Pasta Tuna Nicoise: What to Make for Dinner When You Don't Feel Like Making Dinner...

Some days I'm so exhausted from trying to keep 4 kids alive that I have zero desire to make anything for dinner. Apples and popcorn anyone? After I pull myself together {relatively speaking} and take a deep breath I drag myself into the kitchen to see what's in the pantry that can literally be thrown together. This is the biggest reason why I don't keep junk food in the house, to ward off the temptation to eat boxed or frozen dinners which are full of preservatives, additives and nutrient deprived. Where I do cheat is keeping canned beans handy for when I forget to soak and prep dried beans. I also always have brown rice, lentils and whole grain pasta in my pantry. Canned light tuna and canned Alaskan salmon are great pantry staples as well and can be thrown into pasta or rice to make a complete meal in minutes when veggies are added.

Here is one of those dinners that were a big hit with the kiddos and more importantly, healthy and adult friendly as well. When I was little we had tuna casserole once or twice a month. Do you know the casserole I'm talking about? The one with canned tuna, cream of mushroom soup, frozen peas and crushed Ritz crackers sprinkled over top and then served on top of wide egg noodles. Ahhh, now that's nostalgic magic!

Well it was a big treat back in the day and a change from the beans and cornbread or fish and rice that we usually ate. I suppose frugality played a big role in us having that tuna casserole so often for dinner, as did my mom having 4 kids running around the house like wild monkeys as do I. Images of my 5 year old brother putting the car into gear while my mom was closing the garage door and driving it through the garage and into our living room are popping into my head. It's amazing she didn't just throw bird seed at us for dinner.

So, as much as I love to cook and as much as I want to enjoy a really wonderful meal, some days it's just not in the cards. Again, without resorting to Kraft Mac N' Cheese or hot dogs you can easily throw together a fuss free and healthy meal. This pasta is a healthy and adult spin on Tuna Casserole. I omitted the cream of mushroom soup or mayo that's usually in tuna casserole and opted for a light citrus dressing that is flavored with fresh herbs. Spring, pole beans replace the frozen peas since they are in season but feel free to use any veggies you have on hand, frozen works just as well.

TIME  15 MINUTES        SERVES  6-8

Ingredients:

1 lb. whole grain pasta, cooked according to package directions

2-6oz cans light tuna or Alaskan salmon, drained

1-14 oz. can Organic cannelini (white) beans, drained and rinsed

1/2 lb fresh pole beans or snap peas

2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved

1 red bell pepper, diced

1/2 small red onion, diced

1 small handful fresh parsley, chopped

2 tablespoons fresh chives, chopped

2 teaspoons dried tarragon (goes great with tuna, yum)

1 fresh lemon, juiced

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Salt and freshly cracked pepper to taste



Putting  Throwing it All Together:


In a large stock pot bring 2 quarts of salted water to a boil. Add pole beans and cook for just 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat, drain.

In a small bowl whisk together olive oil, lemon juice, tarragon, salt and pepper.

In a large bowl combine tuna, white beans, pole beans, tomatoes, red bell pepper, onion, cooked pasta, chives and parsley, toss to combine. Add dressing and toss to coat.

That's it!

What's your favorite 'Fuss Free' dinner?


This post is linked to Kitchen Corners for her May Cook off: Your favorite 'Go To' recipe.

Read more ...

Tuna and White Bean Cakes with Shaved Spring Asparagus and a Light, Lemon Tarragon Sauce {gluten free}

Question.  How do you make crab cakes when you're craving them like nobodies business but you   a.) don't have any crab and  b.) are on a budget? 

Answer.  You doll up some tuna with fresh herbs, lemon and shaved asparagus, dip it by the forkful with no shame into a tangy lemon, tarragon yogurt sauce and wash it down with a glass of Pinot Grigio.


Delima averted.





Then, just to gloat, you tell yourself that you are being super health conscience because you ate a practically perfect meal by utilizing the antioxidants in the wine and gave your body a good dose of healthy Omega 3's which are hard to come by these days, thereby forgetting all about the fact that you aren't  in fact  having crab cakes.  Pssshhhh, who needs em?

