AIP roasted veggie and salmon bowls - roasted roots, baked salmon, omega-3 source

Massage the kale for a full minute, longer than feels necessary, until it actually softens and turns a darker green. That's the whole trick to kale you'd choose to eat instead of push around the bowl. Build the rest around it: roasted parsnip, beet, and carrot, herb-and-citrus salmon, and an avocado-cilantro-lime sauce over the top. 2 sheet pans, and lunch is handled for a few days.

The salmon is doing real work for the inflammatory side of this: omega-3 fats that may help keep that balance steadier, which is precisely the balance an autoimmune condition keeps testing. Vitamin A and a spread of polyphenols sit in the color of these roasted roots, and the fat in the avocado sauce is what carries them where the body can put them to work.

Fish deserves the same respect as any other animal on the plate, cooked with care and not left to waste (even the skin crisps into something worth eating if you let it). Layer the bowl with a little intention, sauce last, and give the colors one honest look before you dig in.

Ingredients

Bowl base

• 1 large parsnip, chopped 1/2 inch
• 1 large beet, red or yellow, chopped 1/2 inch
• 3 medium carrots, chopped 1/2 inch
• 1 small red onion, chopped
• 3 tbsp olive oil, divided
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 3/4 tsp sea salt, divided
• 4 cups kale, arugula, or spinach, roughly chopped

Salmon

• 4 salmon fillets, about 6 oz each
• Sea salt
• 1.5 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp freshly squeezed lime juice
• 2 tbsp coconut aminos
• 1/2 tsp lime zest
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• 1/4 cup cilantro, chopped

Cilantro lime sauce

• 1 avocado
• 1/4 cup cilantro, finely chopped
• 2 tbsp water
• 1.5 tbsp freshly squeezed lime juice
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1 tbsp olive oil

Method

Heat the oven to 425 F and line two sheet pans with parchment.

Toss the parsnip, beet, carrots, and red onion with 2 tbsp of the olive oil, the garlic powder, and 1/2 tsp of the sea salt. Spread them in a single layer on one pan, keeping the beet a little separate if you want to limit how much its color bleeds. Roast for 25 to 30 minutes, turning once, until tender and browned at the edges. Times are estimated and flagged for verify.

While the roots roast, marinate the salmon. Stir together the olive oil, lime juice, coconut aminos, lime zest, crushed garlic, and chopped cilantro. Season the fillets with sea salt, set them on the second pan, and spoon the marinade over the top. Let them sit while the oven works.

When the roots have about 12 to 15 minutes left, slide the salmon in to bake until it flakes easily and looks just opaque through the center, about 12 to 15 minutes depending on thickness.

Massage the kale with the remaining 1 tbsp olive oil and the remaining 1/4 tsp sea salt for a minute, until it softens and darkens. This is what makes raw kale pleasant to eat.

Make the sauce by blending the avocado, cilantro, water, lime juice, crushed garlic, sea salt, and olive oil until smooth, loosening with a little more water if needed.

Build each bowl with a base of massaged greens, a scoop of roasted roots, a salmon fillet, and a generous drizzle of the cilantro lime sauce.

Air fryer variation

Roast the salmon in the air fryer at 380 F for about 8 to 10 minutes, until it flakes, while the root vegetables roast in the oven. The roots do better with the steady, even heat of a sheet pan than in the air fryer basket. Air fryer time is estimated and flagged for verify.

Layer the bowl on purpose, drizzle the sauce last, and take one breath at the color before you eat.

*Adapted from healmedelicious.com*