Sean's Healthy Tuna Noodle Casserole

Sometimes Joey and I have a really busy weekend and I don't have time to cook. We both still need lunches for the week, so this casserole is one of my go-to meals that I can make ahead and know it's going to be delicious for the following week. It's not only great the night you make it, but it's amazing leftover. It's also quite healthy and hearty.

This recipe was based on a Weight Watchers recipe, but I have changed it so much I can now call it my own. There is very little left of the original recipe beside the non-fat sour cream. What makes this tuna casserole unique is the use of whole wheat noodles, onions and caraway seeds. The caraway seeds is an ingredient I added on a whim, and they are tasty!

One thing I do want to say in advance - do take the time to saute the onions and mushrooms. As my dear Carla told me, you should never just throw vegetables in a casserole and she is right. If you don't have time to saute, then I would leave out the onions.

Ingredients

12 oz uncooked whole-wheat "egg" noodles
12 oz water-packed tuna fish, drained
2 turns olive oil (about two Tablespoons)
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cup button mushrooms, sliced
1 cup frozen green peas, thawed
16 oz fat-free sour cream
1/2 cup low-fat or regular mayonnaise
2 Tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon caraway seeds
1/2 tsp table salt, or more to taste
1/4 tsp black pepper, or more to taste
1 cup shredded reduced-fat Monterey Jack cheese, or Swiss cheese

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Heat large skillet over medium to medium-high heat, with 2 turns of olive oil.
3. Cook noodles according to directions and transfer to a bowl.
4. While noodles are cooking saute onions for one or two minutes then add mushrooms. Saute until tender then transfer to a bowl.
5. When noodles are done, drain and transfer to a bowl. Fold in tuna, onions, mushrooms and peas.
6. Whisk sour cream, mayonnaise, mustard, caraway seeds, salt and pepper in a bowl then fold into noodle mixture.
7. Transfer to a 3 quart casserole dish and top with cheese.
8. Bake for about 40 minutes or until top is golden and bubbly.

Notes

If you don't particularly like caraway seeds then dried parsley works very well in this recipe. Also, you can completely omit the onions, but if you saute them, they are very mild and quite tasty. This really is a great make-ahead meal. If you find you have time one night and might be busy later in the week, make this in advance and reheat it. It's very good reheated.

Steamed Artichokes with Almond Saffron Dip

One of my favorite artichoke experiences is when I found them in the food basement of Hankyu Department Store in Osaka. I had not had one in years and I really wanted these. They had two. Just two. The problem was they were about $20.00 each. Oh, my, should I buy one? You betcha! I bought up both of the babies and had a feast when I got home!

This is one of my favorite dipping sauces, by Ellie Krieger. I made it last Saturday for Suella and Joey. While not particularly low in fat it's very healthy as are all her recipes. If you have not watched her show on the Food Network, "Healthy Appetite with Ellie Krieger" you really must. She really teaches you about healthy cooking without lecturing.

This is a very healthy and delicious way to enjoy your artichokes.

Ingredients

• 4 artichokes
• Pinch saffron
• 1 tablespoon boiling water
• 1/4 cup sliced almonds
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 cup nonfat plain yogurt
• 1/4 cup flat-leaf parsley leaves
• 1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

1. Arrange the artichokes in a steamer basket set over at least 3 cups of water and steam, covered, until the leaves can be easily removed, about 1 hour. Let cool. About halfway through cooking check the water level and add more, if necessary.
2. In a small bowl, stir together saffron and the tablespoon of boiling water.
3. Toast the almonds in a small dry skillet over medium-high heat until beginning to brown, about 2 minutes.
4. Remove the almonds and add 1 tablespoon of the oil to the pan.
5. Add onion and cook until beginning to brown, 3 to 5 minutes.
6. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
7. Transfer to a bowl and let cool.
8. In a food processor, grind the almonds until finely chopped.
9. Add the saffron mixture, onion mixture, yogurt and parsley and puree until smooth.
10. Transfer to a bowl and stir in the lemon juice and remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil.
11. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper.
12. Serve with the artichokes.

Steamed Artichokes

One of my all-time favorite things is artichokes. They are right up there with whiskers on kittens. Not only are these tasty treats figure friendly, they are delicious and fun to eat! A large artichoke only has 70 calories or so and no Weight Watchers points! They are also chock full of fiber. They are the perfect appetizer!

Now this is not really a recipe but more of a reminder of how delicious artichokes are and how easy they are to make. My preferred method of preparing them is steaming. While this does take a long time, it's really worth the wait.

So, what makes an artichoke fattening? Well, it's the stuff you dip it in. Mayonnaise and butter are not particularly figure friendly, but you can get around that. You can always opt for non-fat mayonnaise and a non-fat butter substitute (I like "I Can't Believe It's Not Butter Lite"). Salsa works as does yogurt with some herbs and just a touch of real mayonnaise. Whatever you like to dip them in just try to make it figure friendly.

