Tuna Sandwich Twist

I am discovering the versatility of tuna: tuna salad, tuna casserole, tuna pasta, and tuna with bread. If you have had any of these combinations you probably already know or lament the fact that the list is possibly endless. For tuna lovers we calculate a whole lot of meals that are affordable, quick, easy, and that happily fills the belly - parents too. My father is an exceptional typical tuna sandwich maker. His not so secret ingredients included tuna, mayonnaise, a little powdered mustard, some paprika, a pinch of black pepper mixed together between two squishy pieces of bread. Squishy carbs with mayo coated tuna equaled pure contentment for us kids. Mom had a slightly different take on the fishy spread but none-the less tasty. She was the queen of the tuna melts: One piece of squishy bread, a mound of tuna and mayonnaise dripping over with cheese, toasting in the oven for five. Lunch served.

Lately my parents and self unfolded a new twist on the typical tuna sandwich. Theirs: hold the mayo and add spicy hummus. You can’t beat this version as a tasty option for the dairy sensitive or when the mayo jar is cleaned out. My own twist adds an avocado. Since moving back to Florida I am rediscovering tropical foods. The green fruit is my latest craze. As with everything though, it seems my twist is not so new. I mentioned the combo to my sister-in-law who gleefully responded that her mother has been serving it up since childhood. She grew up in Florida. If the recipe below sounds like a distant memory reincarnate it. If not, next time you’re in the mood for a tuna sandwich add your latest craze to the mix. You may discover a new, favorite twist.

1 can of tuna
1 mashed avocado
1 heaping tablespoon eggless mayonnaise*
1 tsp mustard
¼ tsp paprika
¼ tsp black pepper
¼ cup shredded carrots
¼ cup chopped onion

¼ cup chopped tomatoes
2 lettuce leaves
2 pieces of toasted bread

Mix ingredients (minus toasted bread). Scoop the mixture onto one piece of toasted bread. Add lettuce on top of the mixture and place the second piece of toasted bread on top of the lettuce.

*Vegenaise makes a wonderful tasting dairy and egg free mayonnaise.

Happy green fruit munching to health!

Maria

Super Summer Breakfast Shake

Every morning after I get home from the gym the first thing that I crave during the long hot California summer is a tall breakfast shake. The main ingredient in my favorite shake is Kefir. Kefir is a cultured drink that is enzyme rich and contains many of the good micro-organisms that help digestion and the building of a healthy immune system. I am lactose intolerant, and can tolerate Kefir daily. It contains protein, bone building calcium and the all important Vitamin B complex.

My favorite brand to drink is the Trader Joes 1% Kefir. It is available in both plain and strawberry and both contain no added sugar. An eight ounce serving is only 110 calories and boasts an amazing 14 grams of protein. After some practice, Kefir can be made at home just as yogurt, making it a truly economical and healthful necessity.

Tip: The following recipe can be modified by changing the fruit to any other that may be more desirable. The agave nectar can also be replaced with honey. Do not use Splenda, as this is not a natural sugar and will not be as good on the system.

Ingredients:

½ cup Kefir
½ cup Almond Milk
One Scoop Protein Powder (I use Designer Whey Protein)
1 cup Berries (My favorite are blueberries and raspberries)
3-4 ice cubes
Optional agave nectar to taste

Put all ingredients in a blender and mix until smooth. Pour and serve immediately.

Lavinia

Chocolate Cupcakes

May is the month for mega birthdays in our family; over a half dozen counting extended relatives. This year we used it as an excuse to rally the masses for a fun in the sun gathering. Of course, where there are birthdays and fun, sugary substances are sure to follow. These are occasions when I give myself permission to cheat. Fortunately, there are crowd pleasing, allergen free, products which allow me to do so without having to experience the unpleasant side affects of my tummy talking back to me after consuming them.

My sugary substance of choice this round was a chocolate cake mix by Pamela’s Products, which I made into cupcakes, topped with a chocolate frosting mix by Dr. Oetker Organics. Make no mistake this is pure “crack” as my family fondly refers to unhealthy food, especially the kinds that will thrust you into sugar overload. Beside a notable abundance of sugar this treat also contains refined white and sweet rice flour. Not recommended on a regular basis if working on improving overall health. And for those of you that are taking the chocolate challenge with my sister Lavinia, this treat is completely verboten. For the rest of us, break it out on special occasions and enjoy!

