Thursday, February 24, 2011

Pasta Salad with Tuna


This is one of my mom's recipes that always shows up at our family barbecues. I don't know why I love it so, but I do and I haven't had it in a while (Tuna + Chris = divorce). So when the craving for it hit on Sunday I threw together a batch. And, of course, that afternoon Chris is sticking his head in and out of the fridge rummaging for something to eat and he pulls out the pasta salad. I should have just let him have at it but having purposefully tricked him into eating shrimp once before I have made a solemn promise never to do it again. So when I hear the saran wrap being drawn back away from the bowl I sing out a small warning:
theeeeres tunaaaaa in iiiiiiit...

I'm pretty sure he cursed.


Hey, its not my fault he's so picky.


Anyway, I made a few changes to the recipe to make it a little more "healthy".

Here is what you will need:

2 cups dry pasta, cooked (I used piccolini farfalle)
1 can albacore chunk white tuna (in water)
3 heaping Tbsp. onion, minced
2 stalks celery, minced
1 Tbsp fresh chopped dill
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1 Tbsp light mayo
1 Tbsp fat free sour cream
4-5 whole green olives, sliced
Salt and pepper to taste
a few slices of hard boiled egg to garnish-- optional.

So the rest is pretty self explanatory: Drain the tuna, I also rinse mine and drain again. Use a fork to shred the tuna in a large mixing bowl. Then add the remaining ingredients and mix together.




As you can see mine is sans egg. I like it with the hard boiled egg I was just saving my eggs for a savory crostata that turned into "The tomato and feta crostata fiasco." But more on that later...

Add a few healthy dashes of Texas Pete and sweet Georgia Brown, that's good!


Hope you like! Enjoy!

Sunday, February 20, 2011

Skinny Skins.

This appetizer is awesome. I got the idea for my stuffed skinny skins from these really incredible stuffed portobella mushrooms my brother in law used to make. But again, Chris wont eat mushrooms so when I was trying to come up with guiltless munchies for the Superbowl this recipe was born.

Here is what you will need:
10 small russet potatoes
1 small zucchini, diced
1 small yellow squash, diced
3 Roma tomatoes, diced
two green onions, sliced
half a jalapeno,minced
1 cup fresh grated mozzarella
3 slices cooked bacon, chopped
salt, & Cayenne pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 375 and place scrubbed potatoes on a baking sheet and bake for 50 minutes. until soft.

While the spuds are cooking prepare the veggie filling.

Turn this...

...into this. Add salt and Cayenne, mix together and set aside

Next, turn this...


...into this. Set aside.


To prepare the cooked potatoes slice in half and allow to cool.



Remove the pulp. I like to take out most of the pulp and save for mashed potatoes for my boys. Plus you'll have a lot of filling, Less pulp equals more filling.


Place the skins on a foil lined baking dish.


Eagerly awaiting their destiny.

I had a bit of leftover grated cheddar that I threw into the filling to help bind everything together.


Now stuff the skins.

I like my food to be pretty.


Sprinkle on the mozzarella...


...and, if you so choose, the bacon as well. I do two-thirds of the skins with bacon because, in all honesty, bacon makes em better.

Bake at 375for 15 minutes until cheese is melted and bubbly.

See what I mean about the bacon?


But the bacon-less ones are pretty kick-ass too. I served mine with a spicy sour cream (light sour cream dosed with Sriracha hot sauce)

Not feeling the zucchini- squash combo? Try them with a layer of guacamole, pico de gallo and top with cheese. Or how about mushrooms, peppers and onions? Endless possibilities!


Whatever your flavor I'm sure you'll love them as much as this guy.

Thursday, February 17, 2011

Pasta Primavera

In the past few weeks I've had a few friends ask me when I'm going to update my food blog which is so flattering even if it is just for curiosity's sake. Between job hunting, interviewing, play-dates and all the other daily household blah blah blah before I know it its dinner time and I'm throwing something together last minute. Most of the time its nothing particularly exciting or, for that matter, blog-worthy. And when it is I'm half way through the preparation before I think I should post this recipe! That being said the next few posts will likely be sparse in the picture department. Because I've resigned myself to adding recipes to all the half-assed pictures I've taken.

consider yourself forewarned.

Anyway, last night we got home from our afternoon walking through town and playing at the park and everyone is starving. I'm eye balling the bag of Frito's that have been sitting in the chip basket since Superbowl Sunday like a man damned to hell would a glass of ice water. Seriously Chris finish the bag of chips already before I throw them out. A girl's will is only so strong, ask Eve.
I knew I had to come up with something quick or my whole day might be undone by that bag of Frito's. Pasta Primavera to the rescue!

Here is what you will need.

2 cups dry pasta, cooked.
2 TBSP evoo
1 clove garlic, minced
1 small zucchini, sliced
4 spears Asparagus chopped
1 can fire roasted diced tomatoes
1/4 cup pine nuts, raw
2 TBSP Parmesan
salt and pepper to taste
Scallion to garnish.



Now, being famished I just jumped right in pulling stuff from the fridge and pantry, chopping and whatnot. I wasn't thinking about the blog until the aroma of the sauce wafted up from the pan and I thought "this is going to be sooo good"


To get to this point: warm the evoo in a saute pan and brown the garlic and the pine nuts. Add the zucchini and asparagus and saute over medium heat for 3 to 5 minutes then add the diced tomatoes and salt and pepper. Cook over medium heat until sauce reduces down and thickens.

Add the Parmesan which with help to thicken it up even more..



Then serve it up over pasta and garnish with scallions and more parm... that is if you're not desperately trying to get back into shape... We had our pasta with warm tandoori naan and a green salad.
And that bag of Frito's, still sitting half full in the chip basket.