Mock Tuna Salad Recipe

Would you look at that? Here, I promised you that I would keep coming back and then I went and left you again for almost two weeks. This is going to be a work in progress, people. I did at least ask you in advance to bear with me, didn't I?

Let me start back with a recipe I came up with not too long ago that we absolutely love around these parts... Mock Tuna Salad. If you've been reading this blog for long, I'm assuming you have gathered that we don't consume any meat in our family. If you didn't know that, well, you do now (smile).

Now, we're not those kinds of vegetarians that go around eating a "meat-and-potatoes" kind of meal and simply replace the meat with fake meat. No. We pretty much completely changed the way we eat years ago. Rarely do we have a plate with three items on it. Most of our meals come in the form of one pot or one skillet and get served in a beautiful bowl (thank you, Mom, for the Polish Pottery!). If they happen to be served on a plate, they are still not three separate items ("meat", starch, veggie). We just don't eat that way.

All of that to say that while we don't generally go around substituting "fake meat" for meat, once in a while a girl still gets a hankering.

One hot summer day a month or two ago, this girl got a hankering for some tuna fish. Somehow, I stumbled upon a recipe online for a vegan (or vegetarian, I can't remember) "tuna salad". I thought I'd try it.

EEEWWW ... it was awful. 

I couldn't eat one bite of it.

But, I had already gotten "tuna salad" into my brain and I wanted some. So, I put the first bowl into the refrigerator (in case Daddy wouldn't mind eating it ... I hate to waste) and decided to use some of my own common cooking sense. Instead of following this recipe's crazy ideas of what should go into a tuna salad, I decided to make it the way I'd always made it back when I ate tuna ... but, without the tuna.

What was born out of that "aha moment" is simply divine.

I will credit that awful recipe with one thing ~ giving me the idea to mash up chick peas for the "tuna". But, that is where the credit ends.

So, I mashed up another can of drained chickpeas and went to work adding what my Momma taught me to add to tuna fish ~ celery, pickles and mayo. Of course, I'm rather creative in the kitchen, so I didn't exactly stop there, but that was the base.

And, here is the finished recipe ... try it. Even if you are not a vegetarian or vegan, I'm sure you'll still find it as delicious as we all do! Especially on a bed of chopped romaine with some Mary's Gone Crackers. YUM-O!

Mock Tuna Salad Recipe

• 1 can of chick peas/garbanzo beans, drained (Either buy organic or look for a can that has nothing in it but chick peas and water ... we get ours at Whole Foods ... the other stuff has chemicals to preserve color and freshness ... yuck)
• 2 stalks of celery, diced (again, organic is best ... celery is on the dirty dozen list)
• Diced dill pickles (again, if you're trying to avoid toxins, look for natural pickles at a place like Whole Foods ... the others at the store have yellow-number-such-and-such and other yuckiness)
• Veganaise or other vegan mayo, about 1/3 cup (I just eyeball it)
• Sea salt (about 1/2 tsp) and freshly ground pepper
• Minced fresh dill if you have it ... or a bit of dry dill weed
• A sprinkling of Organic Kelp granules (for that "fresh from the sea" flavor ... but, don't go running away from this simple recipe just because you don't have any kelp, or know what the heck it is ... I'm sure it is just as tasty without it)
• A sprinkle of dry parsley

Drain the chick peas and let them dry out a bit in the strainer while you are chopping your veggies. Dice the celery and pickles (as much as looks good to you, depending on your taste). Place your chick peas on a plate and mash them with a fork (you don't want a paste ... just a quick mash of each ball). In a mixing bowl, combine the mashed chick peas, diced veggies, mayo, dill and salt and pepper. Stir to combine. Sprinkle in some kelp and parsley and stir. Taste and adjust seasonings if needed. You will be looking at a bowl that looks pretty dang close to tuna fish, I kid you not. And, it will taste amazing. Enjoy.

