Sesame Tuna Salad

As I've said before, I never resolute to eat better or lose weight. That's just been the goal for the last few years of my life. However, I will admit the new year always bring me back to a sense of dedication. I joined up with Weight Watchers (again) last week and just as I imagined, it's working out quite well. I am slowly going to get back into exercising, but this time I am focusing on strength training. If I never had to step foot on elliptical again, it would be fine with me!

Eating right with winter vegetables is proving to be a challenge. Traditionally, starchy root vegetables are what most dieters try to stay away from. I have noticed this year that more companies are pushing seasonal recipes (including Weight Watchers) and that makes me happy! EatingWell On a Budget is a great cookbook! They claim that every recipes is $3 or less a serving. This book is awesome because it has a lot of seasonal recipes (because eating in season IS cheaper, people). So that brings us to today's little salad.

This is a very simple no cook recipe that uses cabbage (the heart of winter produce) and canned tuna. If you have a well stocked pantry, then this should be easy peasy. I used red onions instead of scallions, carrots instead of snow peas, and dried ginger instead of fresh. I had no cilantro, but it really would have added something nice to the recipe. Of course I halved the recipe. I got two servings out of it which I ate on two different days. I am not opposed to leftovers, I just don't want gobs of them. If I had planned a little further ahead, I would have served this with my Thai butternut squash soup I had in the freezer.

Sesame Tuna Salad
(Serves 4)

1/4 cup rice vinegar or lemon juice

3 tablespoons canola oil
2 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons minced fresh ginger
2 5- to 6-ounce cans water-packed chunk light tuna, drained
1 cup sliced sugar snap peas or snow peas
2 scallions, sliced
6 cups thinly sliced napa cabbage
4 radishes, julienne-cut or sliced
1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves
1 tablespoon sesame seeds
Freshly ground pepper to taste

1. Whisk vinegar (or lemon juice), canola oil, soy sauce, sesame oil, sugar and ginger in a small bowl.


2. Combine 3 tablespoons of the dressing with tuna, peas and scallions in a medium bowl.

3. Divide cabbage among 4 plates. Mound one-fourth of the tuna mixture (about 1/2 cup) in the center of each plate and garnish with radishes, cilantro and sesame seeds. Drizzle with the remaining dressing (about 2 tablespoons per salad) and season with pepper.

Per serving: 228 calories; 16 g fat (2 g sat, 9 g mono); 12 mg cholesterol; 9 g carbohydrates; 2 g added sugars; 14 g protein; 3 g fiber; 353 mg sodium; 200 mg potassium.


Can also be found here.

Winter Fish Tacos

Fish tacos are one of my favorite foods. My dad lived in San Diego for most of my life and whenever I visited I love getting baja style fish tacos. Some Mexicans I know sneer at the idea of fish tacos because "that's not Tacos! That's Tex Mex". Well, the taste is so good I can't help but eat them up. So when I found a recipe in Recipes from the Root Cellar for winter fish tacos - I knew it was time!
Okay, so I feel kind of bad. A lot of the recipes lately haven't been specifically tailored for two. However, I try to post recipes that cut in half easily or freeze well. This recipe is super easy to cut in half. Yes, it serves three - but come on! Leftover fish tacos? Is that really something to complain about? I didn't think so. I actually made the full recipe because I had some beloved friends over.

First, the pickled red onions. They were probably my favorite part of the whole meal. Who knew I would love pickled red onions quite so much. I have already vowed to make a whole jar full to keep in my fridge for any given moment. Okay... so I did have to look up what non-reactive meant. I still don't know exactly what that means, but I used a small glass pan to make them. I am sure any ovenproof casserole dish would work. It's well worth it my friends!

The fish and marinade are easy enough. I just used a fish called whiting (??) because that is what Aldi had available. Like it says, any white fish will do. Okay, lets talk about the sour cream sauce. I made exactly what the recipe asked for, but four people barely put a dent in it. Unless you have some sort sauce crazy friends - you should probably make just enough. For example, 1/2 cup sour cream 1/8 cup mayonnaise for four people OR 1/4 cup sour cream and 1 or 2 tablespoons of mayonnaise for two people. I think I might shred up some cabbage and just make a slaw with the leftover sauce - because there is a ton of it left. And yes mayonnaise haters - you could probably just leave it out completely or use something else. I got my tortillas from a local Mexican grocery store (where I ate a tongue taco - it wasn't bad!), but they look too perfect to be made fresh. Next time I'll just buy mission tortillas and be happy about it.

