half a bag of frozen peas

1 cup Quinoa

1 ½ cup Chicken Broth

1 red pepper, halved and scorched under the broiler, then peeled and sliced thinly

3 head of garlic, peeled, whole

Handful of mushrooms, sliced and browned in a non-stick skillet

1 can chick peas, drained

1 can olives, drained

2 tomatoes, seeded and chopped

Salt

Paprika

Oil

Salmon:

Season with salt, paprika and oil.  Roast on a baking sheet at 400 degrees for a few minutes, until just cooked through. 

Quinoa:

Get oil into a medium sauce pan – toss in your garlic and lightly brown them.  LIGHTLY.   Put in your quinoa and toast in the garlicky oil for a minute or two.  Pour in the broth and cook for 20 minutes, covered on low.  While simmering your quinoa – in a non-stick skillet toss all of your veggies together over high heat to saute for a couple of minutes with a tiny bit of oil+salt+paprika, tossing constantly – the veggies get a little browned and that adds a lot of flavor.  After a couple of minutes add your beans and olives and hold until the quinoa is ready.  When the quinoa is done toss the veggies in with the quinoa and serve in a big platter with your salmon on top.   

Enjoy!