Attributes of Pamela’s Chocolate Cake Mix:

• Wheat-Free and Gluten Free.


• Brown Rice Flour is an ingredient.


• Although produced on equipment that also produces products containing, tree nuts, soy, eggs, and milk these are not listed or added ingredients.


• Made with cane sugar.


• Just add oil and water.


• Tastes scrumptious.


• Bakes in 15 minutes.
  

Pamela’s Products also produces a tasty brownie mix. Check it out in your local health food store and grocery such as Chamberlin’s, Whole Foods or Publix if you live in Florida.

Enjoy the cheat treat!
Maria

Healthy Fast Food

Admittedly, I am not much of a cook. I have not really had a reason to be. I only recently married. Now I have someone to share meals with. Years prior in my twenties and thirties I simply worked a lot which left little time for dabbling in the culinary arts. Ironically, I experienced my first health transformation in my early twenties without having ever cooked much. I baked, but mostly to satisfy sugary cravings with a semi healthy alternative that was allergen free. I say semi-healthy, because sugar can be a serious detriment to your health. My approach to sugar is use sparingly. I would say the same for healthy fast food. It is not necessarily a food to feed off regularly but it can be the best healthy alternative for those in a rush. I lived off it for years and am still known to pop it in my lunch box. Let’s face it, there is nothing better than a home made meal, but grabbing a can of soup from the cupboard or enchilada from the freezer is a whole lot faster than making a bean salad. And, at $2.00-$8.00 a meal it often times is less expensive as well as healthier than buying at the local restaurant for those working away from home and won’t throw off the budget for busy families who need an occasional break from cooking.

My favorite two product lines are Muir Glen and Amy’s Kitchen. Muir Glen makes the heartiest organic soup ever tasted and Amy’s Kitchen offers a variety of tasty organic and allergen free food products from soups and rice dishes to pizzas and pies that will satisfy the taste buds of most finicky eaters at any meal of the day. Try them if you have not already and enjoy on your road to good health!

Maria

It's Waffle Time

Sunday morning is here and those of use who are living the wheat free way are silently mourning our pancakes and waffles. Dry your eyes and cry no longer. Thanks to Trader Joes waffles are back! The recipe below features this mix exclusive of the Trader Joe's food chain. It can be adapted, as I did, and made with no eggs as well. The finished product is so good that my teenage son ate it and did not even blink. Amazing! It is really great to have the option to make a nice brunch on special days that includes some of the traditional brunch foods that we all have become accustomed to without sacrificing our journey to better health.

If you live near a Trader Joe's hop in and try this great recipe out. Not only is it good for you, but because it is a ready made mix it requires only the addition of a few ingredients, yet makes luscious waffles. What are you waiting for? Dig in.

Necessary Ingredients:

Trader Joe's Gluten Free Pancake and Waffle Mix

Applesauce (or yogurt)

Canola Oil (or Olive Oil)

Water

• Prepare the mix as described on package. Instead of the eggs replace with a small amount (I used about 1/4 cup) of applesauce or yogurt until it has reached the desired consistency.
• Stir until all ingredients have combined.
• Let sit for five minutes while the waffle iron heats up (don't forget to spry the iron with light cooking spray)
• Take 1/2 cup of the mix and pour on to the waffle iron, close lid and wait until the light shows that it is done.
• Remove waffle and plate
• Good toppings include: Trader Joe's Chunky Dices Cinnamon Apples (as shown above)fresh fruit, applesauce, sugar free syrup, mascarpone cheese.

Lavinia Tips: I like to sometimes add fruit to the batter for a little bit of a zing. If you don't like it in the waffle, by all means put some fresh fruit on top.

