Tuna and Spaghetti Mediterranean Style

A little fancy fish Friday that's totally easy to make, low cal and full of flavour!

Ingredients:

2 tbsps olive oil

1 onion, diced

2 tsp minced garlic

1 bell pepper, sliced

1 - 28 oz can diced tomatoes

3 tsps capers

1/4 cup kalamata olives

1 tsp dry basil

1/2 tsp dry oregano

pinch of red pepper flakes

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1/2 cup chopped kale or spinach

3 or 4 tuna steaks (3-4 oz each)

fresh basil and/or parsley

1/2 lb spaghetti

In a large skillet cook the diced onion in olive oil until transparent, then add the garlic for 1 minute. Add the bell pepper and cook until softened. Next just dump in all the ingredients up to and including the kale. Stir everything together.

Start cooking the spaghetti in a large pot of salted water.

Now take those lovely pink tuna steaks and nestle them into the skillet with the sauce to poach.

Cover and simmer on medium until the tuna turns white. The picture below is at about 4 minutes (still a little pink)

But after about 8 minutes the tuna turns completely white. Add the chopped basil/parsley.

The pasta should be cooked by now so drain the spaghetti. Remove the tuna to a plate, keep warm.

Toss the spaghetti with the sauce and serve topped with that perfectly poached tuna.

Serves 3 or 4

Rhubarb and Cranberry Applesauce Bread

Although my rhubarb plant is a bit spindly (maybe the heat is too much for it?) I was still able to harvest enough to make this sweet loaf. Rhubarb gives the loaf a tart taste balanced by the sweetness of the dried cranberries, with a little pop of orange zest for zing!

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups flour

1 cup flour

2 tbsps ground flax

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/3 cup vegetable oil

2 eggs

1 cup unsweetened applesauce

1/4 cup dried cranberries

1 cup chopped rhubarb

zest of 1 orange

1/4 tsp vanilla

1 tsp cream or milk

2-3 tbsps icing sugar

Mix together the first 7 dry ingredients. Take 2 tbsps of the dry mix and toss in a bowl with the dried cranberries, chopped rhubarb and orange zest.

In another bowl, mix the vegetable oil, eggs and applesauce together. Then add the dry ingredients to the wet just until combined. Fold in the fruit.

Pour into an oiled 9 X 5" loaf pan

Bake at 350°F for a good 60-70 minutes. It may go a little longer... check with a cake tester until it comes out clean.

Cool 10 minutes on rack before removing from the pan to cool completely on rack. While it is still slightly warm mix the glaze ingredients together and drizzle over the top.

This glaze is thin and doesn't overwhelm the bread.

Here's a closeup so you can see the texture and bits of fruit throughout.

Pizza with Butternut Squash

I know, butternut squash on pizza sounds weird right? So does hockey in July, but here we are! Tonight starts the exhibition games to the play in series for the weirdest NHL season ever! We needed a weird pizza for hockey night in July! And it's a good one!

Go Habs Go!!!

Ingredients:

1/4 - 1/3 cup pizza sauce

1 tbsps olive oil

1 tsp red wine vinegar

a good handful of chopped kale

1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella

some sliced red pepper 

pepperoni

black pepper

red pepper flakes

spiralized butternut squash

some cherry tomato halves

fresh basil leaves to garnish

pizza dough for 1 large pizza (I used this recipe ↓)

https://hotandcoldrunningmom.blogspot.com/2020/07/pizza-day-in-canada.html

This is the butternut squash I used. Just defrost one frozen pre-cooked nest and pat dry with a paper towel. Of course you can always spiralize and cook your own.

Once you've made the dough it's time to top this pizza!

Toss the olive oil, red wine vinegar and chopped kale together.

Spread pizza sauce on the dough then sprinkle on the kale. Use most of the cheese to "hide" the kale!

Scatter the red pepper, pepperoni and cherry tomatoes. Now take strands of spiralized squash and make a few loose piles on the pizza. Give them a few grinds of black pepper and some red pepper flakes to taste. 

Throw on the last of the shredded mozzarella and give the whole thing a good drizzle of olive oil.

Bake at 515°F for 10-11 minutes, on a pizza stone if you've got one.

