As promised, I’m sharing more of my go-to recipes thar are perfect for your day to day.
Today I’m sharing an entire 3-part healthy dinner (or lunch) menu, which is perfect for a family meal or for hosting a few friends or another couple.
The menu consists of three light, healthy recipes (4 really, as the pesto can be its own recipe) which are perfect for a spring/summer lunch or dinner. You can also modify a bit by cooking the veggies and seving the quinoa salad warm, which is perfect if you’re in colder weather (or just in the mood for a more comforting meal).
This menu is PACKED with omega-3 fatty acids, antioxidants and fiber, making it great for your digestion, longevity, immunity, and for hormonal balance. It’s also very balanced in protein, healthy fats and healthy low-glycemic carbs, making it ideal for keeping blood sugar stable.
Menu (all gluten-free and dairy-free):
Kale, Fennel & Avocado Salad
Quinoa Bell Pepper Salad
Roasted Salmon with a Pumpkin & Hemp Seed Pesto
Watch the video below to learn how to make these recipes easily, and get tons of healthy cooking tips!
Kale, Fennel & Avocado Salad
Ingredients (serves 4)
1 large bunch of organic kale, destemmed
1 fennel bulb, thinly sliced (white part only)
¼ red onion, thinly sliced or chopped
1 lemon, juiced
extra-virgin olive oil to taste (aprox 1-2 tablespoons)
sea salt to taste
1 small avocado (or aprox 3/4 - 1 cup sliced avocado)
¼ cup organic pumpkin seeds
sea salt to taste
Instructions:
Clean, dry and destem the kale, then slice the kale leaves into ribbons. Thinly slice the fennel bulb then chop (removing hard parts). Juice the lemon and slice (or chop) the avocado.
Place the kale and fennel into a large salad bowl, drizzle with a bit of lemon and extra-virgin olive oil, sprinkle with sea salt and massage with your hands to soften the kale and fennel. Set aside.
When ready to eat, add the pumpkin seeds, avocado, and more lemon, sea salt and olive oil to taste.
Quinoa & Bell Pepper Salad
Ingredients (serves 4-6)
2 cups quinoa, cooked (made from 1 cup uncooked quinoa, ideally presoaked a few hours before cooking)
1 red bell pepper, chopped (removing core and seeds)
1 green bell pepper (removing core and seeds)
1-2 tsp raw apple cider vinegar
extra-virgin olive oil (aprox 1.5-2 tablespoons)
¼ cup organic pumpkin seeds
parsley to garnish (about ¼ cup), chopped
sea salt and pepper to taste
Instructions:
Chop the bell peppers (removing core and seeds) and chop parsley leaves. (Option to leave raw as I do in my video, or to lightly cook, either sauteeing or placing in the oven for 5-10 minutes).
In a large bowl, mixed the cooked quinoa, chopped peppers, apple cider vinegar (start with 1 tsp), extra-virgin olive oil (start with 1.5 tbsp), pumpkin seeds, sea salt to taste, and a pinch of pepper. Mix and taste, adding a bit more vinegar, olive oil and salt if desire.
Garnish with chopped parsley and serve. Note: this “salad” can be served warm or room temperature.
Wild Salmon Fillet - with Pumpkin & Hemp Seed Pesto
Ingredients (serves 4):
one large wild-caught salmon fillet, aprox 20oz (aprox 5oz per person)
drizzle of lemon and extra virgin olive oil
sea salt and pepper to taste
Pesto to serve (see below)
Instructions for Salmon:
Heat oven to 425 degrees F. Marinate the salmon fillet with a drizzle of olive oil, lemon, sea salt and optional a pinch of pepper. Place in the oven and cook for 13-15 minutes (or until cooked to your liking). The edges will be a bit more cooked and the thicker center will be more pink, so you’ll have options for different tastes!
Pumpkin & Hemp Seed Pesto
Ingredients:
3/4 cup raw pumpkin seeds/pepitas (ideally sprouted, or pre-soaked for a few hours, then dried)
¼ cup hemp seeds (can also use pine nuts OR cashews)
2-4 tablespoons filtered water (bit more if desire a thinner pesto)
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
Juice of ½ lemon (or 1 lime), or more to taste
2 small garlic cloves
3/4 cup fresh basil leaves
¼ - ½ cup chopped fresh parsley (or can use other fresh herbs, such as arugula and/or cilantro; i like to use ¼ parsley and ¼ cilantro, for example)
sea salt and pepper to taste
Instructions for pesto:
Combine seeds/nuts in a food processor, and grind into a course flour.
Add remaining ingredients (water, lemon, oil, garlic, herbs). Pulse until mixture forms a coarse paste then season with salt and pepper. Taste, adjust if needed (adding more salt/olive oil/lemon etc to taste) and blend once more.
Please give these recipes a shot, modifying to your liking. And if you’d like the recipes in Spanish, let me know!
Love and Healthy Cooking,
Mariana