tuna pasta salad

Growing up my mother would always make tuna pasta salad as a summer side. Eventually I learned this dish would be a perfect main component of a meal, any meal...and yes I've eaten this multiple times for breakfast. With a hands-on time of maybe 10 minutes, this dish is one of my top 5 dishes of all times, and it cuts corners and cheats and I still love it and always will! If you decide to make this, please please please let it cool in the fridge for as long as you can wait, because it really tastes disgusting when warm.

Ingredients (enough for 8 as a side dish, or 4 as medium bowls for a main dish):
1 lb small pasta of choice (I used elbows)
9 tbs white vinegar
2 envelopes dry Italian dressing mixture (I used Good Seasons)
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup canola oil
2 tbs dried parsley
1 tbs dried basil
2 cans tuna

Directions:
1. Cook pasta until just past al dente. Set aside.

2. Combine vinegar, salad dressing, and mayonnaise & mix until blended.

3. Gradually add oil while mixing.
 

4. Add dried parsley & basil. Mix again.

 

5. Add tuna and mix again to fully coat and flake tuna into smaller bits.
 

6. Pour 1/3 of pasta into a large tupperware, top with 1/3 of tuna mixture and mix to coat fully. Repeat this pattern two more times until all pasta is well-coated with tuna mixture.
 

7. Pop in refrigerator until cooled off (at LEAST 1.5 hours) before enjoying!
 

 

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crab cakes with homemade tartar sauce

With summer food memories slipping away, I had to revisit my good friend, crab. Crab cakes with tartar sauce always brings me back to nautical vacations in warm weather, so why not make some easy healthier homemade ones on a chilly day to feel a bit warmer? 

Ingredients (makes 3 medium-sized crab cakes):
Crab cakes:
6 oz crabmeat
1 egg
3 tbs mayonnaise
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
2 tsp spicy mustard
1 tsp old bay spice
1 tbs chopped scallions or chives
Salt & pepper
1/2 cup panko or breadcrumbs

Tartar sauce:
4 heaping tsp nonfat Greek yogurt
2 heaping tsp mayonnaise
1 tsp onion powder
2 tsp sweet pickle relish
2 tsp lemon juice
Salt & pepper

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375F. Mix crabmeat, egg, mayonnaise, Worcestershire sauce, spicy mustard, old bay, scallions, and pinches of salt & pepper until well-blended.

 

2. Add panko and mix until well-coated.

3. Form flattened patties with your hands, place onto a tin foil-lined baking sheet and top with a pinch of panko and a drizzle of olive oil. Pop in preheated oven for 15 minutes.

 

4. After 15 minutes, flip patties and return to oven for another 13 minutes.
 

5. Meanwhile, make the tartar sauce: place Greek yogurt in a paper-towel lined bowl and refrigerate for 5 minutes to absorb excess liquid. After 5 minutes, mix all tartar sauce ingredients until fully-blended and return to fridge until ready to use.

6. Once final 13 minutes are up, remove crab cakes from oven, top with tartar sauce, and serve!  

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chicken tetrazzini

Chicken tetrazzini has been in my life since elementary school. I went to a private school for 14 years (uniform & all) and had the same school chef for all of those years. Every week she would let me know of the upcoming meals, and would ask when I would like my favorite meal. Each time the tetrazzini was on the menu, I would be the little girl going back & back & back for more portions. Finally, my mother realized I had found my food soul-mate, cheesy & noodly....my soul-mate for sure. She realized the way to make me forever happy was to ask for the recipe. Finally, we received the answer to my foodie prayers. Ever since, I've tweaked it to make it easier & tastier...and today...I will share this glorious dish with you!

Ingredients:
2 chicken breasts (1 lb)
1/2 cup panko or breadcrumbs
Salt & pepper
1 lb whole wheat spaghetti
1/2 cup butter
1 cup flour
3 cups chicken broth
2 cups milk
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 1/2 cups grated parmesan cheese


 Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Lightly grease a baking pan. Cut chicken breasts into strips in order to cook quicker. Dredge through flour and coat in panko or breadcrumbs.

2. Place on baking sheet, drizzle in olive oil & top with salt and pepper. Bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes. Check until chicken is almost thoroughly-cooked (end product should be undercooked, as it will be cooked fully later).

 3. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Cook spaghetti until al dente. Strain & empty into lightly-greased pan.

4. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Melt butter in a medium sauce pan over medium heat. Stir in flour.

5. Mix in chicken broth, milk, oregano, and extra salt and pepper. Bring to a boil.

 

6. Stir in most of the parmesan cheese and remove from heat.

 7. Chop up chicken into bits and layer over spaghetti in pan.

 8. Pour liquid mixture over chicken & spaghetti. Mix around to ensure liquid seeps into all parts of the pan.

8. Sprinkle remainder of parmesan cheese & panko on top of the mixture.

 

9. Bake in preheated oven for 40 minutes, or until crispy, browned & bubbly.

10. Serve and enjoy!

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spicy citrus shrimp

For a super healthy & quick dinner that can be tweaked depending on your taste (whether it be super spicy or mild in flavor).

 

Ingredients (for 2):
16 thawed tail-on deveined shrimp
2 pinches of salt
2 tsp chipotle powder 
2 tbs olive oil
4 cloves of garlic
1/3 cup orange juice
2 tbs lemon juice
1 tbs chopped fresh parsley 

Directions:

1. Coat shrimp in salt and chipotle powder and mix to cover. Heat 2 tbs olive oil on med-high heat. Add shrimp and cook on each side until just pink and still raw in the center.

2. Remove shrimp from pan and add chopped garlic cloves. Cook for about 1 minute on med-high heat.

 

3. Add orange juice and lemon juice. Raise heat to high and bring to a simmer to thicken the sauce.

 

4. Return shrimp to the pan. Add chopped parsley & cook for 3 more minutes while stirring.

 

 

5. Serve with veggies, toast, pasta, or rice!

 

 

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crunchy granola recipe

Sometimes, if I can make it easily, I can't bring myself to buy it in the store. Thought I'd try to make some granola this week...so I did!

Ingredients:

1.5 cups rolled oats

1/3 cup raw pistachios
1/4 cup chopped, raw almonds
1/4 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
1/6 cup raw pepitas

1 tablespoon flax seeds 1 teaspoons ground cardamom
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup maple syrup
1/8 cup olive oil
1/4 cup currants

1/4 cup dried cranberries

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Combine dry ingredients (except currants and cranberries) into a large mixing bowl.

2. Add maple syrup and olive oil. Stir to coat.

3. Spread granola in an even layer on an ungreased baking sheet. 

4. Bake for 30 minutes (but stir every 10-15 minutes to prevent burning).

5. Remove from oven when browned, add currants and dried cranberries.

6. Let cool and store in an air-tight container. Enjoy as a snack on the go, in some yogurt, or with some milk and fresh fruit!

 

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pizzaaaa

A personal-size pizza that is handcrafted by you is easier than you think to create! All you really need is some flour, yeast, water, cheese, toppings of your choice, and an oven! This is T's father's recipe that he shared with T when we moved in together.

  
Ingredients (for 3 pizzas):
3.25 cups flour
1 cup water
1.5 teaspoon yeast
1/2 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon olive oil

Instructions:
1. Dissolve yeast into a cup of warm water. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil.

2. Mix the salt into the flour.

3. Pour the water mixture into a hole in the flour.

 

4. Stir as much as you can until it gets to a point where you can pick it up and handle it.

5. Roll out onto a floured surface and continue to consolidate. Knead until no longer stick and is pretty pliable (about 5 minutes of kneading).

6. When done kneading, place back into a clean bread bowl with a little olive oil to lubricate, cover with plastic wrap or a wet towel and let rise until doubled in bulk (about 2 hours). Make sure to place covered bowl in a warm place in order for dough to rise properly. 

7. After 2 hours, when the dough is doubled, preheat the oven to 500 degrees. Punch down dough and roll out. Top with toppings of choice and and finish with a drizzle of olive oil to ensure crispness.

8. Cover pizza paddle with a pinch of semolina flour. Place pizza onto paddle and shake off onto pizza stone in preheated oven. You can use a flipped over baking sheet if you don't have a pizza paddle or stone!

9. Bake for about 6 minutes (but keep your eye on it) or until bubbly and golden!

 

 

 

The best part of the recipe is the fact that you can make it so many different ways with so many different toppings! This time I made a white pizza with my garlic basil corn along with some grape tomatoes and ricotta&mozzarella cheese. T went for the usual pepperoni, mushroom, tomato and mozzarella. I made an extra pizza for lunches for the rest of the week. Easy peasy and delicious!
 

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