Ahi Tuna Tower

I have been going through a phase, frequently taking lunch to run over to Edohana Sushi to pick up a tuna tower to go, or finding any excuse to "happy hour" at Naan to indulge. This week, I decided - how hard could it be to make one? But importantly, just how "good" or "bad" are these little towers? I felt compelled to take that challenge, recreate at home and calculate the nutritional facts just to see.

Looking at the ingredients, you've got your Sashimi-grade tuna, crab meat, avocado, and sushi rice. I have a plethora of Sriracha, mayonaise, tamari but I decided I wanted eel sauce, I love eel sauce! Tuna towers are also typically topped with Masago, the little orange and black caviar beads that sit atop the tower, something I decided to do without to save some money.

I needed some kind of tube-like container to mold the tower into. I had this double-open-ended measuring device that my mom bought me at a Pampered Chef party recently. Thank you momma, I don't really use it for what it is intended for, but you helped me create the tuna tower with it. The crab and tuna was bought and measured out to my needs at Rex's Seafood, a fantastic Dallas fish market. That meant I only had to pay for what I was using, and the total was under $7! The rest of the ingredients were all things I had on hand, and the Sushi counter at Central Market gave us 2 tbsp. of eel sauce in a small container, and the sushi rice for free! Total time this took to make? A whopping 15 minutes.

Now, for the best part... one serving size is equal to half a tuna tower, meaning it's perfect to share. Click here for the awesome nutritional facts for this recipe calculated at SparkRecipes.com. For a weight watchers conversion, this is a total of 6 points per serving. 

Grocery List:

3 oz. Sashimi grade tuna

2/3 cup chopped crab meat

1/2 cup cooked sushi rice

1/2 tsp. sesame oil

1 tsp. Sriracha 

1 tbsp. fat-free mayonnaise  

1 tsp. Tamari (organic, low sodium soy sauce)

1 finely chopped avocado (used about 1/3 cup's worth)

Ponzu sauce

Eel Sauce 

To start, mix your mayo with the sriracha in a small bowl.

Make sure your sashimi tuna is chopped up nice and small! Add the sesame oil and the Tamari to give it some flavor.

Combine 1 spoonful of the mayo combo with the diced crab meat and mix together well to get completely coated. I added just a small shake of Ponzu sauce as well.

Drizzle the leftover mayo on the plate, along with some ponzu and eel sauce. That part for me was rather hasty and not so tactful, a less than mediocre presentation attempt... I used a fat-free olive oil spray to just "grease" the inside of the tube so that I could gently push the contents out with ease. With one end of the container on the plate, start with your rice and push it down, packing it in. Follow and top with the crab mix.

Next, take your avocado and add that layer over top the crab.

Finally, it's tuna time - add this layer over top your avocado, gently pushing down. 

Lift the tube about 1 inch from the plate and again, gently push on the top, sliding the contents out slowly to keep them from coming apart at each layer. As more slide out, lift the tube higher until it is all done and then ta-da - it's a tower!

After transporting from the kitchen to the table, it started to become a little wobbly. I used just a little bit of mayo in the crab to keep the fat and calories down. That means it didn't have enough to hold it together for a solid second-layer base. By the time I got to the table, it was a leaning tower of tuna but I guess that didn't really matter because it was time to smash it up! To eat, take two forks and begin to mash it all together. Drizzle with additional sauce of your choice and dig in. Even Mr. Max was wild about this one, it was a perfect portion for the two of us to share.

Tastefully yours,

Make a Meal: Blackened Chicken with Cilantro-Lime Quinoa

 

In February, we enjoyed a tasty blackened salmon dish so I decided to take that seasoning mixture and apply it to chicken. I chose a colorful quinoa blend at the Sunday grocery store run, after having it at a cooking demonstration event I did for work a few weeks ago.

Eating the blackened salmon, I would come across a few bites that were really hot from the cayenne. I found  an avocado "cream" sauce in a Cooking Light magazine that used one avocado and a small amount of greek yogurt - it was said to cool down spicy foods so I decided to try it with these blending tastes. I am a garlic lover so I added just a bit for the "cream" sauce and proved to be a great addition over top the chicken, assisting with the calming of hot bites.

This is an easy weeknight meal, taking all of 20 minutes from chop-start to seated-finish. Click here for the nutritional facts calculated at SparkRecipes.com. For Weight Watchers, this meal is a total of 7 points: 4 points for a 4 oz. chicken breast, 1 point for 1/3 cup of cilantro-lime quinoa, 2 points for 1 tbsp. of avocado-"cream" sauce.