I served these with a carrot salad (coming soon) and black beans. Good friends and good food, life aint too shabby!

 

 

 

Winter Fish Tacos
(Serves 6)

Pickled Red Onion
1 small red onion, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced
1/2 cup rice vinegar
Juice of 1 lime
2 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
Dash of hot pepper sauce

Fish and Marinade
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons lime juice
1 1/2 pounds mahimahi or other white fish fillet

Sour Cream Sauce
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons lime juice
1 teaspoons (packed) finely grated lime zest
Pinch of salt
Dash of hot sauce

Tortillas and Garnishes
18 small flour or corn tortillas
2 cups shredded green or savoy cabbage
Salsa

1. To make the pickled onion, combine all the ingredients in a small nonreactive saucepan and bring to a boil. Remove from heat, transfer to a serving bowl, and let cool.

2. To prepare the fish, combine the oil and lime juice in a large, shallow, glass baking dish. Add the fish and turn to coat. Set aside and let marinate for 15 minutes.

3. To prepare the sauce, combine all the ingredients in a small bowl and stir until will combined. Set aside.

4. Preheat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Transfer the fish from the marinade to the hot pan, skin-side down. Cook the fish for 4 minutes on the first side, flop, and drizzle with the marinade. Cook on the second side for 3-5 minutes, depending on thickness of the fish. Let rest for a few minutes, then flake with a fork.

5. To warm tortillas, stack them between damp paper towels and microwave about 60 seconds.

6. Serve the warm tortillas, fish, pickled onions, sour cream sauce, cabbage, and salsa in separate bowls and allow diners to assemble their own tacos.

Tuna-Noodle Bake

This week's post has multiple points. First, it's a pantry recipe. Which means it's there for you on the nights when you get home and you have absolutely no fresh produce left in your fridge. Secondly, it's a Weight Watchers (c) recipe. So it's a healthi-fied version of a comfort classic. And thirdly, I decided to test the Don't Panic method. Which is great for cooking for singles and doubles. You can literally make your mom's lasagna recipe and not eat it every night for a week. No cutting recipes in half!

I had never made tuna casserole in my life. My mom made tuna helper from time to time, but was often met with groans. Canned tuna still isn't my favorite food, but because it's so cheap I incorporate it to keep my food budget down. Dennis said his mom cooked something that was basically a tuna noodle bowl (not baked in the oven), but was covered in lots of cheese. So I decided to use this Weight Watchers recipe to help strike a balance.

First of all, the recipe serves four. It says to use a 2 quart casserole dish. After looking through the Don't Panic books I was inspired to take their idea and scale it down. I'll explain the Don't Panic Method below. Just about every recipe in the book fed 6 or more. Instead, I could simply make the single casserole for six put it into two pans (with 3 servings each) or three pans (with 2 servings each). My tuna bake serves four so I used two meatloaf pans with 2 servings in each. It was a PAIN to try to line the pan with the aluminum foil and plastic wrap. When I later cooked the other half, the plastic wrap got stuck in the grooves and we literally had to wait till it was cooked to pull out the bits I couldn't dig out. So I am going to try to wrap and freeze method a few more times. If it doesn't get easier with practice, I'll switch to disposable aluminum pans (which can be reused a few times before discarding).

The recipe advocates cooking it for 50 minutes. This should certainly be decreased for the smaller servings, I put it in for 30 and it was pretty much overcooked. The eggs had all gone to the bottom and baked into a slightly overdone fritata consistency. The noodles on top were very dry. The second time, we baked it while frozen and it took about 40 minutes and it was good. Not dry at all. I wanted it to be a little runny (personal preference). Basically, I am saying start checking your casserole after 15-20min just to see the progress and decide how well done you want your casserole.

I am posting the original recipe. You can make it all at once and eat left overs (it's a small casserole), just make half, or divide it and do the Don't Panic Method. It's cheap and quick, and relatively tasty.

