Tuna Salad

Took a break from fish for a few weeks, and my waistline is showing it.  So back to what works.  I looked up tuna and avocado and this recipe came up.  D and I both liked it, and it is really nice for the hot weather. 

The one issue we had was what to serve it with.  I had it with pita bread. D had it with rice.  I think making into lettuce wraps would work as well.  We will have again.

Tuna Salad

Photo by ALB

Recipe adapted from Ina Garten

Level: Easy
Total: 12 min
Prep: 10 min
Cook: 2 min
Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients
24 oz very fresh tuna steak, cut 1-inch thick
3 tablespoons olive oil, plus extra for brushing
2 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, plus extra for sprinkling
1/2 teaspoon coarsely ground black, plus extra for sprinkling
2 limes, zest grated
1 teaspoon wasabi powder
6 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice (3 limes)
2 teaspoons soy sauce
10 dashes hot sauce (recommended: Tabasco)
1 to 2 ripe Hass avocados, medium diced
1/4 cup minced scallions, white and green parts (2 scallions)
1/4 cup red onion, small diced

Directions
Brush the tuna steaks with olive oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place the tuna steaks in a very hot saute pan and cook for only 1 minute on each side. Set aside on a platter.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine the olive oil, salt, pepper, lime zest, wasabi, lime juice, soy sauce and hot sauce. Add the avocados to the vinaigrette.

Cut the tuna in chunks and place it in a large bowl. Add the scallions and red onion and mix well. Pour the vinaigrette mixture over the tuna and carefully mix.

7 Smart Points (my additions/subtractions at 4 servings)

Honey Sriracha Chicken Thighs

This is the second time D made these.  I just forgot to write about it the first time.  These were spicy but good.  They reminded me of Spicy Honey-Brushed Chicken Thighs, but slightly hotter.  We had with rice and broccoli.

We would have again.

Honey Sriracha Chicken Thighs

Photo by ALB

TOTAL TIME: 35 MINUTES
From Love and Olive Oil

Ingredients:
1/4 cup honey
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon sriracha, divided
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 garlic glove, finely minced
1/2 teaspoon finely minced ginger
1 tablespoon water
4 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
1 tablespoon vegetable oil (used PAM)
fresh cilantro
sliced green onion
1TBSP and toasted sesame seeds

Directions
In a bowl, whisk together honey, soy sauce, 1 teaspoon sriracha, sesame oil, garlic and ginger. Add 1 tablespoon water and whisk until incorporated. Set aside.

Generously rub both sides of chicken thighs with sriracha.

Heat a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Add vegetable oil (used PAM) and heat until shimmering.

Add chicken thighs, skin side up, and cook for about 5 minutes until bottom is golden brown. Flip and cook another 5 minutes or until skin side is golden brown and starting to crisp.

Add sauce and partially cover; cook for about 10 more minutes until sauce is thickened and bubbly and a thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the largest thigh reads 165 degrees F.

Transfer to serving dishes. Transfer leftover sauce into a small dish and serve alongside chicken. Top with fresh chopped cilantro, green onions, and toasted sesame seeds.

10 Smart Points (my additions/subtractions at 4 servings)

One-Pot Greek Pasta

The original recipe called for olives.  So I told D, sun-dried tomatoes.  Our sausage was a 10oz box, so that too. We used 5 oz of spinach.  We got 5 servings.

One-Pot Greek Pasta

Photo by ALB

Adapted From: EatingWell.com

5 servings
Serving size: 2 cups
Prep: 20 m
Ready In: 20 m

Ingredients
2 tsp oil from sundried tomato jar
4 links cooked Caprese chicken sausage from Gilberts (10 ounces), sliced into rounds*
1 cup diced onion
1 clove garlic, minced
1 (8 ounce) can no-salt-added tomato sauce
5 cups lightly packed baby spinach
12 oz cups uncooked rotini pasta (or penne)
1/4 Cup chopped Sundried Tomatoes (in oil)
1/2 cup finely crumbled feta cheese
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil

Preparation
Make pasta according to directions on package.

Heat oil in a large straight-sided skillet over medium-high heat. Add sausage, onion and garlic; cook, stirring often, until the onion is starting to brown, 4 to 6 minutes. Add tomato sauce, spinach, pasta and tomatoes; cook, stirring often, until bubbling hot and the spinach is wilted, 3 to 5 minutes. Add 1 to 2 tablespoons water, if necessary, to keep the pasta from sticking. Stir in feta and basil, if using.

11 Smart Points (my additions/subtractions at 5 servings)

* This post was not sponsored (I didn't get anything) from using Gilbert's sausage. I just like the individually wrapped links.

Butternut Squash Pomegranate and Goat Cheese Spinach Salad with Red Wine Vinaigrette

If you like Butternut and Goat Cheese you should make this.  I can't say anything about the Pomegranate because our seeds were bad, and we didn't use.  We added chicken.

There was dressing left, so I figured out Smart Points using 3 TBSP of olive oil and 1 1/4 TBSP of honey. It's probably 12 points instead of 13.

Butternut Squash, (and Chicken), Pomegranate and Goat Cheese Spinach Salad with Red Wine Vinaigrette

Photo by ALB

Adapted from Cooking Classy

Servings: 3
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes

Ingredients
Salad
1 lb chicken breast, cut into 1 inch pieces, sauteed
5 cups (1 1/2 lbs) cubed butternut squash, cut into 3/4 inch pieces
1 tsp olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup chopped pecans, toasted
10 oz baby spinach (or 15)
1 1/4 cups pomegranate arils (didn't use this time)
3 oz goat cheese or feta, crumbled (used goat)
1 lb chicken breast, cut into 1 inch pieces, sauteed
(DH added red onions to his bowl)

Dressing
1/4 cup olive oil
2 TBSP red wine vinegar
2 Tbsp minced shallot
1 1/4 Tbsp honey
.5 Tbsp dijon mustard
1 tsp fresh thyme leaves (didn't use)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Instructions
Cook chicken if you haven't.