Grocery List:

• 2 chicken cutlets (already trimmed and pounded thin), halved into four 4 oz. pieces
• 1 tbsp. ground paprika
• 1 tsp. ground cayenne pepper
• 1 tsp. onion powder
• 1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
• 1/4 tsp. dried thyme
• 1/4 tsp. dried cumin
• 2 cups low-sodium vegetable stock
• 1 cup quinoa
• Juice and zest from 1 lime
• 1 tbsp. fresh cilantro, minced

Start by preparing the quinoa, adding the vegetable stock to a small pot on medium-high heat. Add the cup of quinoa, bring to a boil and let simmer on low-medium heat until the liquid has been absorbed and the curlicue of the seed is exposed. 

In a small bowl or pinch bowl, combine 1-6 of the herbs and spices for the blackening seasoning.

Rub over one side of the chicken and place on a grill pan over medium-high heat for 5 minutes, then flip to cook for an additional 5 minutes. 

 

In a bowl, grate the lime zest and combine with the juice from one lime. Add the cilantro.

 

Once the quinoa is done, add to the bowl with the lime and cilantro and toss to coat. Season with any additional salt and pepper, as you see fit.

For the avocado cream sauce, dump both avocado halves into a food processor with one heaping spoonful of fat-free, plain Greek yogurt and a sprinkle of garlic salt. Press the grind button until it is smooth and creamy. Add as a topping or set aside in a small bowl to dip as you desire!

Paired with a side of simple roasted broccoli tossed in olive oil, cayenne and garlic powder

 

Tastefully yours, 

Spring Salad

I recently had a lunch date with two of my favorite lunch buddies! We were in the area for other appointments and decided to meet at Cafe R+D in Preston Center for a quick bite to eat. Nita had continuously raved about the Newporter Salad, so that's what I decided on. It was huge leafy lettuce with roasted chicken, chunks of avocado, walnut, red onion, cucumber, goat cheese and a sweet yet mild house vinaigrette. I have not been able to stop thinking about that salad since then.

The weekend came, meal planning and grocery shopping time, I decided to use this salad for inspiration for a Sunday dinner. We used big leafy Hearts of Romaine and an avocado chopped up, bought fresh Gala Apples, added seedless cucumber slices, threw in some dried cranberries, and we grilled chicken breasts but I have to say, I prefer the tenderness of the roasted chicken in comparison! Finally, we created a creamy vinaigrette dressing using 4 simple ingredients found in America's Test Kitchen magazine's Light and Healthy 2012: oil, cider vinegar, tarragon and goat cheese.

Click here for nutritional facts calculated at SparkRecipes.com. Weight Watchers points are equal to 7 points per serving, with 4 servings per salad mix (5 points for the salad, 2 points for the dressing).

Grocery List:

• 6 stalks Hearts of Romaine lettuce, chopped
• 1 Gala Apple, chopped into small 1 inch cubes
• 2 tbsp. lemon juice
• 1 avocado, diced
• 1/4 cup dried cranberries
• 1 cup roasted, baked or grilled chicken breast, chopped
• 1/2 cup cucumber, chopped into halves or coins
• 2 tbsp. olive oil
• 1 tbsp. cider vinegar
• 1 tsp. tarragon
• 2 oz. goat cheese crumbles

Toss and soak the apples in the lemon juice to prevent them from browning after cutting. Add lettuce, apples, avocado, cranberries, chicken chunks and cucumber into a bowl.

In a small bowl, whisk together the cider vinegar, olive oil and tarragon.

Add the goat cheese crumbles and whisk until smooth and creamy.

Add about 2-3 tbsp. of the dressing and toss to coat the contents of your salad.

Dish it out and enjoy! With beautiful weather and sunlight left in the evening, we were able to have a nice little patio dinner while enjoying the weather and some smoothies for an additional dose of greens.

Tastefully yours,

Crab Wontons

I'm excited to bring you a guest post by one of my favorite foodie friends and Girls Night In chickies, Meredith at Average Insanity. Mere and I went to "rival" elementary schools and have known each other since the 7th grade through mutual friends. We then ended up at the same college, and fate continued to put us together in the real-world; we realized that life really wanted us to be friends! When she had heard about a project I was developing, she was one of the first on board to help start the young professionals, non-profit organization for the pediatric hospital that I work for. We've worked closely together in this volunteer role, serving on the board together for now the third year, and she's become such a dear friend. Meredith is one of the most genuine, tell-it-like-it-is girls I know, with a true servant's heart. She works hard on all she does and is the first to say - let me help! I admire how fun she is, how humble she is, how real she is. At our monthly Girls Night In, it was her turn to host and her contribution consisted of these amazing little crab wontons. Without further adieu, meet Meredith!