These tuna cakes are easy enough for a Monday night dinner -- or in my case a Tuesday night dinner. Tuesday's, without fail, are the crazy busiest Orthopedic days in surgery for some reason. Coincidentally (or not) it's also when people tend to call in sick, have some sort of emergency or just decide to spend the day soaking up the Spring sunshine (I would choose option 3 but I'm too chicken to make it happen).


This particular Tuesday provided to be all of the above plus an added curve ball. Seeing as we were short staffed (more than usual) I didn't get to work with the Ortho Doc who I usually assist during Makoplasty surgeries. Instead, I ended up doing total hips and knees with a Dr. I hardly ever work with meaning I couldn't rely on my "Auto Pilot" and had to use my memory/mommy brain instead....  at least until my coffee kicked in.... around noon. Not good.


My point,  I am mentally and physically and in all other ways exhausted on most every Tuesday. These tuna cakes are just a tad bit more complicate that spaghetti and meatballs or in our house, spaghetti and Italian sausage. You get the point. They are super easy to throw together.


A few chopped veggies and herbs thrown in a bowl with an egg and a can of tuna and you have yourself a  not so  fancy meal.

How can you not add asparagus to every meal during the Spring? Wait, am I the only one who worships this gorgeous veggie? No wonder since it's cousins are onion and garlic! 

I pulse a bit more than half of the white beans in my food processor and reserve some to add texture. 

Instead of using bread crumbs which you already know are high in gluten and cause bloating, stomach fat and various other ailments, I used finely chopped veggies and green onion and  nutritional yeast to bind the ingredients together. As you can see, they formed patties quite nicely.

If I had to pick one one of my top 3 favorite kitchen tools, my stone baking pan would and will be on the list forever! It browns veggie patties quickly and evenly using NO added oil and cleans by scraping with a spatula and hot water. Good bye fryer! 

{If you are at all interested in purchasing a stone baking sheet or any of my other favorite kitchen gadgets or ingredients, please consider buying through Simply Healthy Family's 'Store' and help support this blog. It's very much appreciated!} 

Using a simple veggie peeler, shave thin strips of asparagus and pile on top of your cooked tuna cakes. There is no need to cook or even blanch the asparagus, it tastes amazing when shaved into such thin strips and pairs perfectly with these tuna cakes. In fact, I found myself nibbling on my pile of curled asparagus while admiring the beautiful purple and green of my favorite vegetable.

Oh, you'll want to cut off the very tips of the asparagus, the spear, and save it for tomorrows salad or stir fry. The tips don't shave well but are conveniently most peoples favorite part.

This light and tangy dressing is the key to these tuna cakes.  I must admit that however healthy and flavorful they are, tuna cakes as well as any other fish cake are a bit dry without some sort of sauce to jazz it up. It makes a mundane meal extraordinary.

Crab cakes usually come with some version of aioli paired with them not only to compliment the flavors, but to add moisture. My tuna cakes are no exception. Instead of aioli, which base is mayo (if you know me, I can't stand mayo) I made a thick and creamy yogurt lemon-tarragon sauce to spoon on top of my cakes.  Not sure which I ate more of, the tuna cakes or the sauce.

TIME    30 MINUTES        SERVES    4-6

INGREDIENTS

2, 6 oz cans of Chunk Light Tuna, drained

1 cup cooked (or 1 can, drained and rinsed) cannellini beans

1 lemon, juiced 

2 eggs

1/4 cup red bell pepper, finely diced

2 tablespoons green onion, finely diced

1/4 cup carrot, grated finely (optional, adds sweetness)

2 tablespoons green onion, finely diced

 4 asparagus spears (tips removed and saved for future use) 

2 tablespoons Nutritional Yeast

1 tablespoon dried Tarragon

salt and pepper to taste

 1 cup Greek yogurt 

1 lemon (from above) zested

1 tablespoon dried Tarragon

pinch of sea salt

Preheat oven to 400F

In a food processor, pulse 3/4 of the beans until smooth. Spoon beans into a large bowl and add remaining whole beans. Add tuna, eggs, lemon, bell pepper, onion, nutritional yeast, tarragon, salt and pepper. Mix until thoroughly combined. 

Using hands, shape mixture into small patties and place onto stone baking sheet or parchment lined cookie sheet.

Bake at 400F for 10 minutes. Flip patties over and cook another5-7 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare lemon tarragon sauce by mixing all ingredients in a small bowl. 

