Healthy Tuna Snacks

Every weekend we meet up with our friends. We used to get dinner out but since COVID we’ve had to be more creative. We’ve eaten our share of takeout but also do a good deal of cooking. Sometimes at our place, sometimes at theirs. A few weeks ago we decided to all make appetizers and make that our regular Friday dinner.

I wish I’d taken pictures along the way but instead I’ll list out steps and show the final product. Since that night I’ve made tuna with this method a few times and eaten it with mustard and raw spinach on a low carb wrap.

In early March my doctor warned me in no uncertain terms that I needed to lose weight and lower my cholesterol by June or she was putting me on medication. The main problem is the triglycerides for me. Up until my recent visit, I thought triglycerides were caused only from sugar, not healthy high grain carbs or excess fat on me. All my other numbers went down to almost normal levels, but my triglycerides were really high. It was partially do to the Valentine’s Day Candy, the case of Ice Cubes of which I ate about a dozen before I removed them from my home. But, I learned, that all the carbs I was eating, healthy or not, were adding up. Being a vegetarian it’s hard to find protein that’s not a carb. I was eating a lot of hummus, chick peas, all sorts of beans. And yes I ate sugar too but not a ton of it.

I was scared straight at the doctor’s office and will note I’ve lost 10 pounds since the visit. I’m looking forward to my June redo of the blood work and being able to show here that I can lose weight once I’m threatened with meds.

One compromise I had to make was eating tuna. I’m not a vegan but rarely eat eggs because of the cholesterol. I eat cheese only rarely because I feel bad for the cows and some dairy makes me sneeze. I almost exclusively use non-dairy milks and ice cream. And I don’t eat any fish. So pretty much a vegan but I’m not picky about it. If there’s chicken broth in healthy veggie soup I don’t lose sleep over it.

But reading up on it, it seems that tuna will help my lipid levels and fill me up. So in the short term I’ve added it to my diet so I have some non-carb protein. I eat a lot of tofu too but there’s only so much tofu and Impossible Burgers I can eat in a week. I’ve also given up pizza until I get down to a reasonable weight which is one of the only times I have real cheese. Admittedly I’m cheese fiend when I’m not careful, with a particular weakness for Cracker Barrell Aged Cheddar. Since cheese is high in calories and fat and cholesterol, it’s something I’m avoiding as much as possible for now.

Here’s the easy recipe for my tuna spread.

-1 large can of solid white tuna in water

-1 small avocado

-1 stone ground mustard (use enough to make the tuna creamy. I didn’t measure but maybe 3 tbs. I squirted it into the food processor)

Add tuna and a soft avocado to food processor and blend, adding mustard until you get the creamy texture.

Meanwhile, peel two cucumbers and run a fork down the sides to make grooves. Cut in thick 3/4″ slices. If you have a pastry bag, use that. I prefer to use a plastic sandwich bag with the end cut off. this way I don’t have to clean it. I cut a corner off a sandwich bag and added a frosting tip inside followed by all the tuna. If you don’t have a frosting tip, you can still squeeze the tuna through the bag and it’ll look like little tuna poops, but you know, in a cute way. I added some tomatoes as a garnish.

I’ve been making the tuna, avocado, mustard mash every week, without the fancy piping part, and it’s really been keeping me full. My arteries will thank me I’m sure.

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Happy Cooking!

Tracy

Twice-baked Cornbread Avocado Toast

A couple of weeks ago, we went to Ojai with some friends. These are the only friends we see since the quarantine, and generally we go to each other’s houses and cook or get takeout. Indoor dining has been closed for nearly year now with only a small break in between. The governor allowed limited indoor dining briefly but took it away just as quickly. Since it was a beautiful day we decided to take a Sunday trip somewhere besides our homes.

Ojai is beautiful and scenic and filled with cute shops and pretty parks. After a long time of walking (with our masks, of course) we stopped to get takeout food. We ended up at a trendy, cool place called The Nest. We stood in line for a bit before we realized we could order online. If you go there, order online and wait for food. The line is long and moves slowly. We brought our food to the park down the street.

Being a vegetarian surrounded by carnivores, I don’t always get the best food options out, but this place was FANTASTIC. There were so many choices on the menu for meat eaters and plant eaters that I couldn’t wait to try something. I decided on Avocado Polenta Toast. The website lists the ingredients as: jalapeño polenta toast, smashed avocado, kale, quinoa, crispy chickpeas, pepitas, hemp seeds, pomegranate seeds + almond garlic dressing. It was one of the best things I’ve eaten in years so I set out to replicate it at home but with ingredients that were handy, and in an appetizer, finger food format. Basically I changed all the ingredients so think of their menu item as inspiration for what I made. You can change any ingredients to taste more like theirs, or to your liking, but mine is a simple, quick recipe that was devoured in minutes, both times I made it. I have no doubt The Nest is making things from scratch, but I prefer easy and “Semi-homemade” wherever possible.