***
Funny story. I was making this the other day and I had only gotten as far as opening the can of garbanzo beans and was chopping the pickles and celery. I am not making this up, I promise. My cat came into the kitchen and clearly intended to jump up onto the counter to get to what I was making. My cat does *not* jump on the counters. Ever. Clearly, even he thought I was making real tuna salad (smile).

Shown here as a "tuna melt" for the girls ... on toasted Ezekiel bread with romaine and melted organic cheddar cheese (though, in all honesty, I thought this was sort of dry ... don't let this be your first introduction to the tuna salad, or you might not come back to it again).

Another day for the girls ... on a Wasa cracker with a bit of organic provolone cheese

In a crunchy romaine lettuce leaf for Momma

 

Family Time ... and a recipe

To commemorate finishing our recent bedtime read-aloud, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, we enjoyed a nice family night of build-your-own-pizza and a movie last night. I know it's not exactly like Lewis Carroll's version, but we decided to watch the newer Disney one with Johnny Depp in it. The girls fixed their own pizzas and we watched the movie on the couch with popcorn. It was actually a really great version! Here are a few shots of our evening.

If you're wondering how to make these yourself, they are super easy and your kids will love to make their own!

Build-your-own-pita-pizza

Whole Wheat Pita Bread

Crushed Tomatoes with Basil

Dash of Garlic Powder, Oregano and Red Pepper Flakes

Your Favorite Toppings ~ We used spinach, natural black olives, mushrooms (that I sauteed in butter with a pinch of Sea Salt first), purple onion, bell pepper and tomato

Shredded Mozzarella

Parmesan

Preheat oven to about 425 or 450 degrees. Spray a cookie sheet with Olive Oil spray (just so the pitas don't stick). Place pita on sheet, spread with crushed tomatoes and desired seasonings (I left the red pepper flakes off of the girls' pizzas). Sprinkle a single layer of cheese on top of the sauce and then let your kids go to town with the fixins. Sprinkle some more cheese on top and bake until the cheese melts or the pizzas are to your liking. Top with grated Parmesan and more red pepper if you like. Enjoy.

So what DOES a Vegetarian family eat for Thanksgiving?

People often wonder what in the world we eat for Thanksgiving.

It's such a silly question to me ... we eat what you eat, just not the turkey.

And, we LOVE it.

Thanksgiving is my favorite meal of the year.

D.E.L.I.C.I.O.U.S.

What did we have?

• Stuffing
• Mashed redskin potatoes
• Gravy
• Green beans
• Squash casserole
• Pumpkin Cheesecake
• Rolls
• Olives, sweet gerkins
• Shirley Temples for the kiddos
• Death by Chocolate

 Interested in recipes?

Mashed Potatoes


1 bag of redskin potatoes
sea salt
butter
sour cream
milk


Chop potatoes and boil until tender, about 25 minutes. Drain and mash with the remaining ingredients. Keep taste-testing and adjusting seasonings until it is perfect.


Amazing Vegetarian "Turkey" Gravy

I got raves and raves on this one, especially from my meat-eating friends. They couldn't believe I made it without any drippings. :-)

1/4 cup butter
1/3 cup onion, diced
5 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup all purpose flour
4 teaspoons nutritional yeast
4 tablespoons Braggs Liquid Aminos
2 cups vegetarian vegetable broth
1/2 teaspoon "chicken seasoning"
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Melt butter in a small sauce pan. Saute onion and garlic in melted butter. Add flour, nutritional yeast and Bragg's and combine with the butter. Slowly whisk in the broth, combining with the flour mixture to avoid clumps. Add seasonings and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring constantly for about 10 minutes. YUM.O.