Lavinia

Tomato Tapenade Pizza

It finally happened. After a little more than a year of marriage I made a meal my husband loves. No kidding. This is a landmark day; one small step for me and one large step for us. I am running the victory lap and triumphantly waving my flag of success. This was no small feat. Merging our two diets is like trying to mix oil and water, democrats and republicans or Sonny and Cher. All forces of nature work against the union. I am a vegan with fish and he is fast food with a soda. I am brown rice with oat floor and he is corn syrup with starchy preservatives. I am fruit with sorbet and he is cake with whip cream. See what I mean. What is a wife to do? Our taste buds are not only different, but from opposite ends of the universe. Fortunately, God made pizza…or…some brilliant, short, hairy, dark-haired, Italian speaking man with a mustache did and I am truly grateful. Who knew crusty tomato sauce with toppings is itself an international language of love. It knows no borders, cultures, households, or cooks, only stomachs. All you have to do is make it and they will come – they people or a person that is. Could it be that simple? Ah, one small step for me and one large step for us. Here you go love…

Ingredients

• 2 ready made French Meadow Bakery spelt pizza crusts
• 1 6.35 oz jar of Meditalia sun-dried tomato tapenade
• ½ cup chopped sun dried tomatoes*
• ¼ cup pine nuts (optional)
• Four artichoke hearts
• 1 8oz carton chopped mushrooms
• ½ medium size yellow pepper sliced
• ½ medium size orange pepper sliced
• 2 green onions or scallions sliced
• ¼ fresh cilantro leaves chopped (optional)
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• ¼ tsp grated black pepper

Directions

• Preheat oven to 375
• Add a thin layer of tomato tapenade to each pizza crust (should have about ½ cup leftover to cook with vegetables)
• Sprinkle sun dried tomatoes over each pizza crust
• Sprinkle pine nuts over each pizza crust
• Separate the separated stems of two artichoke hearts and place on each pizza crust
• Sprinkle black pepper on each pizza crust
• Sprinkle fresh chopped cilantro leaves over each pizza
• In a frying pan stir together olive oil, peppers, mushrooms, green onion and ½ cup tomato tapenade over low heat for a couple of minutes. Do not over cook. Then spread mixture on top of each pizza (there may be leftover mixture).
  

Bake pizzas at 375 degrees for about 15-20 minutes. Cool and serve. Good warm or cold.

*This pizza has a bit of a bite. If too much for you leave out the sun dried tomatoes and see if that tames the flavor down to your liking.

Enjoy,

Maria

Box Meal #1 - Fish & Rice

Ever have days when you crave a wholesome meal but would rather not work too hard to pull it together? Or are you simply a person like myself who could easily find a number of things you would rather be doing than cooking. No worry, I have a solution! Box meals. Box meals can be an occasional tasty and healthy alternative to down home cooked meals but without much hassle. All you have to do is open, cook and serve.

My favorite meal is a combination of fish, rice and veggies. Box brands you can count on for perfect fish and rice every time are sold by Henry & Lisa’s Natural Seafood and Seeds of Change.

Attributes of Henry and Lisa's Natural Seafood

• Contains no preservatives, chemicals, antibiotics, hormones.
• All seafood is put in ‘quick freeze’ at low temperatures within hours of harvest preserve freshness and flavor.
• Randomly tested for mercury and PCB’s.
• Includes a packet of sauce made by an award winning chef. A very appetizing addition!
• A variety of seafood available – I gravitate toward the Salmon and Mahimahi.
• Available in selected Super Target Stores at an affordable price.

Maria’s Tip:
If you have no time to marinate fish in the packet of sauce, which I never do, before broiling add about a tablespoon of olive oil on top of the fish and then spread the sauce – either thawed or frozen – over the top of the fish. Results are still very tasty. Sorry to all the chefs
out there who are probably cringing at that suggestion!

Attributes of Seeds of Change Rice

• Packaged in a variety of rice combinations.
• If Publix Grocery Stores are in your area, it is available at an affordable price in the GreenWise Market section.
• USDA Organic.
• Vegetarian friendly.*

For the veggie I usually add whatever I have in the fridge. Steam them over low heat on the stove while the rice and fish are cooking. Preparing the fish, rice and veggies to broil, cook and steam takes about five minutes. After that you walk away and return 10 minutes later to a fantastic meal.

*If you are a vegetarian, simply ditch the fish and add an 8 oz container of cubed tofu to the rice in the last five minutes of cooking and you still come out with a quick, tasty meal.