For the butternut squash: Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place squash in a mound on a baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil, season with salt and pepper to taste and toss to evenly coat in oil. Spread into an even layer.

Bake in preheated oven 15 minutes then remove from oven and toss. Return to oven and bake until tender, about 10 minutes longer. Allow to cool several minutes before adding to salad.

For the Salad: In a large salad bowl toss together spinach, squash, 1/2 of the pecans and 1/2 of the pomegranate arils.

Drizzle with desired amount of dressing and gently toss. Sprinkle with remaining pecans, pomegranate arils and goat cheese and serve immediately.

For the dressing: Combine all dressing ingredients in a blender and season with salt and pepper to taste (about 1/4 tsp salt 1/4 tsp pepper). Process until well emulsified.

13 Smart Points (my additions/subtractions at 3 servings)... there will be left over dressing if you use 3 TBSP/salad, so I used 3 TBSP of olive oil in the calculation

Machaca Beef Dip Sandwiches

D made this the other day because we found a bottom round on sale at Kroger. It was really good.

We had with fries.

Machaca Beef Dip Sandwiches

Photo by ALB

Adapted from Taste of Home
Total Time
Prep: 20 min. Cook: 8 hours

Makes 10 servings (3 oz of meat each)

Ingredients
1 boneless beef chuck roast (2 to 3 pounds)
1 large sweet onion, thinly sliced
1 can (14-1/2 ounces) reduced-sodium beef broth
1/2 cup water
3 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, chopped
1 tablespoon adobo sauce
1 envelope au jus gravy mix
1 tablespoon Creole seasoning
1 tablespoon chili powder
2 teaspoons ground cumin
10 French rolls, split
Guacamole and salsa, optional (not in points calculation)

Directions
Place roast in a 3- to 4-qt. slow cooker; top with onion. Combine the broth, water, chipotle peppers, adobo sauce, gravy mix, Creole seasoning, chili powder and cumin; pour over meat. Cover and cook on low until meat is tender, 8-10 hours.

Remove roast; cool slightly. Skim fat from cooking juices. Shred beef with 2 forks and return to slow cooker; heat through. Using a slotted spoon, place meat on rolls. Serve with guacamole or salsa if desired and the cooking juices.

Freeze option: Freeze individual portions of cooled meat mixture and juices in freezer containers. To use, partially thaw in refrigerator overnight. Heat through in a saucepan, stirring occasionally. Serve on rolls, with guacamole and salsa if desired.

Nutrition Facts 1 sandwich: 476 calories, 18g fat (6g saturated fat), 100mg cholesterol, 1288mg sodium, 39g carbohydrate (5g sugars, 3g fiber), 37g protein.

11 Smart Points (my additions/subtractions at 10 servings)

Greek Bowl with Meatballs over Couscous

D found this recipe on my pinterest page.  There's a meme about the blogs getting to the point and not telling us their life stories and covering the page with ads.  I could hear D having words with his phone with this website.

I'm glad he stuck it out though.  It was good.

Greek Bowl with Meatballs over Couscous

Photo by ALB

Adapted from Life Tastes Good

Yield: 4 Servings
Prep Time: 15 mins.
Cook time: 15 mins.
Total time: 30 mins.

Ingredients
Yogurt Sauce
1 cup Non-fat Plain Greek yogurt
1/4 cup grated cucumber
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon fresh dill
1/4 teaspoon Kosher salt or to taste
1/4 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Meatballs
1 pound 93%/7% beef
1/4 cup dry Italian breadcrumbs
1 large egg
2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf Italian parsley
4 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper

Cucumber Tomato Salad
1 cup finely diced cucumbers
1 cup grape tomatoes, halved
1/2 cup finely diced red onion
1 tablespoon chopped flat leaf Italian parsley
salt and pepper to taste

Couscous
1 cup water
1 teaspoon butter
1 cup uncooked couscous
Juice of 1/2 a lemon
salt and pepper to taste

Topping
4 TBSP Feta cheese
Freshly chopped parsley for garnish

Instructions
Combine Greek yogurt with grated cucumber, garlic, olive oil, dill, salt, and pepper. Mix in 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice and stir to combine. Give it a taste and adjust the flavors to your liking. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Preheat the oven to 425°F. In a large mixing bowl, combine 1 pound ground beef, breadcrumbs, egg, Italian parsley, garlic, ground cumin, salt, and cracked black pepper. Mix well to combine and then form into 16 meatballs. Place them on a lightly greased baking sheet and bake in the pre-heated oven for about 10 minutes or until cooked through and no longer pink inside. Cooking time will vary depending on the size of your meatballs.

While the meatballs are cooking, dice cucumbers, tomatoes, red onions, and flat leaf parsley and combine in a serving dish. Salt and pepper to taste.

When the meatballs are cooked through, remove them from the oven to rest.

While the meatballs are resting, bring water, butter, and salt to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add 1 cup couscous, cover, and remove from the heat. Let stand for 4 minutes and then fluff with a fork. Squeeze the juice of 1/2 a lemon into the couscous and adjust the salt and pepper to your liking.

Assemble: Spoon 1/2 cup couscous into each of 4 serving bowls. Top with about a 1/4 cup of the tomato cucumber salad and 4 meatballs. Sprinkle on a tablespoon of Feta cheese (or as much as you like) and drizzle with yogurt sauce. Garnish with freshly chopped parsley and enjoy!


11 Smart Points (my additions/subtractions at 4 servings)