When purchasing artichokes you should look for those whose petals have not opened far. The tighter and more compact the artichoke, the fresher. Get out your big steamer and fill it as high as you can with water. These take a long time to boil. (Make sure you check the water frequently.)

Cut off or trim end of artichoke stem. If desired, cut about 1/2 inch off the top.

Boil the artichokes for about an hour or until the leaves can be easily removed and are tender.

That's about it! How easy can that be? Next week I will post one of my favorite dipping sauces by Ellie Krieger.

Blueberry Clafouti

This summer I am really trying to take advantage of all the fresh fruit and vegetables that are in season. I am not usually very good at that, but this year I am doing quite well. The other day I got a great deal on blueberries and decided to make one of Joey's favorite desserts, Blueberry Clafouti. Clafouti is a custard-like French dessert with fruit. It's baked in the oven and is not only really easy, but very delicious. We got this recipe from Dave Lieberman's show on the Food Network, "Good Deal with Dave Lieberman." They are not making new episodes of this show, but if you can catch it, it's really worth a watch. Some of my favorite desserts are from that show.

So, take advatage of fresh blueberries and whip out this tasty dessert. You will be glad you did!

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 pints blueberries, washed and drained
• 4 eggs
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• Pinch fine salt
• Powdered sugar, for dusting

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Place blueberries in the bottom of a small rectangular glass pan (about 8 by 10 inches).
3. In a medium bowl, crack eggs and whisk lightly. Add sugar and continue whisking until mixture thickens and is pale yellow. Add milk and vanilla; whisk to combine. Add flour and whisk to combine. Add a pinch of fine salt and whisk to incorporate. Pour mixture over berries.
4. Bake on the center rack of the oven until the clafouti has puffed and the center bounces back when lightly pressed, about 45 minutes, rotating once.
5. Remove from oven and let cool slightly before cutting. Slice into 8 equal pieces and gently remove from pan with a spatula or cake server. Dust with powdered sugar and serve immediately.

Lowfat Apple and Cinnamon Cake

Joey and I really both love dessert, but it's hard to find desserts that are figure friendly. Yes, I know all about Skinny Cow, etc., but sometimes we really want something besides ice cream.

Now, I am not a baker at all. While I do own a fancy mixer, it pretty much sits there neatly covered. I have had so many of my baking attempts fail, that I am always hesitant bake. This time I am glad I took the chance, because not only is it figure friendly, it's super tasty.

I got this recipe from the new Lifetime show, "Cook Yourself Thin." This particular recipe stood out to me because it uses sweet potatoes instead of butter or oil. The outcome is extremely moist AND extremely dense. You can not eat a huge slab of this, so I guess this makes it even more figure friendly. I followed the recipe really closely except I didn't have an 8-inch springform and was not about to buy one. (Okay, I confess I would have bought one but I couldn't find it in my neighborhood.) I used an 8x8 square metal baking dish and it turned out just fine.

Ingredients
For the cake

• 1 large apple (about 10 ounces)
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 1 1/4 cups finely ground almonds
• 1 cup self-rising flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 3 large eggs
• 3/4 cup superfine sugar
• 2 cups peeled sweet potato (the white variety), finely grated at the very last minute to prevent
• discoloration
• 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• For the icing
• 1 cup confectioners' sugar, sifted
• 4 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease the base and sides of an 8-inch springform pan with a little vegetable oil and a pastry brush. Line the pan with parchment paper.
2. Peel, core and chop the apple into 1/4-inch cubes. Toss them in a small bowl with some lemon juice to prevent oxidation.
3. In a separate bowl, combine the ground almonds, flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Set aside.

Notes

As I mentioned earlier, I did use a square dish rather than a springform. I did use parchment paper, though, and that was really helpful.

I didn't particularly love the icing. It could be that my powered sugar is too old, but when I make this again I am going to use non-fat whipped topping or ice-cream instead.

Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream

Our friend Kevin has this amazing herb garden and brought us over a huge bag of herbs the other day. All sorts of delicious treats - parsley, sage, rosemary, (no thyme), marjoram and a mint. A lot of mint. I could figure out what to do with all the other herbs, but what was I going to do with all that mint? I decided that I would make some sort of dessert thing with it but couldn't figure out what until Joey reminded me that I had a Cuisinart Ice Cream Maker. I had bought it refurbished a couple years ago and totally forgot I had it. The one and only time I used it was not at all a success, but I thought, "What the heck?" I will try this again and went out on a search for Mint Ice Cream.

It's amazing how hard it was for me to find a recipe that actually used fresh mint. Finally I found one on Epicurious by Isaac Mizrahi. Now I am a huge fan of The Fashion Show so I just had to try this out.