Maria

Chocolate Chip Cookies

I have had a long love affair with chocolate. Can you fault me? Everything is better with and after chocolate. A celebration – chocolate. Outing with a friend – chocolate. Long day at work – chocolate. Mid day pick-me-up – chocolate. Pat on the back – chocolate. Just because it’s Friday – chocolate. See what I mean? Some might call that an addiction. I call it love…ah, second love to my husband of course. I don’t recall when the attraction began, but I do remember scarfing down bowls of chocolate chip batter with my sis on our bedroom floor, sneak runs to snag recess peanut butter cups from the kitchen freezer, and countless school lunch periods trying to barter off my can of applesauce for everyone else’s luscious cup of chocolate pudding. A lot of work went into cultivating that affair in those days. Now if I want something chocolaty I simply buy it, or if ambitious, make it.

Given my love for chocolate, it made sense that the first wheat free and dairy free recipe I tackled when catering my diet to food sensitivities over a decade ago was the chocolate chip cookie. The recipe I created below will turn out little golden nuggets, literally speaking. Brice rice syrup is not cheap, but well worth the investment on occasion to fuel that tasty affair of mine. Perhaps yours as well.

Ingredients
1 cup brown rice syrup*
¼ cup almond amazake*
2 ½ cups oat flour
1 cup soy flour
2 tsp baking power
½ 10 oz bag of chocolate chips*

Directions
Mix wet ingredients in a bowl.
Mix dry ingredients in another bowl (except for the chocolate chips).
Gradually mix in the dry ingredients with the wet ingredients.
Mix ingredients until the dough runs slightly off the spoon.
Stir in the chocolate chips.
With a spoon drop the dough into medium size balls on a cookie sheet.

Bake at 350 for about 12 minutes.
Cool before removing cookies from pan.
Makes 1 dozen.

*May substitute Almond Amazake with almond milk. Note that Lundberg’s makes a brand of wheat free brown rice syrup. If you are looking for a delicious chocolate chip that is wheat free and dairy free try brands by Sunspire’s Tropical Source or Enjoy life. The latter is gluten free and dairy free.

Enjoy!

Maria

Ginger Tofu Broccoli Dish

Got a get away spot? Perhaps a place to perch on a stool and gaze out the window, or rest back in a chair and inhale the first warm summer breezes amidst collective bird song, chattering voices and flavored aromas that move in an out of a center bustling with activity; a place just down the street. Somewhere that always feels warm no matter how blistery cold outside; a jaunt that is top choice to meet up at or celebrate the latest occasion; a favorite hub that brings a smile to your face at the mere mention or sight of it. A place you visit so often it has become a part of your identity and home. That place for me was Strawberry Fields. Mention the name and I can almost picture myself there again; a happy, busy, grad student pacing up and down the grocery isles and through the café line with a few pieces of spare change to spend on an empty stomach eager to have its cravings satisfied. Good times. Grand place. Great food.

Occasionally I tried to duplicate some favorite Strawberry Fields café dishes in my home kitchen. They never handed out recipes but they did list ingredients! This is my take on their Ginger Broccoli Dish. Try it. You may like it or you may love it as I do.

Ingredients
1 head of chopped broccoli
1 8oz carton of sliced mushrooms
1 8oz carton firm, diced, tofu
½ cup chopped onion
¼ cup minced ginger root
¼ tsp black pepper
3 tbsp tamari soy sauce*
2 tbsp olive oil

Directions
In a large frying pan:
Add 2 tbsp olive oil and chopped onions; mix together and lightly saute over medium heat.
Mix in black pepper and minced ginger root; saute slightly.
Mix in 1 tbsp tamari sauce and mushrooms; saute slightly.
Mix in diced tofu, 2 tbsp tamari soy sauce; saute slightly.
Add chopped broccoli to mixture and stir. Cover and simmer over low heat until broccoli is soft.
Cool. Serve warm or cold.
Serves 4.

*Tamari soy sauce is made from fermented soybeans, much like soy sauce, but less salty with a thicker, richer taste. I use wheat free brands by San-J and Eden Organic.

Enjoy and feel free to share your variation on this theme!

Maria