Without further ado, here is the recipe.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. I used my convection setting. If you use Bake, it may take a minute or two longer.

I got several of these ingredients at the Grocery Outlet Bargain Market. I can’t say enough good things about that store.

-One box Jiffy Cornbread Mix

-Spring mix or any greens, You only need about 1/4 of a cup. Cut them in pieces with scissors or a knife.

-One large or a couple of smaller avocados, softened

Package of guacamole mix. Split in half. I used this brand but any basic one will do.

Sage

Lemon Juice. I use the bottle as it’s easier.

One egg and 1/3 cup milk per the Jiffy cornbread instructions. I used coconut milk because real milk makes me sneeze.

Make the cornbread as instructed, just the mix, one egg, and 1/3 cup milk. Mix together and add half a package of the guacamole mix. Spray a cookie sheet (I use a liner) and spread out to about 1/2 thick. Based at for 10 minutes or until the center bounces back when you touch it.

When they’re done and cooled, use a circle cookie cutter (I used a wine glass) to make as many circles as you can. Set them aside for later.

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Mashed up the avocados and add a little lemon juice to keep from turning brown. Refrigerate until you need this.

Snip up the greens and mix in a small bowl with pumpkin seeds (and anything else that appeals to you). Set aside.

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Preheat the over to 400 again. These are best warm so do the step two part of the cooking shortly before you plan to eat them. They’re fine room temperature for a party or gathering but warm, straight from the oven are best.

Spray the cooked circles with cooking spray. I used Olive Oil spray, and sprinkle generously with ground sage. Cook for five minutes until they are crisp at the edges and get golden brown.

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Spoon the avocado/guacamole mixture on top of each one, add another few drops of lemon juice, and top with the greens and seeds. Delicious!

Happy eating!

Tracy

Healthy Grape-nut Pudding

One thing I really miss about living in Massachusetts is the Grape-nut Pudding. For anyone who doesn’t live there, it’s a thick custard with soft Grape-nuts on the top, and pieces mixed in throughout. It has a special taste, like Grape-nuts so a little hard to describe. When I was growing up, we’d buy it at the deli. I tried to make it at home once, many years ago, but it wasn’t the same.

About six months ago I discovered agar agar. It’s a thickening agent like gelatin but made from seaweed, and not horses. Being a vegetarian, gelatin isn’t something I eat anymore. Even when I did, it was always Jell-O brand, and fruit flavored. The recipes for agar agar range from sweet to savory and I’ve used it dozens of times since I discovered it. I made a lot of mistakes with it during this time and learned what not to do, how much to use, and some tips along the way that avoids getting a mouthful of what feels like plastic. I know, I’m making it sound unappealing. Seaweed? Plastic? Forgot all that and instead think of how nice it would be to have a large portion of Grape-nut pudding that’s only 100 calories, 6.5 carbs (5 net carbs if you subtract the fiber) and 15 grams of protein.

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup Grape-nuts. I used a generic called Nutty Nuggets
• 2 Premier Protein Vanilla drinks (I tried caramel for this but the vanilla works best)
• 2 tbl Torani Sugar Free Pumpkin Syrup
• 3 tbl agar agar
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon, 1/4 tsp vanilla

Use half of the Grape-nuts, and spread them into the bottom of 4 small ramekins.

Add all ingredients except the Grape-nuts and agar agar to a medium saucepan and turn the heat to medium. Whisk (you need a whisk or the agar agar will clump) as you sift in the agar agar. You don’t need to use a formal sifter, just add it in gradually as you whisk.

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Whisk quickly. For five minutes it will seem fruitless but then it thickens all of a sudden. Keep whisking for another 2 minutes or so until it just starts to come to a boil. Pull off the heat and add the rest of the Grape-nuts and whisk those through. Pour into the ramekins carefully, so as not to upset the Grape-nut layer. Leave them to cool for about a half hour and then refrigerate.

If you eat it warm there’s a weird gluey texture. Wait until they’re completely chilled, a couple of hours or the next day, even better. Use a knife to loosen the edges and pop them out. Top with whipped cream or whatever you like.

There are endless possibilities you can make with protein shakes and this thickener so use your imagination.

Happy Low Carb Eating

-Tracy

Hot Cacao: Roasting, Grinding, and Drinking

I’ll start by saying that I recently read it’s only in English that we feel the need to differentiate the words cocoa (the stuff we put in everything, the luxurious ingredient that I’ve used for comfort and congratulations throughout my life), and cacao which is the bean where it comes from. Cocoa is the English adaptation of cacao. The main difference in the meaning though is that cacao means the raw beans, unroasted, and cocoa is after roasting.

