When you just do not feel like a salad lettuce cups are a good way to sneak in some leafy greens. With a warm, cooked filling like this they can be very substantial and grounding. Any larger greens like romaine lettuce, kale or collard greens make great bases but I prefer iceberg lettuce, it does not have as many nutrients but the leaves are a good size, very pliable and barely have any taste so the filling shines through. Even though it has less than the darker greens, iceberg still does offer a decent amount of nutrients including fiber, vitamins A and K, folate and potassium.
A cooked grain salad is light and fresh but full of nutrients. Here I used quinoa with some baked salmon and a balsamic vinaigrette but any simple vinaigrette would work and chickpeas or lentils could be subbed to make it vegan or vegetarian. Quinoa is high in protein, containing all the essential amino acids or building blocks of protein, as well as several B vitamins which help maintain high energy levels, fiber and minerals like manganese and magnesium. Salmon is one of the best possible sources of essential omega-3 fatty acids, a type of fat that we all need to consume more of, plus protein, vitamin D and the hard to get vitamin B 12 and selenium.
- 2 head of iceberg lettuce
- 1 cup dry quinoa
- 1 lb wild salmon fillet
- 3 cups broccoli, chopped finely
- 1 bell pepper, chopped finely
- ½ small red onion, minced (makes around ¼ cup)
- Optional: 2 avocados, diced
- Optional: 1-2 tablespoons hemp hearts
- Balsamic dressing
- ¼ cup cold-pressed olive oil
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 1 tablespoon grainy mustard
- 2 teaspoons maple syrup
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- A few dashes each of sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper
- Preheat oven to 400°. Place the quinoa in a large pot with 2 cups of water and bring to a boil then reduce heat to low, cover with a tight fitting lid and leave to simmer for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, set the salmon up skin side down on a parchment paper lined baking sheet and sprinkle with sea salt and pepper. Put it in the oven once the quinoa is boiling because it also takes 20 minutes. Chop the broccoli, pepper and onion and place them all in a large bowl and set aside. Mix all the dressing ingredients together and set aside. Once the quinoa is done place it in the bowl with the vegetables. Peel the skin off the bottom of the salmon and cut it into bite sized pieces then add it to the vegetables along with the dressing and hemp hearts. Stir to combine then add in the avocado last and serve the mixture in one large or individual bowls with the lettuce on the side.