Squash Casserole

6 yellow squash, diced
EVOO (extra virgin olive oil)
1 onion,chopped
4 tablespoons butter, melted
1/2 cup sour cream
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
1 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1 cup crushed Ritz crackers


Turn your oven to 350 degrees. Saute squash in the EVOO in a deep skillet for about 15 to 20 minutes. At the same time, melt the butter in another skillet and saute the onion in that butter. Add the onion, butter, sour cream and cheese to a big mixing bowl. When squash is finished, place a clean towel in a colander, add squash to towel and squeeze as much liquid out of the squash as you can. Add the drained squash to the mixing bowl. Mix your 3 seasonings together in a separate bowl or cup. Now, measure out 1 teaspoon of that and add it to your bowl of goodies (throw the remaining seasoning into your mashed potatoes). Combine all of the ingredients well and then add to a square baking dish. Top with crushed crackers and bake for about 25 to 30 minutes. ENJOY

Pumpkin Cheesecake

1 8 oz package of cream cheese (or Tofutti if you are vegan)
12 oz light firm tofu
1/2 cup sugar (organic evaporated cane juice, no white stuff)
2 tbsp corn starch (non GMO)
1 1/2 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 tsp vanilla


1/2 cup pumpkin puree (canned)
3 tbsp brown sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp nutmeg


1 graham cracker crust


Turn your oven to 350 degrees. Place the first set of ingredients (six) into a food processor with the s-blade. Process until smooth, scraping the sides and processing some more. Spread 1 cup of this mixture into the bottom of the pie crust. Now, add the rest of the ingredients to the food processor and process until smooth, scraping the sides again. Smooth the pumpkin mixture over the white layer in the crust, leaving a slight heap in the center. Bake for about 50 to 60 minutes.


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I hope you all had a blessed Thanksgiving with people you love, food that was delicious and more to be thankful for than you can even list. I know I did!

 

 

 

 

 

Spinach and Pine Nut Recipes

Three posts in one day?  Must be the raw food day I've been enjoying.  :-)

My mom requested some recipes from me, and I thought it might be easiest to post them here (I know some of my other friends love recipes, too).  I wish I could post pictures, but my camera's USB cord was recently deemed a chew toy by my dogs and I have yet to replace it.  Sorry.  :)

My mom and I were talking about real, whole foods and we got to talking about nuts and seeds. 

I mentioned how much I love pine nuts (they melt in your mouth, really).  She didn't know what to do with them.  I rattled off several things I do with them.  She wants the recipes.  

So, here are a few ...

Easiest Ever Spinach Pesto 

2 Cups Organic Baby Spinach Leaves, packed
1 Lemon (juice and zest)
1/4 Cup Toasted Pine Nuts (buy them raw, toast them to bring out the flavor)
Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO)
1/3 Cup Grated Parmesan Cheese
Sea Salt (about 1/2 teaspoon)
Freshly Ground Pepper


Put your pine nuts in a small dry pan on your stove and turn the heat on low to medium-low.  You just want to bring out their flavors, not burn them.  So, pay attention, if you can smell them, they're good.  Keep moving them around a bit to toast them up evenly.   Again, you're not looking to change their color, just bring out the flavor a bit.


In your food processor, with the S-blade, place the spinach, pine nuts, zest from one whole lemon and juice from 1/2 of the lemon (juice it over a small strainer so as to avoid dropping the seeds in or turn it upside down and catch them in your hand).  Begin to process and add EVOO as it is processing.  I don't have a set amount ... just whatever makes a good consistency and looks good, without becoming too greasy.  I'd guesstimate about 1/4 to 1/3 cup.  Scrape the sides and process some more, until it is well blended.  


In a separate bowl, scrape out the mixture you just processed (please use a spatula and don't waste all that yummy goodness on the sides), add the Parmesan (freshly grated tastes great, but is a bit annoying and time-consuming, so I won't tell anyone if you use store-bought grated Parmesan), sea salt and pepper.  Stir to combine and enjoy.


