Salmon Salad with Warm Quinoa & Goat Cheese

This is my latest favorite "warm salad." My first one was with chicken.

Ingredients

• Lettuce of Your Choice - I always uses head lettuce with a mixture of some type of dark greens (spinach, arugula or kale for example)

• Quinoa (1 cup)

• Salmon (usually buy these at Costco) - I have replaced with local fresh fish as well

• Tomatoes (optional) - I like tomatoes but not necessarily with this salad; however, since my husband loves them, I will put them in his salad!

• Goat Cheese

• Dried cranberries (optional)

• Walnuts (toasting is optional but tastes even better)

• Dressing - homemade Asian dressing* (but you can use any you like)

• Fresh Dill

Instructions

Make your quinoa first (1 cup with 2 cups of water and salt); bring to a boil then lower and let simmer until all water is evaporated. When done, fluff with a fork, similar to rice.

You can make your homemade dressing and prep the salad while you're waiting for the quinoa.

*Homemade Asian Dressing - I uses the Good Seasons Italian bottle and replace the olive oil with sesame oil, the vinegar with soy sauce and add a squirt of mustard. Per Alton Brown, the mustard stops the vinegar and oil from separating; not sure if it works with sesame oil and soy sauce but it makes the dressing into a vinaigrette and tastes yummy! I was a FoodChannel junkie when I first started cooking!! ;-)

Salmon - I usually marinate the salmon in the dressing a few hours before. To cook, bake 2 fillets in the toaster oven at 350 for 20 minutes (you can also pan fry). The key to a perfectly cooked Salman is stop cooking just before it's done (may be slightly pink inside) because when you let it rest for a few minutes, it keeps cooking. If you wait until it's done, it will be overcooked and become dry. You want it just perfectly cooked and tender (at least I do).

Dress and toss your salad with the dressing. Build your salad with the lettuce first, then the warm quinoa, the baked salmon, then drizzle with EVOO (Extra Virgin Olive Oil as Rachel Ray calls it). Crumble on the goat cheese, sprinkle with walnuts, dried cranberries and fresh dill.