Fresh basil leaves to serve and this one is ready to go!

Low Carb Cauliflower "Breadsticks"

If you like cauliflower crust pizza, then you'll love these breadsticks. Granted, they're not for everyone. My husband turned his nose right up at them. But give them a try hot with a nice marinara sauce or cold right from the fridge dipped in caesar dressing. Don't knock it 'til you try it!

Ingredients:

1 small head of cauliflower (2 cups lightly packed once riced) 

1/2 cup shredded mozzarella

1/2 cup grated parmesan

1 egg

2 tsps minced garlic

2 tsps fresh chopped basil

1 tsp dry parsley

1 tsp salt

1/4-1/2 tsp pepper

3/4 cup shredded mozzarella

Take the cauliflower florets and pulse them in a food processor to rice them until you have 2 cups worth of riced cauliflower. If you find the cauliflower too moist just roll up and squeeze in a paper towel or dish towel. 

In a large bowl mix everything together except 3/4 cup mozzarella. Stir until it starts to holds together.

Then dump out onto a parchment lined baking sheet.

Firmly press out into an 11 X 9" rectangle 1/4-1/2" thick.

Bake at 425°F for 10-12 minutes. Remove from oven, top with the remaining mozzarella, then back in the oven to melt the cheese. Broil if you like, but keep an eye on it. 

Cool 10 minutes then cut into sticks.

Garnish with herbs and serve with your favourite sauce.

Makes 22 sticks.

Original recipe from: realhousemoms.com

Swedish Apple Pie

When they say "easy as pie" they must be talking about this pie! Just 20 minutes to put it together and no pastry to roll. Great if you're new to baking or if you don't like making pie dough, like me. What you get is a sweet thick filling full of cinnamon coated apples all covered with a flaky, crusty crust!

Ingredients:

5 apples (Granny Smith, Spartan)

1 tbsp sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

Topping:

1 cup flour

1 cup sugar

3/4 cup melted butter, cooled

1 egg

pinch of salt

In a 10" pie plate layer apple slices. They should be cut 1/4-1/2" thick. Mix the sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle over the apples.

Next mix all the topping ingredients together and spoon or pour on top of the apples. Spread evenly.

Bake at 325°F for 1 hour and maybe an extra 5 minutes, depending on how golden you want the top crust.

Cool to room temperature,

 then cut to serve.

Original recipe from: hostessatheart.com 

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Quick Mini Irish Soda Bread

This quick soda bread can be ready in less than 1 hour. Generally served to dunk in stew or soup, this soda bread is a little sweet and is much better suited for breakfast time. Cut the sugar if you want it for supper. And best eaten on the day it is baked.

Ingredients:

2 scant cups flour

1 tbsp sugar

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

3/4 cup buttermilk (or 12 tbsps milk with 1 tbsp vinegar, sit 5 minutes)

Sift the dry ingredients together then add the buttermilk with a fork to this shaggy stage. Let rest 5 minutes.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for about 30 seconds. Form into a small loaf, place on a parchment lined baking sheet and score the top. At this point I was not very hopeful of baking an edible loaf : (

Place in a 375°F oven, and you could toss in 1 cup of ice cubes into the floor of the oven. Bake for 35 - 40 minutes.

But it turned out lovely!

And perfect with some raspberry jam!

Virgin Mojito for Two

For Mojito Monday or mojito anyday! So refreshing!

Ingredients:

20 large mint leaves

1/4 cup lime juice

1/4 cup simple syrup (see below)

1 - 355 ml can ginger ale

Lots of ice cubes

(Add 2 oz rum each if you don't want the virgin version)

First off, make a little batch of simple syrup. Bring 1/2 cup sugar and 1/2 cup water to a boil just to dissolve the sugar, then cool. Refrigerate the remaining simple syrup for more mojitos!

Next, place the mint leaves, simple syrup and lime juice in a mortar and stir and rub with a pestle 4 or 5 times. You don't want to pulverize the leaves just crush a bit  to release the mint essence.

Distribute evenly into two tall glasses with ice cubes...

...and top with ginger ale. Ahhhhh!

Ginger ale can be substituted with lime sparkling water, club or tonic water.

This one was with lime sparkling water and it was awesome!!