Spring Green Tuna Casserole ~ A Gluten Free Tuna Casserole From Scratch!

This is definitely not your mothers tuna casserole. Correct me if I'm wrong, but whenever someone talks about "tuna casserole," the kind mom used to make, they are referring to that weird mid-century concoction consisting of a can of tuna, mixed with a can of mushroom soup, mixed with a bag of egg noodles, topped with crushed potato chips and baked until certain to cause heart failure.


Ug.


Does that even sound good to anyone? Other than maybe the nostalgia factor, because mom made it?

Now. That being said, OH MY GOSH CASSEROLES ARE SO CONVENIENT. Now I get why moms make them! You can make it a day ahead, it requires limited labor, it can feed an army, you can freeze half of it for dinner another day, it still tastes good as leftovers, and it keeps forever!

Obviously, casseroles and I are like, BFF's forever!


However.

The thing about casseroles is that they can be... how shall we say... a little plain? They could use a little dressing up. They're like the Jane Eyre of food: plain, earnest, hardworking and virtuous, but rather lacking in the glamor department.

The nice thing is, you can dress them up is just about anything! This particular version is uses a lot of spring green vegetables (and tuna), but you can dress is up in whatever is seasonal is available to you. The meat, the cheese, and the vegetables are all interchangeable. It a blank palate for you to color with whatever sounds fresh and delicious to you.

Spring Green Tuna Casserole ~ A Gluten Free Casserole From Scratch

I also use a chedder/gruyere cheese blend I found at Trader Joe's, but any flavorful cheese would be great!


Basic Casserole Ingredients
1 lb brown rice pasta, cooked to al dente and drained
2 medium onions, chopped
3-4 garlic cloves, minced or crushed
1/2 cup butter (1 stick)
2 cups milk
2 tablespoons sweet rice flour (or regular flour, if gluten is not an issue)
salt and pepper

Additional Ingredients
1.5 cups broccoli florets
1 cup peas
1 bunch asparagus, trimmed and peeled if very thick
1 lemon, juice and zest
1/2 cup mascarpone or sour cream
1 packed cup baby spinach
1 fennel bulb, cored and chopped
1/2 cup chopped parsley
1 jar marinated artichoke hearts
2 cans albacore tuna in oil
1 lb chedder cheese, grated

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a heavy bottomed pan or dutch oven, heat 2 tbs butter. Fry onions garlic, and fennel over medium heat, until softened and fragrant, about 5 minutes. Add the rest of the butter, and increase heat to high. When butter is hot, mix in sweet rice flour, and whisk to combine with butter. Add milk 1 cup at a time, whisking vigorously with each addition. Bring to a boil. If sauce is too thick add more milk, and if it's too thin, more flour. It should have the consistency of a sauce - not too watery or too thick. Whisk in 1/2 the grated cheese, until cheese is melted and becomes part of the sauce.

2. Mix in whatever vegetables you would like, in this case broccoli, peas, baby spinach, parsley. simmer about 5 minutes, until vegetables are bright green and softened.

3. Mix in tuna, artichoke hearts, lemon juice and zest, mascarpone, and cooked noodles. Place in casserole pan, and top with the other half of the grated cheese. Bake in oven until cheese is melted and casserole is bubbly, about 20 minutes. Enjoy!

Grilled Keta Salmon with Mango Cucumber Salsa

My goodness, this is really turning into the week where we feed Nate a lot of things he doesn't like, isn't it? I just like to show off. I'm so immodest. It's shameful, really. But there's something really satisfying about taking an ingredient that someone professes to hate, and making something out of it that they love. Like salmon! My crazy husband doesn't like salmon. I know. it's ridiculous. What's wrong with him? Who doesn't like salmon for crying out loud?

Nate, that's who.

Until now, of course. Not that he will admit it, but this? He really liked it. He ate it all up. He said I could make it again if I wanted to. I almost died of shock.

I think the secret to getting salmon into my salmon hating man is that this salmon was wild caught. Typically, I buy the farmed stuff because... I don't want to pay $20 a pound for, well, anything. Sorry. We're cheap like that. However, our local ghetto grocery store somehow managed to purchase and distribute wild caught keta salmon for (gasp!) $1.99 a pound! So I had to buy some. Boy was I surprised when I unwrapped my package to find half a fish staring back at me! I have approximately zero experience in filleting fish, but I did my best not to completely mutilate that lovely fish. Which, by the way, I totally failed at. But that is besides the point.