Don't Panic Method:

1. Follow your casseroles instructions with minor tweaks. Instead of one pan, divide it into smaller pans/dishes for 1-3 servings each. However, be sure to line your pans (with a lot of excess) with aluminum foil first, then plastic, and finally put the food inside.

2. Freeze your casseroles.

3. Once frozen solid, pop them out of the casserole dish. You may have to run some hot water on the bottom.

4. Make sure your casserole is wrapped well and possibly placed in a freezer bag. Put it in the freezer until ready for use (I don't advocate more than 3-6 months).

5. When ready, take casserole out and unwrap it (probably with a little help from some hot water). This does have a small yuck factor.

6. Put the unwrapped casserole back into the pan it molded to.

7. Thaw completely or slightly and then bake.

Tuna-Noodle Bake

(4 Servings)

2 cups wide whole-wheat egg noodles

1 (16oz) bag frozen mixed vegetables

1 (6oz) can or pouch of water-packed solid white tuna, drained and flaked

1 1/2 c. fat-free milk

2 large eggs

3/4 c. shredded fat-free sharp cheddar cheese

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper

1. Preheat oven to 375 F. Spray a shallow 2 quart casserole dish with canola oil nonstick spray. Cook the noodles according to package directions, adding the mixed vegetables during the last minute of cooking. Drain and pour into the casserole dish. Scatter the tune over the top.

2. Lightly beat the milk and eggs in a medium bowl. Stir in about 1/2 c. of the cheese, the sale, and pepper; pour over the pasta mixture. Sprinkle with the remaining 1/4 c. cheese. Bake uncovered, until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean and the top is golden brown, about 50 minutes. Let stand about 5 minutes, then cut into four servings.

Coconut Thai Stir Fry

I have made this recipe more than anything else in my collection. It's easy to cut in half for two, it's adaptable to other meats and vegetables, and it''s yummy. I am more than certain I've never made it the same way twice. It was one of the first things I ever cooked for Dennis, because we both liked Thai food and we both liked shrimp. The recipe actually has something about "Shrimp and Zucchini" in the title, but since I've made it with broccoli more than I have with zucchini (only because broccoli was in season when zucchini was not), it's been nick named Thai Stir Fry. This week it will be with yellow squash and green bell pepper from Grow Alabama, and later this summer I am going to use eggplant. I always serve it with rice (usually basamati).

I will say this recipe is a snap to put together if you have a good knife. When I first made this, I was just beginning my cooking journey and was using steak knives to cut vegetables. I think it took Dennis and I 45 minutes just to get everything ready. But since we both have good knives now, it takes maybe 15 minutes. Stir fry comes together quickly, so you have to have everything ready before you start.

Did I mention this is pretty healthy?

A note about cutting recipes in half: I cut a lot of recipes in half, some are much easier to cut than others. This happens to be one of those easy recipes. Sometimes, I don't cut this recipe in half. Honestly, it's so good it's hard not to eat most of it in one sitting. But I manage to control Dennis and I by explaining that we'll have left overs. I posted the original recipe, so I'll let you decide if you'd like to cut it in half or not.

Coconut Thai Stir Fry

Serves 4

2 tsp Canola Oil

1lb peeled and deveined large shrimp

3 medium zucchini cut into 2x1/4in matchsticks.

2 red bell peppers, cut into thin strips

3 scallions sliced

1 tbs grated peeled fresh ginger (or 1/8 tsp dried)

2 garlic gloves, minced

1 tsp Thai Red Curry Paste

1/2 cup light coconut milk

1.5 tbs Asian Fish Sauce

1tbs brown sugar

1. Heat 1tsp of the oil in a nonstick wok or large deep nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. When a drop of water sizzles in it, add the shrimp and stir-fry until just opaque in the center, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl.

2. Heat the remaining 1tsp oil in the wok. Add the zucchini, bell peppers, and scallions; stir-fry until crisp-tender, about 2 minutes. Add the ginger, garlic, and curry pastel stir-fry until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add to the bowl.

3. Add the coconut milk, fish sauce, and brown sugar to the wok; bring to simmer. Cook, stirring frequently, about 2 minutes. Return the shrimp and vegetable to the wok; stir-fry until heated through, about 1 minute longer.