Normally when I’m putting together a post to share with all of you, I take some time and think about the recipe, get all of the necessary ingredients, do some research and taste testing, make sure my wonderful husband can film a quick cooking video, I fix my hair, grab an apron, etc. etc. etc. Sometimes it can be spontaneous, but most of the time it requires a bit of thinking ahead and planning. 

This particular recipe happens to be one of those that just effortlessly came together and it was just too pretty and too delicious not to share. My bestie, Lauren had just bought a giant bunch of kale and carrots at the farmers market. I had a perfectly ripe, huge avocado and great-quality salmon in the fridge, and while chatting about the trials and tribulations of our days, we each started cooking up our ingredients and a fresh, healthy, and delicious meal came together. I think we were feeling extra inspired by the new Sprouted Kitchen cookbook, Bowl + Spoon. Every recipe in this beautiful book is basically composed of a bunch of fresh ingredients all put together to create a comforting and hearty meal (or side dish or dessert).  That’s exactly what Lauren and I were craving and we definitely got it with this Farmers Market Power Plate. 

The base of the power plate is sautéed kale, roasted carrots, quinoa, and avocado. We topped it with a balsamic & dijon glazed salmon, and it was the perfect Monday night dinner to get us on track for a healthy week. You can either nix the protein and go all-veggie, or you can top it with any protein your heart desires – chicken, shrimp, tofu, steak. . . you really can’t go wrong!

Ingredients
1 bunch of kale, chopped 
1 bunch of carrots, peeled and stems cut off
1 avocado, sliced
1 cup quinoa, cooked
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Salt + pepper to taste
Balsamic & dijon glazed salmon:
2 salmon filets 
1 1/2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1/2 tbsp dijon mustard
1/2 tbsp honey
Salt + pepper to taste

1. Preheat the oven to 400.
2. Toss carrots in 1 tbsp olive oil, salt, and pepper and spread out on a baking sheet. Roast in oven for about 20 minutes (depending on size of carrots) turning about half way though. I like mine cooked though, but still with a little crunch. 
3. Mix the salmon marinade and spread about half of it over the salmon filets. Reserve the rest for later. Place salmon on a baking sheet and put it in the oven. It should finish right around the same time as the carrots, about 20 minutes depending on thickness of salmon. (Rule of thumb: cook 8-10 minutes per inch of thickness)
4. Cook quinoa on the stove per package instructions. In a separate pan, sauté kale in 1 tbsp olive oil + salt and pepper. 
5. Once finished cooking and sautéing, add the quinoa to the kale and mix together. Season well with salt and pepper.
6. Plate your quinoa/kale mixture first. Then add the roasted carrots, then the salmon, and the avo. If desired, add the rest of the balsamic dijon dressing on top of the salmon.

While this Power Plate may look impressive, it was pretty simple to put together and we actually made everything in under 30 minutes. This is a total “reset meal” to make you feel healthy and energized and it sets the tone for a week of clean eating. Next time I may chop up the roasted carrots and mix it in with the quinoa and kale, and then serve it in a bowl so I can be just like Sprouted Kitchen (I wish!).

Enjoy!