"The way I came up with my recipe was that I read the rules with my mom. We thought a little, jotted down some ideas, and came up with one we liked," says Ingrid. "And now I know for real that my mom and I make a really great cooking pair. The salmon recipe was my great-grandfather's recipe. But the salad recipe is mine. It's gluten-free, which is important, because I have celiac disease. But I think anyone would like it." - Ingrid Gruber, age 9, District of Columbia

Makes 4 servings

Ingredients: 

For the salmon:

• 1 pound salmon fillets
• Juice of 1 lemon
• Beau Monde Seasoning, or any seasoning you like, to taste

For the quinoa:

• 1 cup quinoa, rinsed
• 2 cups water
• 2 cups cherry tomatoes, cut into quarters
• 2 cups minced arugula
• 3 tablespoons plain Greek-style yogurt
• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• Sea salt

Preparation:

Make the salmon: 

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F or preheat the grill to medium. Brush both sides of the salmon with lemon juice and sprinkle with the Beau Monde Seasoning. Arrange the salmon in a large baking dish or place it directly on the grill. Bake or grill the salmon until cooked through, about 25 minutes in the oven or 10 minutes on the grill. 

Make the quinoa:

1. In a medium saucepan, bring the quinoa and water to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer until the quinoa is tender, about 15 minutes. Let the quinoa cool then add the tomatoes and arugula and stir to combine.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together the yogurt, lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, and salt. Add the yogurt mixture to the quinoa salad, and stir to combine. To serve, place a small (4-ounce) piece of salmon on top of some salad. (Salmon can be served hot or cold over the salad.)

442 calories; 33g protein; 38g carbohydrates; 18g fat (2g saturated fat); 169mg sodium

More information about the Kids' State Dinner:

• Check out the other winning 2013 Kids' State Dinner Recipes here.
• Learn more about Kids' State Dinner here.