I love Spring!!  The soft sun of Spring brings a sense of uplifting optimism with it.  Time to shed the layers of winter and lighten up a bit....Spring clean the house, the mind and the body and get rid of that stuff we no longer need.
It's a great time to lighten up our meals with more raw food, leafy greens, sprouts etc - which means salads!
I'm a huge fan of salads as complete meals - so they have carbs, complete protein and some good fats.  I love versatile salads that we can have for dinner, and then have pre-prepped for the next day's lunch (or dinner), in the fridge - ready to add the protein and dressing for a super quick and healthy meal.
Over the next few weeks I'll be adding plenty of ideas for salads as meals.  So look out here and on my instagram: Pachamama_nutrition

If yIngredients:

• 1 medium sized fennel bulb - finely sliced,  stalks and fronds chopped 
• 200g baby rocket
• 1/2 bunch of parsley chopped (I use stalks as well)
• 1/2 cup quinoa - rinsed well, soaked (if you have time)  / or 1 cup of cooked quinoa (I often cook a bigger batch and freeze in portions to pull out to add to salads etc)
• 1/2 capsicum
• 1 avocado chopped
• 2 tablespoons of mixed seeds - sunflower, pepitas, pine nuts - lightly toasted
• 1 small piece wood smoked trout per person,  (you can also use fresh cooked ocean trout/salmon)  broken into bite size pieces or you could use chicken, lamb or beef.
• 2 tablespoons of capers
• 100g feta - crumbled (Optional)

Dressing:

• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 1 tsp dijon mustard
• Mix dressing in a small jar until creamy looking

To Make:
Rinse quinoa well and add to 3/4 cup boiling water with a pinch of sea-salt. Turn down heat simmer, covered, for about 10-12 mins until just cooked - leave a little crunch. (check while cooking - you may need to add a little more water in the process)
Finely slice fennel and stalks (my $12 mandolin is perfect for this), I add the fennel raw, if you prefer you can saute sliced fennel  and stalks in a little olive oil until just soft.  Chop the fronds and add them to the greens below.
Add the rocket and parsley, roughly chopped fennel fronds, chopped capsicum and avocado* to the bowl.

Allow quinoa to cool if you prefer, or add it warm, then add the dressing *and give it all a mix through. Then sprinkle capers, crumbed feta, mixed seeds and trout. 

* If you are having the salad the next day for lunch, hold the avocado & dressing on what you won't be using right away.  Save your seeds, capers, some trout (or you could use chicken, beef, lamb, or extra nuts and seeds as your protein) and some dressing and add it all in when needed.

Ingredients
1 cup black rice

1 avocado, ripe, peeled and chopped

1 Granny smith/Pink lady apple, peeled and finely diced
3 Shallots, finely chopped

1 Long green chilli, finely chopped

½ bunch coriander leaves, coarsely chopped
1-2 tbsps lemon juice
2 tbsps olive oil

4 skinless snapper fillets,
½ tsp each of dried cumin,  chilli, paprika, ground oregano, coriander leaves
 or 2 tsp of a good quality Mexican spice mix
100g rocket or baby spinach





To make:
Cook the rice following absorption packet directions, remove from the heat and set aside to stand 5 minutes. Spoon rice into a colander. Refresh rice in cold water, set aside in colander to drain really well. Transfer to a large bowl.
Combine the avocado, apple, onions, chilli, coriander, lemon juice to taste, rocket and 1 tablespoon olive oil in a bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
Combine remaining oil and spices in a large bowl, add fish and toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper.
Heat a large non-stick frying pan over medium heat. Cook fish, in two batches, for about 2 minutes each side or until cooked through. Stand, covered with foil for 5 minutes.

Variations:
Fish Tortillas:  Wrap salad and fish (slice fillets lengthwise before coating in spices) in a warmed multigrain tortilla.
Chicken and rice salad:  Replace fish with chicken, use the spices above or you could slice a lemon thinly instead of the spices and marinate the chicken with the oil and lemon for an hour before cooking.
Vegetarian - Add some pepitas and sunflower seeds for some protein and crunch.