Moroccan Salmon with Quinoa Pilaf

As we were finishing up 2012 and preparing for 2013, Steve and I were trying to move out of the turkey and chocolate coma we had been in and into a more healthy diet. So it was quite fitting that we started to look through the two new cookbooks that Steve received for Christmas. You may remember that last year for Christmas I had given Steve a cookbook called 'Cook This Not That' and it was from/connected to Men's Health Magazine. That one cookbook was used for many recipes in our home over the last year, so naturally when I saw that there were two more of these books at Chapters I had to pick them up!

In an effort to eat healthy, Steve and I decided to try something new - quinoa. Over the past few months I had heard lots of people talk about this great grain, so I figured that we should give it a shot.
The recipe we settled on was 'Moroccan Salmon with Quinoa Pilaf' (from the orange Cook This Not That 'Easy & Awesome 250-Calorie Meals' cookbook)

Here are all the ingredients that you'll need for this recipe

1 cup quinoa
1 1/4 cup chicken stock or more if needed
1/2 cup parsley
1/4 cup golden raisins (didn't use)
2 tbsp pine nuts toasted in a pan or oven for a few minutes
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp cumin
1/8 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp cayenne
4 skinless salmon fillets (4-6 oz each)

Here is how we brought it all together:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 deg F. Prepare quinoa according to package instructions, using chicken stock instead of water. Stir in the parsley, raisins, and pine nuts. Cover and keep warm.
2.  Combine salt , black pepper, cumin, cayenne, and cinnamon and rub over salmon fillets. Place on baking sheet and bake until the fish flakes with gentler pressure from your finger, about 10-12 minutes, depending on the thickness.
3. Serve each salmon fillet with a generous scoop of quinoa pilaf.

Steve and I LOVED this recipe! It was a delicious new take on salmon and the quinoa was a perfect side! I liked the nutty flavor of the quinoa and actually chose to add some lemon juice to mine as well - it gave it a little added kick!

You should definitely give this recipe a try - I know that we will be adding it to our short list of recipes to try to again!

Bon appetite & enjoy!