sheet pan blackened salmon and quinoa glow bowls
Ready to have a beam of health-laden light shoot from your ass?
I love bowl dinners. I just like the word bowl because it reminds me of a How I Met Your Mother Episode and my sister and I still to this day reference the intonation whenever someone askes for the tableware. Add the word “glow” ahead of it, and suddenly you’re picturing glowballs and snowglobes and dance parties and all sorts of hipster shit.
Or maybe that’s just me. I dunno.
When I lived alone I subsided off either oats or easily-customizable meal prep dinners, usually with salmon at the head, some type of grain, and a roasted veggie or two. I often didn’t stay from the very basic, maybe a sauce or seasoning for the protein, but I usually just threw some salt and pepper on the vegetables and eyeballed them until they looked done. I burned more rice than I care to admit, pre-rice cooker days when I simmered a pot on the stovetop and walked away for .2 seconds just to find the water vanished and the bottom of the grain burnt to the metal.
Celebrate all that is wholesome and fair with this Sheet Pan Blackened Salmon and Quinoa Glow Bowl dinner. Balanced, nutritious, crazy full of flavor, anything but standard and created in less than an hour. This dinner is an upgrade from my days of basic roasting, but truly no more difficult.
45 Minutes to “Fuck Yeah”
Ready a sheetpan with a big sheet of parchment paper. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Rev your engines.
If you have a rice cooker, this is a great time to cook up the quinoa. In any case, have it ready ahead of time or cook it up while you prepare the rest of the bowl (bowl, bowl) goodies.
Wash, dry, and slice a couple of sweet potatoes into coins. I did about 1/2 inch width for mine. Toss with olive oil, salt, and pepper, and spread onto the baking sheet. Roast 10 minutes to quickstart the softening process.
While the potatoes roast, set your salmon filets on a plate and pat them dry with paper towels. Wash your hands. In a small bowl, whisk your blackening seasoning: sweet paprika, dried oregano, onion powder, garlic powder, cayenne pepper, black pepper, and salt. Drizzle the salmons with oil and rub evenly with the seasoning.
When the sweet potato timer beeps, take the pan out of the oven. Push the potatoes to one side, trying not to overlap them much. Set the salmon filets on the opposite side. Throw the tray back in the oven for 15 more minutes.
Dressed for Success
The time of the second roasting is ideal for making the crazy flavorful Turmeric Tahini Dressing. This dude appeared in my Lemon Pepper Smoked Salmon Wrapped Asparagus Salad and is for real too damn good to forget about for long.
You can either whip it up in a food processor or shake in a jar. Whichever way you choose, you need tahini, maple syrup, apple cider vinegar, garlic cloves, turmeric, extra virgin olive oil, salt, and pepper. Blitz or shake until the dressing is creamy and emulsified.
When the oven beeps, all you need now is to put the bowls together.
I chose sesame-massaged kale as the base for the bowls. Simply drizzle toasted sesame oil over a big tuft of kale, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and knead the oil through the leaves as sensually and inappropriately as you can to alarm your housemates. The kale softens and darkens as the oil works through the fibers.
Next, spoon some quinoa over the kale, and top with a salmon filet. Arrange sliced avocado near the salmon and finish with as much of the turmeric tahini dressing as you please.
Wild rice or brown rice work extremely well with this conscious bowl dinner. I like the nuttier taste of the less processed grains over my usual white rice accompaniment, but do as you please.
If you need more veggie in your life, roast up some broccoli or brussels sprouts. Amazing.
You can store all the components of this dinner really well, especially if you plan to meal prep for the week with this recipe. Which you should, damn it. Leave the dressing off until you’re ready to eat – but you can pre-book the kale’s massage, since the green holds up very well.
Tried this recipe out? Leave a comment below with your thoughts, and don’t forget to come say hi on Instagram and show me what you made!
sheet pan blackened salmon and quinoa glow bowls
Ingredients
- 2 large sweet potatoes, sliced into 1/2 inch rounds
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 4 4-6 oz filets salmon
- 1 tsp sweet paprika
- 1/2 tsp dried oregano
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 4 cups kale, roughly chopped
- 1 tbsp toasted sesame oil
- 1 1/2 cups cooked quinoa
- 1 avocado
turmeric tahini dressing
- 2 tbsp tahini
- 2 tbsp maple syrup
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1/2 tsp turmeric
- 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with parchment.
- Toss the sweet potatoes with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Roast for 10 minutes.
- Mix together the paprika, oregano, onion powder, garlic powder, cayenne pepper, black pepper, and a pinch of salt. Pat the salmon filets dry and drizzle with 1 tablespoon of olive oil, then rub each with the spice mixture.
- Move the sweet potatoes to one side of the baking sheet. Set the salmon filets on the opposite side. Roast 15 minutes, or longer, depending on desired doneness of the salmon.
- To make the dressing, add the tahini, maple syrup, cider vinegar, garlic, turmeric, olive oil, and a pinch of salt and pepper to a food processor. Whip until emulsified. Alternatively, you can finely mince the garlic, add everything to a jar, and shake vigorously until creamy.
- Rub the kale with sesame oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Divide into four bowls. Top with quinoa, a salmon filet, and avocado slices. Drizzle with dressing.
