Citrus Salmon Wild Rice Bowl

Haven't you heard? It's Fiber February, which means I'll be sharing a new fiber-based series for the next five days for you to enjoy. As your favorite gut health dietitian, I wanted to brainstorm a series that not only provides you with fiber-based recipes, but recipes that are approachable and easy to make.

Quick educational recap: Fiber comes our plant-based sources of foods, our fruits, vegetables, legumes, whole grains, and nuts/seeds. Our bodies do not digest fiber, so when fiber reaches the colon undigested, the trillions of bacteria that live in our gut microbiome will ferment the fiber and produce compounds called short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs). These play a key part in our gut health, but also our overall health and well being. SCFAs have a role in our immunity, inflammatory responses, and digestive health. Beyond our gut health, fiber helps support regularity (aka making sure you're going) and promotes satiety, ensuring you stay fuller for longer.

So, for this Fiber February, I created my new series called, "Five Fibers, One Dinner". Since there are five different categories of fiber --

1. Fruits

2. Vegetables

3. Legumes

4. Whole grains

5. Nuts/seeds

I wanted to create five dinners that each contain all five fiber groups. For the next five days, you'll be provided a new dinner recipe that contains a fruit source, a vegetable source, a grain source, a legume source, and either a nut or seed. Of course I'm also focusing on other macronutrients, such as healthy fats and protein, to ensure you have a fully balanced meal. Oh, and let me not forget to mention that each day will be completely different sources of fiber, there will be no repeats! By Friday, you will have obtained 5 new dinner recipes and almost 32 different sources of fiber.

This is my way of teaching you that incorporating a diverse range of fiber within your day to day is possible. I want to teach you how to be more intentional about building balanced meals and being aware of the fact that all of these plant sources provide your body with more health benefits than you realize. Let's get more creative in the kitchen, shall we?

Our 5th recipe of this five-day series: Citrus Salmon Wild Rice Bowl

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This Citrus Salmon Wild Rice Bowl was specifically made for my people who are ever craving a salad from a really nice restaurant, but a). don’t want to make the drive, b). don’t have the funds for it, or c). don’t feel like getting all dolled up. This salad is going to be the salad you make anytime you’re craving a lux experience, but don’t want to leave the comfort of your own home.

In all seriousness, this recipe is my favorite out of the entire “Five Fibers, One Dinner” series — it has all sources of fiber your body craves, while giving you the most bang for your buck when it comes to flavor. It’s sweet, it’s crunchy, and it’s savory!

I know the question you’re asking yourself is, “is this meal preppable?” To an extent — it is. What you can do is prep the oranges, coleslaw, cucumber, edamame, and wild rice, while saving to make the salmon the day you want to enjoy it. In my personal opinion, I would mess with meal prepping fish. Let’s get to it!

Here are the details:

1. Fruit: Mandarin orange

2. Vegetable: Coleslaw (white cabbage, green cabbage, carrots), cucumber, green onion

3. Legume: Edamame

4. Whole grain: Wild Rice 

5. Nut/seed: Peanuts  

Yields: 2

Portion: 1 bowl (1 salmon)

Prep time: 20 minutes

Cook time: 20-30 minutes

Total time: 50 minutes

This recipe is dairy free and pescatarian.

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Ingredients:

Crispy rice:

1- 1 1/2 cup wild rice

1 tsp soy sauce

½ tbsp sesame oil

Salmon:

2 wild Atlantic or farm-raised salmon  

Salt

Black pepper

Paprika

Chili powder

Garlic powder

1 mandarin orange

4 cups coleslaw

2 finely sliced cucumber

1 1/2 cup shelled edamame

5 green onion, finely chopped

¼ cup unsalted peanuts

Dressing:

2 tbsp peanut butter

1-2 tbsp soy sauce

2 tbsp lime juice

2 tsp grated ginger

2 tsp honey/maple syrup

3 tbsp warm water to thin

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Instructions:

1. Prep rice and salmon: preheat the oven to 400F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Have the wild rice cooked, allow to cool. Toss the rice with soy sauce and sesame oil. Then add to the baking sheet. On other side of baking sheet, layer on salmon. Have salmon seasoned with salt, black pepper, paprika, chili powder, and garlic powder. Bake for 15 minutes or until salmon is cooked to your liking. Bake the rice for 30 minutes or until crispy.

   
   

2. Prep salad: in a bowl, add orange slices, coleslaw, chopped cucumber, edamame, green onion, and peanuts.

   
   

3. Prep dressing: mix peanut butter, soy sauce, lime juice, ginger, honey together. Add warm water to thin to even consistency.

   
   

4. Assemble and serve: add the crispy rice to the salad. Top with the salmon fillet. Drizzle on dressing. Taste and adjust for salt. Enjoy!

Recipe Notes:

• Switch bean: Instead of edamame, you could use cannellini beans, red kidney beans, or peas.

• Grain options: If you don't have access to wild rice, please feel free to use

• Make it spicy: Add red pepper flakes or chili crispy to the recipe if you would like.

I hope you love this recipe as much as I did, so if you do, please leave me a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! I always read through my suggestions and comments, so please let me know your thoughts. If you have any questions you can feel free to DM me here or through Instagram. Speaking of Instagram - please tag me in all of your creations! I love seeing how the recipes come out and seeing how talented you all are. Sending my love.

xoxo,

Jasmin D the RD