Salmon and Cilantro Pesto

Last week I had a lovely piece of fresh salmon for dinner.  I was thinking of a couple of dishes, possibly a Thai curry or a salmon chili, and of course a couple of side dishes.  Of course, these plans were interrupted by my dying computer and trying to retrieve backup files. When it was time for dinner, I realized that I hadn’t started cooking, so I decided to quickly poach up the salmon (this takes 10 minutes, no need to fuss with it either) and serve it with microwaved sweet potatoes and leftover steamed broccoli.  Problem with poached salmon is that it cries out for a tasty sauce. Rather than a mayonnaise type of sauce I whipped up this quick cilantro pesto which was lively, and quick to whiz up in a food processor.  Preparation time for the whole meal was about 12 minutes (really).  This pesto is also good with chicken breasts or pork tenderloin.

Cilantro Pesto

1 cup cilantro leaves
1 clove garlic
1 inch knob of fresh ginger
4 T coconut milk
1 T fresh lemon juice
2-3 T macadamia nuts (or almonds)
2 pinches red pepper flakes
salt to taste

In a food processor or blender, pulse the garlic and ginger until minced.  Add the remaining ingredients, and blend until cilantro is finely chopped and pesto is a nice paste, but not too smooth.  Serve immediately over poached salmon or baked chicken breasts.

shared at $5 Dinners, Real Food Wednesdays, Grocery Cart Challenge, and Tempt My Tummy Tuesday