Roasted Tomato Walnut Pesto Salmon by Dr. Janet

Can you name that food?

Sea food with high protein content, low in saturated fat, and high in omega-3 fatty acids.

The American Heart Association recommends consuming two servings of seafood per week (fish or shellfish, 4 oz/serving), especially seafood higher in omega-3 fatty acids such as salmon, tuna (fresh or canned), and mackerel. Omega-3 fatty acids prevent blood clotting, build cell membranes, decrease inflammation, and have been proven to help prevent heart disease.

So make it a goal this week to eat your omega-3 fatty acids from FISH. Start by making a simple Mediterranean-style heart-healthy salmon dish, packed with multiple artery-healing ingredients—which happens to be this week’s featured recipe, Roasted Tomato Pesto Salmon.

Here is the heart-healthy recipe of Roasted Tomato Walnut Pesto Salmon:

Ingredients:

Yield: 2 servings (1 serving = 4 oz fillet)

2-4 oz salmon fillets
2 Tablespoons of walnut pesto
2-3 slices of tomato
1 tsp of dried basil (or fresh minced basil)
¼ tsp of black pepper

Heart Healthy Walnut Pesto:

2 oz fresh basil leaves (about 1 cup)
1 cup walnut halves
½ cup olive oil
3 large garlic cloves

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 400 º F. Grease a tin pan with olive oil spray. Place all pesto ingredients into a food processor and blend pesto until a spreadable consistency. Place salmon fillets in the pan and cover each fillet with 1 Tablespoons of pesto. Top salmon with tomato slices and sprinkle with dried basil and black pepper. Bake salmon until opaque in the center, about 20-25 minutes.

Nutrition Information per Serving:

Calories: 273 kcal
Carbohydrates: 3 g
Dietary Fiber: 1 g
Fat: 15 g
Cholesterol: 81 mg
Protein 30 g
Sodium: 67 mg

Be sure to come back next week for more Dinner Easy recipes!