Seared Salmon

Dinner tonight!

Pan Seared Salmon with tarragon and lemon, organic quinoa, roasted beets and a simple arugula salad!

Recipe? Hmm, here goes nothin' ;)

Salmon (duh!), skin on is fine! Season with sea salt and pepper.

Olive oil

Fresh tarragon

Lemon

Quinoa- I used red and white... Quinoa generally more than doubles when cooked so I used 1/4 cup red and 1/4 cup white (approximately since I never actually measure anything!) and it made just over a cup cooked quinoa.

*Quinoa is considered a superfood and is not technically a grain but is a complete protein! Super yummy, healthy and has the coolest texture!

Beets: I used golden and regular purple!

Arugula: Just a handful! Sprinkle some olive oil and apple cider vinegar on it and you're good to go!

First, gotta roast those beets! Wash them off (rip the leafy green tops off!), throw them in a baking dish. Coat them liberally with olive oil, salt and pepper. Cover with foil and bake in the oven at 350ish for thirty mins or so. When you hear them sizzling in there and they are slightly soft to the touch, they're done. Let them cool, peel them, slice into wedges and set them aside.

Next, get your quinoa going... For 1/2 cup of quinoa, you're going to use 1 cup of water. Get your water boiling, add some salt (my culinary instructors used to say make it salty like the ocean!) and dump the quinoa in. Cover and cook for about 20 mins or until the little hulls of the quinoa come off... You'll see a visible change! That can be set aside...

Meanwhile, get a frying pan screaming hot, add about a tablespoon of olive oil... When it gets shimmery like, lay the salmon, skin side DOWN. DON'T TOUCH IT! When it's ready to flip, it will become unstuck from the pan but if you try and move it too early, the skin falls apart and it looks crappy! Flip it when it's ready, squeeze half a lemon in it and add some fresh tarragon leaves. Cook it until its firm when you press on it :)

Plating time!! Quinoa first, salmon second, arugula on top (see how tall you can get it!) and arrange the beets around it all in a pretty pattern! 

Eating pretty food is fun!

That's all I've got tonight folks!

Enjoy!!