Salmon Pesto Salad

One of my goals for 2016 is to work towards getting more "bang for my buck" when it comes to the quality of my diet, which means adding more flexibility and intention in regards to consuming the BEST fuel to support my health and training. Starting back in 2012, I became a vegetarian, just a few months after marrying my hubby who had been vegetarian for a few years (For a few months I was vegan and LOVED it, but the timing just wasn't right for me to successfully sustain it long term). These days, I consider myself neither vegetarian nor vegan, but instead, a flexitarian... or "cheagan" (cheating-vegan) as my husband likes to say. Meaning: I emphasize plant-based foods in my diet, without the limitations of strictly avoiding animal products. Really I don't believe in the need to give my diet a "label" per say, but if I had to succinctly describe it, flexitarian does the trick. 

Long story short, one of the foods I missed dearly after becoming vegetarian was without a doubt salmon. I grew up on salmon and my mom would cook the BEST teriyaki salmon around. Furthermore, salmon is a powerhouse when it comes to nutritional bang-for-buck. It's is packed with healthy fats, quality protein and MANY other beneficial nutrients... an athlete's dream! 

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In the past year I've probably eaten salmon a handful of times, but not nearly enough, so in 2016 I plan to make it a habit. In the past I have simply bought my salmon from the freezer aisle of the grocery store. I was eating it infrequently enough that the frozen option was the best option for me. Then last month my coach introduced me to Indigo Farms Seafood (a.k.a. "The fish ladies"), a local business that serves the greater New River Valley area and was recently featured in this Roanoke Times article. 

Indigo Farms Seafood sources their fresh, never frozen, fish products from the coast of North Carolina in order to offer up a rare find of high-quality seafood options here in the mountains (note: they do also offer a variety of frozen products from more distant locations, like Alaska). After finally taking the time to make it to one of their many stops each Thursday, I proceeded to enjoy the best darn piece of fresh (never frozen) salmon I've tasted in quite a while. That was definitely a game changer!!! I mean, just look at how beautiful it is:

Nutritional Benefits of Salmon

Besides the fact that it looks and tastes amazing, a 4oz serving of salmon provides more than 230% of your daily value of B12 and 130% of your daily value of Vitamin D (learn about the importance of Vitamin D next Wednesday!) Further more, salmon is one of the richest sources of omega-3 fatty acids,  packed with quality protein (essential amino acids), Vitamins A, B6, B3, and E with appreciable amounts of calcium, iron, zinc, magnesium, and phosphorus. Salmon is one of few foods that has a beneficial ratio of omega-3 fatty acids to omega-6 fatty acids. Consumption of Omega-3 fatty acids are beneficial in that they elicit the production of eicosanoids, which are a type of local hormone which has been tied to a decreased risk of heart disease, inflammatory processes, and certain cancers. Further more, eicosanoids help to boost immune health, another top priority of athletes!!

My motivation for pulling together this Salmon Pesto Salad was to provide a hefty dose of immune boosting, anti-inflammatory omega-3 fatty acids within my personal diet (so if you're looking for a low fat meal, rest assured this is not one of them). Furthermore, I've found that once the main ingredients are prepped (salmon and pesto pasta), this is a cinch to throw together for lunch or dinner and keeps me satiated for quite some time. You know I love to share recipes that are as easy as they are delicious! The combination of healthy fats, leafy greens, whole grains and high-quality protein make this a winning dish nutritionally and one your taste buds will thank you for as well. 

Bonus points for Kristen: the hubby came home last night and announced "So.... I'm thinking about starting to eat fish again..." Hehehe :) :)
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Ingredients

[Yield of 1 personal salad]
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3-4 oz filet of salmon, cooked
1 oz feta cheese
1 c. whole wheat rotini pasta, cooked
2 c. baby spinach greens
1/4 c. cherry tomatoes, halved
2 tbsp walnut basil pesto (see recipe)
1-2 tbsp balsamic vinaigrette dressing

Directions:

1. Cook your salmon filet as desired, whether via baking in the oven or over the grill. I kept mine simple in placing it on a parchment-lined baking sheet and baking for at 350 F for about 10-12 minutes.
2. Cook pasta until al dente and drain. Toss with pesto sauce (store bought, or make your own with this recipe). I mixed 2 tbsp pesto sauce per 1 c. pasta as listed above. A little goes a long ways!
3. Assemble your salad by placing baby spinach in a bowl, topped by your basil-pesto pasta, tomatoes, feta cheese and salmon. Drizzle with 1-2 tbsp of balsamic vinaigrette dressing and enjoy!

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Nutrition Facts Per Serving (1 salad): 525 kcal, 27 g fat, 25 g carb, 5 g fiber, 37 g protein

Additional Nutritional Benefits Include:

• Feta cheese – Calcium, protein, Vitamin D
• Whole wheat rotini pasta – good source complex carbs, protein, fiber and iron. Promotes glucose control and satiety
• Walnut basil pesto - another rich source of omega 3 fatty acids and Vitamin E (antioxidant). Helps increases absorption of fat soluble vitamins (A, D, E K)
• Cherry tomatoes – provides fiber, lycopene (antioxidant), potassium, Vitamins A, C, E
• Baby spinach greens – provide fiber, Calcium, Vitamins A, E and K and Iron
• Balsamic vinaigrette dressing - yet another source of omega 3 fatty acids, vinegar serves as a pre/probiotic and antioxidant

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