A couple of months ago I saw an ad on Instagram for Crio Bru. The ad, and then the website, explained that it is not coffee, but roasted cacao beans. I drink a lot of coffee, and if I wasn’t trying to lose weight (perpetually) I would drink hot chocolate all the time. I’ve tried sugar free packets of cocoa and don’t like it. I’ve tried, more times than I can count, heating almond, cashew, you-name-it dairy and non-dairy milk, and adding unsweetened cocoa and Splenda or other sweeteners. It’s never very good. This concept was something different though, something I hadn’t thought of. They roast the cacao beans, grind them, and boom, something like coffee but actually chocolate. I’m a sucker for online ads, and for TV ads back when I had cable and commercials. I bought a 10oz bag for $14.99, though I bought it from Amazon. It still came from the same company it’s just easier that way, no shipping, and I’d get it more quickly.

I received it a few days later. The site says to use a French Press for optimal results but I didn’t have one so I used it in my percolator. Wow, it was really, really good. But I felt like it would be better with a more intense brewing process.

This led me to buy a Turkish coffee pot. When I lived in Massachusetts and was tutoring a priest from Jordan to help with his English, he would make me Turkish coffee each week. It was thick and rich and wonderful. So I ground the grounds more finely and made Turkish cocoa. It was wonderful except I’d end up drinking sediment. It was chocolate sediment but still not ideal. So I bought a tiny strainer. Better but still a hassle. The other problem was that it made tiny cups.

One day, while shopping in Grocery Outlet, I saw a French Press for $9.99. And that was when the fun began. I went through the first bag so quickly, and knew this was going to be my new favorite drink so I had to find a cheaper way to get the product. A year or so before I’d bought raw cacao nibs from Amazon to add to smoothies. I found this 2 lb bag for $14.99. Since then I’ve bought a second bag. Anthony’s makes a great product.

After some experimenting, here’s how to make this at home, inexpensively and deliciously.

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Spread a thin layer on a cookie sheet. Bake for 10 minutes at 375 degrees or until it looks like picture 2, dark and roasted. The house will smell so good. Note the color of the nibs in my hand. They will be nutty and crunchy. The raw ones have a vinegar under-taste.

From there I put them in a spice grinder. If you have a coffee grinder, even better, but I just have a spice grinder and it works fine. Just a few quick pulses. If you grind too finely it won’t work well.

For each 8 oz of water I use two tablespoons grounds. Add ground nibs to the bottom of the French Press, add almost boiling water, insert the plunger part way down, not all the way, just enough until it’s a little submerged in water. Make sure the grate part of the plunger is turned so there’s a tight seal. Wait 5 minutes (longer if you want it richer) then push the plunger down all the way. Turn the top to expose the grate, and pour it out. You’ll lose some water in the grounds. I generally use 2 cups of water and 4 tbl of ground nib and it fills the mug below about 3/4 of the way. If you’re making smoothies, you can use the grounds for that later. They taste good as is and I hate throwing away perfectly good chocolate. They have calories though so use them sparingly. I can’t say for sure how many calories or carbs my creation has but Crio Bru (per myfitnesspal) says it’s 10 calories per 8 oz and 1 carb and I can’t see how it would be much different since I’m just using raw nibs, roasting, grinding, and drinking.

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Despite being a sugar fiend, I mostly drink this with nothing in it at all. It’s really dark and rich as is. But I’ve experimented a little and found that pouring a little Torani Salted Caramel sugar free syrup onto the beans before adding water, adds even more flavor. I’ve also tried a Truvia or Spelnda packet. It’s all good, it’s just dependent on what you like.

I hope you enjoy the drink as much as I do!

-Tracy

Vegetarian “Beef” Stew

I became a vegatarian a year ago and have been trying a lot of different recipes. At first I lived on fake meat products, like fake fish sticks or fake chicken patties or veggie burgers. Those were delicious but after a while I got tired of those things. I went tbrough a seitan phase (see previous posts) but that bothered my stomach. Note, I still LOVE Quorn sliced turkey and the meat free bologna in my grocery store.

I’ve been in a rut eating frozen veggie cauliflower pizza too often. I love it but I should eat healthy and not just vegetarian. I stumbled across a variation of this recipe on Pinterest. In that one, the poster made seitan and floured it and sauteeed it. I didn’t want to do that. I also didn’t have some of the ingredients or didn’t like some, or wanted to save myself work. So it’s not the same recipe at all but it inspired me to make this one.

Here is my version which doesn’t have meat or fake meat, just spices, carrots, potatoes, mushrooms and a few other things. To me, it tastes just like the hearty New England beef stew I grew up with except each spoonful is missing the piece of beef. And I’m good with that.