Shave asparagus as instructed above. 

Remove tuna patties from oven and place on plate.  Dollop with lemon, tarragon sauce and top with shaved asparagus.

Serve with a side of mixed Spring field greens and chilled Pinot Grigio.

Read more ...

Ready. Set. Sprout! Sprouting beans and seeds is fun, simple and delicious.

How To Grow

Many of you have probably eaten sprouts and come across tutorials on growing your own.

How many of you have ever actually grown sprouts?

Did you know that it's really, really ridiculously easy to do?

My 4 and 6 year old's made their own jars of sprouts. 

Did you know that sprouts are a fabulous source of vitamins and minerals? They are a true super food.

They taste wonderful and you can put them on sandwhiches, salads, seafood, hummus, stir fry's and soups.

So what are you waiting for? First, here are a few things you need to know about sprouting.

 

First, find yourself some beans, seeds or legumes. Most any will do, however seeds for sprouting differ from the seeds you normally plant in your garden since garden seeds may be pre-treated with chemicals.

The most common seeds used for sprouting are alfalfa, mung {beans} radish, sunflower, cabbage and broccoli seeds.

I used mung beans for this tutorial that I purchased at Sprouts no less. ;)

• Rinse and sort your beans/seeds. Remove any rotten or damaged looking ones so they don't spoil the bunch.
• Using a sieve, rinse again under cool water.

Some smaller seeds can be sprouted on a moist paper towel but it's usually best to use a wide mouth jar like this one.

• Sprouts will grow up to 8 times in size so start with a tablespoon if you're using larger beans like these. I totally over did it and ended up with 4 jars jam packed with sprouts! Oops.
• Cover well with purified water and let sit in a cool, dark place for at least 2 hours or up to overnight.
• Do not use a lid. Cover with cheese cloth or a new/un-used, cloth diaper. Wrap a rubber band tightly around the cheescloth to hold in place.

• Drain the water, rinse again with cool water. You can leave them in the jar to rinse.
• Tip the jar so any remaining water can drip out.
• Let sit in a cool, dark place
• Rinse with purified water 2 times a day.
• Do Not let them sit in water, they will rot!

This is after just ONE day! Aren't they cute?

After just 2 days.

The kids thought this was cool.

 On the third day we had edible sprouts for munching.

We let them continue to grow another day or two and plucked off the bean part. It is edible but I didn't like it much.

These were really good on top of my tuna salad!

Put sprouts on your tuna salad, you'll love them!

Try sprouts in a veggie stir fry!

Read more ...

Totally Loaded Chopped Tuna Salad

If I could eat a tuna salad every single day I would. It's my idea of a perfect lunch. It's delicious, easy and super healthy, especially when you add a variety of your favorite veggies. According to all of the experts however, I should only eat it once or twice a week at most. For kids, even less and that's chunk 'light' tuna. There are two main kinds of canned tuna: Canned light (chunk light) and canned albacore tuna (solid/chunk white). Stick to the light variety if your a tuna addict like me or if your serving it to the kiddos.

My favorite way to serve tuna is this chopped tuna salad. I throw different things into it depending on what I have on hand. Instead of the usual mayo (my ick factor) I whisk together stone ground mustard, a bit of plain yogurt and a teensie bit of Miso paste if I have any on hand. Trust me. Would I lie to you?

Here are a few excellent tuna side kicks:

• Celery
• Radish
• Green or Kalmata Olives
• Capers
• Tomatoes
• Green or Red onions
• Sprouts (essential in my opinion)
• Lettuce
• Peppers
• Endive
• Jicama
• Parsley
• Stone Ground Mustard
• Miso (yup, miso. excellent aid in digestion too)
• Freshly Cracked Pepper
• Celery Seed
• Herbamare
• Lemon juice

What I can't stand in tuna? Most peoples fav's,  Mayo and Pickles.  I'm an odd one, I already warned you about that.

What I have to have with my totally loaded, chopped tuna salad?
Ginger Peach Iced Tea from Republic of China.  So perfect it was just ment to be.


What Do You Like In Your Tuna Salad???

Like this post? Love my blog? Please help spread the healthy word by voting for me

 {Healthy Mamma}

at babble.com for best new blog!

Thanks!

Read more ...