This is great tossed with whole wheat thin spaghetti (I've stretched it to feed my family of four and I've also served it to just my husband and I with really saucy pasta, so this would be 2 to 4 servings, depending on how much pesto you like), or you could go totally raw (except for that cheese) and eat it this way:


Place a thick slice of home-grown or farmer's market-bought (FRESH) tomato on your plate.  Top with pesto and freshly ground pepper.  Top with another tomato slice, more pesto and more pepper.  Surround it with torn Organic Romaine Lettuce Leaves and serve with a knife and fork.  Looks amazingly gourmet, tastes phenomenal, takes less than five minutes to make and will make you feel wonderful!


Quick Spinach, Avocado & Pine Nuts Salad


Organic Baby Spinach Leaves
Toasted Pine Nuts
Lemon Juice
Avocado
Sea Salt


No measurements here.  This was just a favorite breakfast (or snack) of mine for a while.  Toast your pine nuts as listed above.  Place some spinach in a bowl, add some diced or sliced avocado, squeeze some lemon juice on top, sprinkle with sea salt and pine nuts.  ENJOY!


Pasta with Spinach, Tomatoes & Pine Nuts


4 servings of any short whole wheat pasta (penne, rotini, etc.)
1/4 Cup Toasted Pine Nuts 
EVOO
2 cloves of garlic, minced 
Red Pepper Flakes
1 Onion, chopped
1 can Organic Diced Tomatoes
Organic Baby Spinach, about 3 cups
1 tsp Sea Salt
Freshly Ground Pepper

Start your water to boil for the pasta (place a lid on the water to get it to a boil faster).  Cook pasta to al dente, according to directions.

Place your raw pine nuts in a dry pan on low to medium-low.  Toast the pine nuts as listed above.  

Mince your garlic.


In a deep skillet, add EVOO, a couple shakes of red pepper flakes (depends on your taste for heat) and minced garlic.  Turn heat to low and let the garlic and red pepper hang out in the oil as it warms gently.  This will release their flavors and sort of infuse the oil.


Chop your onion.

Add onion to the oil and turn the heat up a bit to saute the onion.  When it is sauteed, add in the can of tomatoes and stir.  Cook and stir and add in the spinach in handfuls.  Add sea salt and black pepper and stir to combine.  

Cook and stir just long enough to heat through and wilt your spinach.  

To serve, toss the spinach mixture with pasta and top with toasted pine nuts and freshly grated Parmesan cheese (leave out the parm if you're vegan).  

******

Hope you enjoy!  These are all SUPER EASY, use only a few of the same ingredients and are simply DELICIOUS!  

Raw Tacos

Just thought I'd share my recipe for my favorite Raw Dinner ... Raw Tacos.  These are delicious and totally satisfying.  Even if you're not a raw foody!

Raw Taco Meat:
  1 Cup Pecans
  1/2 Cup Sunflower Seeds
  1 1/2 Tsp Cumin
  1 Tsp Chili Powder
  3/4 Tsp Coriander
  2 Tsp Nama Shoyu (you could also use Tamari or Bragg's Liquid Aminos)
  2 shakes of Red Pepper Flakes
  3 TBSP Water
  1/2 Tsp Sea Salt 

Place all ingredients in a food processor and pulse several times.  Scrape the sides and pulse some more.  You want it to be well mixed and chopped, but not blended mush.  

Prepare the toppings:

• Dice red and green pepper (Organic is always best, fresh from your garden or farmer's market is even better)
• Chopped natural black olives
• Cilantro 
• Lime Wedges
• Homemade Pico de Gallo ~ tomatoes, purple & green onion, lime juice, cilantro, jalapenos, sea salt, onion & garlic powders
• Homemade Guacamole ~ 2 mashed avocados, lime juice, sea salt, minced garlic, cilantro, purple onion, tomato
• Crisp, clean romaine leaves

To serve, spoon "meat" into each romaine leaf, top with cilantro leaves, guacamole, diced peppers, olives, pico and a squeeze of lime 


DELICIOUS!  Add a Dos Equis with lime and call it Heaven!