Here goes:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. I cooked mine in a Dutch oven. If you don’t have a pot you can  cook it on the stove but I’m not sure how long it would take. The oven was very easy.

Ingredients:

• Half bag of baby carrots
• 4 large potatoes, peeled and cut in small, bite-sized chunks
• 1 large onion sliced very thin (I like vidalia onions but anything will work)
• 1 large spoonful of minced garlic
• Cream of mushroom soup (do not add to pot until later)
• 1 package sliced mushrooms (do not add to pot until later)

In the pot on the stove add together:

• 2 cups of vegetable broth
• 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tbl Kitchen Bouquet
• 1 tsp salt (I use Himalayan salt)
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1/2 tsp paprika
• one pinch ground cloves
• 1 tbl apple cider vineger

Heat just enough to combine. Dump in all the vegetables listed above except mushrooms. Cover and place in the oven for an hour.

Meanwhile, put the mushrooms on the stove in a small pan and sautee on medium heat with a little veggie broth until tender. Add the can of soup and stir until combined then remove from heat.

When the pot of stew is done (check for tenderness and add more time if needed) pour in the mushroom and soup combo and stir. This will give the stew a thick gravy and adds a lot of flavor.

Enjoy! Let me know if you make it and have any suggestions.

 

Yin Yang Vegetarian Rice and Beans

Though I gave up eating meat about six months ago, I was still eating a lot of unhealthy foods. A little under a month ago I decided to really buckle down and take a hard look at what I was putting into my body. Sure I had no meat and almost zero dairy or eggs, but I will still eating a lot of sugar, and a lot of refined carbs.

There were a few factors that pushed me into this new healthy eating, which I’ll cover in another blog, but what matters is that in the 28 days or so since I gave us everything that was bad for me, I’ve lost 12 pounds! Since I’ve still got quite a bit more to lose, and since everything I’m making is vegetarian, probably even vegan if I’m honest about it, I wanted to share some of my recipes that have made my new lifestyle fun, and a lot more enjoyable than my standard white bread. fake bologna sandwich with chips that I called healthy before.

I’m always on Pinterest and the Internet scouting out new recipes so I want to give some back.

Today’s recipe was inspired by something I saw online, but except for two ingredients (black rice and hazelnuts) and the overall concept, mine is completely different.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup uncooked black rice (I bought this in a bulk bin at Sprouts and got about 2 cups for $3)
• 1/2 cup hazelnuts (also bought from the bulk bins and found inexpensive for the small amount I needed)
• 1 can white cannellini beans, washed and drained
• jar of roasted red peppers (I used about 1/4 cup of peppers plus 1/2 cup of the juice)
• 1 tsp of juice from a jar of capers
• 1/2 teaspoon roasted pepper and garlic seasoning
• 1/2 vegetable broth for the rice, about 1/4 cup for the beans
• Water
• avocado for garnish (optional)

The steps-

Soak the rice in a glass or metal dish. The rice will emit a purple dye and this may stain a plastic container. I soaked it for a few minutes then rinsed it several times in a strainer.

Drain the rice and add it to the rice cooker with 1 cup of water and a 1/2 cup of vegetable broth. Hit the Brown Rice button. If you don’t have a Brown Rice button, I read that 25 minutes should do it.

Meanwhile, add the hazelnuts to a food processor and turn it on while adding small amounts of water until it’s creamy. I ran into an issue here because it was a small amount of nuts and my machine didn’t cream it well but did chop. I added about 1/4 cup of water but this can vary so add a little at a time. Ideally this will be like a nut butter.

When the rice is done, mix the creamed nuts to the rice. It needed more flavor so I added the teaspoon of caper juice to it. That did the trick for me but feel free to add other flavors. For me, this was just the right amount of saltiness to meld the nuts and black rice. Set this mixture aside.

Rinse the beans under the sink and add to a food processor. I added a half cup of juice from the roasted red pepper jar.  It still needed something so I went though my spices and found roasted pepper and garlic seasoning. I added a 1/2 teaspoon. That brought everything together but it was still not right. I finally chopped up 1/4 cup of the red pepper from the jar and added that in. Perfect!

With all my flavors exactly how I wanted them, I shaped them into the Yin Yang symbol. I didn’t use all the rice mixture, maybe about 2/3 of it, but I can eat the rest another time. You could probably use it all so long as the shape doesn’t lose its integrity. I know the colors are off (not black and white) but it was flavorful and pretty. I used a shot glass to make a perfect circle in a piece of pepper, and a slice of avocado for the other side, as shown.

This made a delicious dinner which even my vegetable resistant boyfriend tried and enjoyed.

Happy healthy eating!