 Hi, I'm Meredith.

Our Asian-Fusion themed girls cooking night started out with a great little recipe from the Reckless Abandon food blog.   Rachel is an amazing cook and blogger who we met through involvement in "The One" Society: Young Professionals for Children's.  These Mini Crab Rangoons are quite possibly my new favorite little appetizer to make and so easy.  Since there was only three of us, I halved her original recipe.

Ingredients:

• 1 package wonton wrappers
• 1 can crab mea, drained
• 1 block light cream cheese, softened
• ¼ cup light sour cream
• 2 green onions, chopped
• 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
• ½ tsp garlic powder
• ½ tsp lemon juice
• 1 mini cupcake pan

I went to Whole Foods and they were out of wonton wrappers, so I figured the egg roll wrappers next to the empty row of wonton wrappers would do when in a pinch! 

1. Heat the oven to 350. 

2. Cut the egg roll wrappers to fit a mini cupcake tin and push into the cup to make a shell.  Once they are ready, place the muffin tin into the oven for around 5 minutes to get the shell crispy.

 

3. While the shells are getting all nice and golden browned add all the other ingredients into a large bowl and mix well. 

 

4. Once the shells are done browning, about 5 min, take them out of the oven and cool for a minute.   

5. Once the shells have cooled a bit, add about a tablespoon of the crab mix to the shell and top with a small square cut wrapper to cover the entire mixture inside.

 

6. Last but not least, pop them in the oven for about 12 to 15 minutes until browned. 

 

7. Let them cool for about 5 minutes before eating. 

 

I made a little peanut/soy sauce dip to go with the rangoons, which was just a eyeballed combination of soy sauce and peanut sauce mixed together.  Easy peasy and soooooo yummy!  This is a definite keeper, thanks to Rachel for the GREAT recipe!!!!

 

Smoked Mozzarella Baked Penne

 

For Lent last year, I gave up pasta and during that time, I discovered I could replace my pasta cravings with spaghetti squash. However, every now and then, a penne cannot be substituted and when I came across this recipe, I caved. I found this on Pinterest and slightly adapted to thin it out a little - ignoring the bread crumb and butter topping, replacing the heavy cream with Half & Half, and using whole wheat pasta rather than regular penne noodles. This was a great weekend meal, making plenty of leftovers for a few lunches to begin the week with. I do think I could have used 2 crowns of broccoli, next time, I will include more green in there! Could also try it out and substitute spinach or asparagus spears.

Click here for the nutritional facts calculated at SparkRecipes.com.

Grocery List:

• 1 crown broccoli, florets cut small
• 12 oz. whole wheat penne pasta
• 2 tbsp. olive oil
• 1/2 cup onion, minced
• 6 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tsp. fresh thyme, leaves removed from stem
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 cup Half & Half
• 2 chicken breasts, chopped into small half-inch chunks
• 3 oz smoked-mozzarella cheese, shredded
• 8 oz. jar sun-dried tomatoes, packed in oil, drained and chopped

Start by preheating your oven to 400 degrees. In a shallow pan, or skillet, add the broccoli florets with 1.5 cups of water to steam on medium-high heat. Once bright green, remove from heat, drain and set aside.

In a pot, throw in your noodles and I typically fill with water until about 1-2 inches above the pasta line, then add a hearty amount of salt to the water. Bring to a boil and cook until al dente, drain and set aside.

In a skillet, add the olive oil and onion to saute over medium-high heat until translucent, about 3 minutes.

Add the garlic and thyme. Saute until fragrant, about 2 minutes.

Add the flour and whisk in with the olive oil, garlic, onion and thyme, then start pouring in the Half & Half, a little at a time, whisking to help break up clumps before adding more.

Add the chicken chunks and cook until no pink remains in the center.

Add the broccoli florets and sun-dried tomatoes.

Now add about 2/3 of the shredded mozzarella and stir until melted in.

See those noodles you drained and set aside?

Throw them in! Toss well to coat in the sauce.

In a greased baking dish, pour the contents of your skillet in and top with any additional mozzarella cheese.

Bake in the oven for 18 minutes, uncovered. Remove when browned and bubbling.

Scoop and serve! For dinner, this pairs well with a light side salad and a crisp Viognier or Sauvignon Blanc.

Tastefully yours,