I followed the recipe fairly closely, but I have adapted it. First off, I don't like food coloring and refuse to buy it and for this recipe the natural green of the mint comes shining through as you can see from the pictures below. Second, Isaac must be a huge chocolate queen because he calls for WAY too much chocolate. I have cut that in half and trust me you will want to follow my recipe below and do the same.

Ingredients

• 6 large egg yolks
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 2 cups whole milk
• 2 cups fresh mint leaves, loosely packed
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 4 ounces semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped (original recipe called for 8 ounces)

Instructions

1. In large bowl, whisk together egg yolks and 1/2 cup sugar.
2. In heavy medium saucepan over moderately low heat, stir together milk, remaining 1/4 cup sugar, and mint. Heat until steaming but not boiling, then remove from heat.
3. Ladle about 1/2 cup hot milk mixture into egg yolk mixture, whisking constantly to prevent eggs from cooking, then slowly stir the egg mixture back into the hot milk, whisking constantly.
4. Place over low heat, and cook, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens enough to coat back of spoon (finger drawn across spoon will leave clear path), 5 to 6 minutes total (do not let boil or custard will curdle). Strain through fine-mesh sieve into large bowl, pressing on and then discarding solids.
5. Whisk in heavy cream. Cover and chill until cold, at least 6 hours or overnight.
6. Process custard in ice cream maker, adding chopped chocolate during last minute of churning.
7. Transfer to airtight container and freeze until hard, about 3 hours.

Baked Brie with Dried Cherries and Toasted Almonds

Every once in awhile I make something that I am particularly proud of. Something that just turns out so right that I even surprise myself. That was the case when I made this Baked Brie. Not only did it look beautiful, but it was cooked to perfection. That doesn't happen to me all that often. My food usually tastes pretty good, but it rarely is pretty.

Joey and I have not had guests over since Christmas so when we planned afternoon cocktails and game night with Kevin and Karolyn I really wanted to make something special. I knew what our entree would be, Island Pork Tenderloin Salad, since Kevin had seen it on my blog and requested it. What, though, would I make for appetizers? I had made baked brie before with dismal results. Either the cheese came screaming out of the puff pastry or it stubbornly refused to soften. In either case it was a disaster.

Joey kept bring home rounds of brie, which was a sure hint that he wanted me to master this, so after and exhaustive search online I finally found a recipe I thought would work. Oh my goodness! JACKPOT! This is the perfect baked brie recipe. I found it on Food Network and it had five stars out of 45 reviews. The recipe is courtesy of Jill Davie. I have no idea who she is, but bless her! This baked brie turned out perfectly from the flackly crust to the ooey gooey goodness of the brie. The dried cherries, toasted almonds and brown sugar were the perfect filling. I even decorated the darn thing and it looked oh-so fancy. You MUST try this recipe. It is as delicious as it is beautiful.

Ingredients

• 1 (7 to 8-inch) wheel brie cheese
• 1/4 cup dried cherries
• 1/4 cup sliced toasted almonds
• 3 tablespoons brown sugar
• 2 sheets (12 by 18-inch) puff pastry
• 2 eggs, beaten

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 400° F.
2. Remove puff pastry from package and thaw on table (at least 1 hour)
3. Using a warmed sharp knife, or unflavored dental floss cut the wheel of brie in half horizontally and separate the top half of the wheel from the bottom half.
4. Toast almond over medium heat until golden brown.
5. Sprinkle the bottom half of the brie with the dried cherries, toasted almonds, and brown sugar.
6. Replace the top half of the brie and apply pressure to secure the stuffing.
7. Working on a well-floured surface, roll out the puff pastry so that it will fully cover the brie. (Don't roll it out too much, just enough.)
8. Place the brie in the middle of the puff pastry and fold the excess pastry around the wheel.
9. Put the wheel aside.
10. Roll out another piece of puff pastry and cut out a circle the same circumference as the top of the brie. (If the pastry comes in a round box, just use that as a guide.)
11. Save the trimmings for decorations.
12. Using a pastry brush, brush the egg on top of the brie in the puff pastry and place the circle on top.
13. Brush the top of the circle and and sides with egg.
14. Cut out decorations using cookie cutters or a small knife and place on top of brie. (I did little leaves and made twists around the circle and a twist cross through the middle.)
15. Brush the entire top side of the brie with the egg and place the brie on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper.
16. Bake for 20 to 30 minutes or until the pastry begins to turn golden brown.
17. Turn the temperature down to 325° F and bake for another 20 minutes.
18. Remove from oven and let sit about 5 minutes
19. Place brie and serving dish and serve with sliced baguette or crackers.

Notes

I think the key to this is the higher temperature at first then lowering the temperature. I actually started this way too early so I lowered the temperature to about 250°, opened the oven door to cool it down and then baked it about 30 minutes more. Perfection!