Smoked Salmon Pea Quinoa Pilaf

If there's ever been a theme to this blog beyond cooking, it's likely that of the one-pot dish. I grew up on meat and vegetables and enjoyed it. I like going from one side of my plate to another sampling different items. Maybe an interest in minimizing the clean up lead me in this direction. Or the ease of lunch packing, for that matter. Either way, I'm consistently drawn to a single dish as a meal.

Did I mention I'm all over seafood this month? I wish I was writing this post from Vancouver or Halifax, where the fish is as fresh as fresh can be. Ultimately this may be why I go for smoked salmon, as it's well preserved! This recipe has a preliminary step: the paleo mayonnaise. I hummed and hawed at the thought of making it. I had bought an aioli at a recent market trip and figured it would make an easy substitute. Instead, I made it. Having sweet potatoes on hand made me think it was worth the effort. It takes another 5 minutes and gives the salad a nice, garlicky infusion. Pack some gum if you're taking this to work!


From:http://thelittlegreenspoon.com
Serves 6

Ingredients

Salad

• 1 cup quinoa, uncooked
• 2 t stock seasoning (Knorr/Oxo)
• 1/2 red onion, diced
• 1 cup frozen peas
• 100g smoked salmon, chopped
• 2 T dill, minced

Paleo Mayonnaise

• 1 egg
• 4 t lemon juice
• 1/2 cup coconut oil, melted
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic
• pinch of salt

Dressing

• 4 T paleo mayonnaise
• 1 t dijon mustard
• juice of a lemon

Method

Boil two cups of water to a boil. Add the quinoa, stock seasoning, cover and simmer for 15 minutes. Turn off the heat, remove lid and fluff with a fork. Prepared peas either by boiling or microwaving them for about 3 minutes. Combine the salad ingredients in a bowl and set aside.

To prepare the mayonnaise, crack an egg in a blender and add the lemon juice. Blend on low for a few seconds to allow the two to mix. Combine the coconut and olive oil and while the blender is on low, slowly add the oils. This should take a few minutes and will allow the mixture to thicken. Once all the oil has been added, throw in the garlic and salt and blend another 20 seconds. The mayonnaise can be stored in the refrigerator, but will need to be brought back to room temperature before using as the coconut oil hardens with the cold temperature.

For the dressing, combine all ingredients and stir well. Pour in with the pilaf and toss well, allowing the dressing to coat all ingredients. Serve with sprigs of dill.