Because oh. my. goodness. I don't think I can ever eat farmed salmon again. Unlike that bright glaringly orange farmed stuff, this fish was a pale delicate pink, and tasted marvelous. It smelled so heavenly, even when raw: briny and crisp, like the sea, not fishy at all. It melted like butter in my mouth and had a delicate buttery flavor. That's it. I'm spoiled now. I can never buy expensive farmed salmon again, not when the wild stuff tastes so much better and is, uh, cheaper. And also, better for you and more nutritious. No brainer!







Grilled Keta Salmon with Mango Salsa

Apparently, there is a salmon season. I feel a little sheepish that I didn't even know this, but I feel more sheepish that after that first fish I didn't go strait back to the grocery store and buy 20 more pounds of it at that fabulous price. Because of course, it was all gone next time I went and all they had left was the farmed stuff. But I digress.

Salmon season comes in the summer when wild salmon are plentiful (apparently. I'm a Californian and we don't know about these things. Ask me about surfing. I will have a much more informed opinion). You may have some good looking, sweet-smelling, fresh, wild-caught salmon at a store near you, so keep an eye out for this seasonal goody.

Hey, this is real food! You can check out more real food at the blog carnival over at Kelly the Kitchen Kop.


For the Salmon
2-4 salmon fillets
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons distilled white vinegar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper

For the Mango Cucumber Salsa
1 medium cucumber, peel and diced
1 large ripe (but not overripe) mango, peeled and diced
1/2 a bunch cilantro (about 1 cup packed), minced
1 small jalapeño pepper, seeded and finely minced
2-3 scallions, diced
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper



In a medium bowl, combine 1 diced mango...




... with 1 cup minced cilantro...





...2-3 diced scallions...





...1 small jalapeño, minced...





... and 1 diced cucumber.





Add 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper, and some salt and pepper to taste (really just a pinch of both).





Mix it all up. Voila! Done. Set aside Can be made up to 4 hours ahead.





In a small bowl, combine 2 tablespoons soy sauce, 2 tablespoons olive oil, and 2 tablespoons distilled white vinegar. Add 1/2 a teaspoon salt and 1/2 a teaspoon pepper. Whisk to combine.





Let marinate for 5-10 minutes. Grill over high heat, flipping once, and removing when salmon is firm and cooked through.





Top with salsa and serve. Enjoy!

Giada's Salmon Al Cartoccio, or, Salmon Baked in Foil

I don't even know how to start this blog post. Should I start with the fact that I come from a salmon lovin' family? (I do). Or the fact that Nate hates salmon passionately? (He does). Or that I read somewhere that Omega-6 fish oils help prevent stretch marks? (I wish).

Ok, let's start here: I have an announcement to make. I'm pregnant! And by that, I mean, I am REALLY, REALLY pregnant. Like, eight and a half months pregnant. Surprise!

These days it's getting so I can't even do the dishes without my baby belly bumping into the counter, and there has been more than one picture where the belly has snuck into the bottom of the frame. Sneaky, sneaky belly. It's subversive, I tell you.

The reason we are cooking salmon today is today I was examining the baby belly in the mirror, and in one of those horror moments (cue the violins and the shrieking), I realized that a red angry line had snaked it's way across the bottom of the belly. Yep. That's right folks. I HAVE STRETCH MARKS. Well, I have one stretch mark. It's actually not even that big. It's actually only about 3mm long. BUT STILL. IT'S THERE. With six weeks left to go, I suddenly have visions of a tiger striped abdomen dancing through my head and the spectre of never being able to wear a bikini again (ha! Because I TOTALLY put my fat-tuesday-chocolate-cookie-loving tush in bikinis ALL THE TIME before I got pregnant. OR NOT.)

Anyway, back to the point. After some frantic "stretch mark prevention" googling, I learned that besides generously anointing the belly with bio-oil, drinking lots of water, and submitting to laser surgery, you can supposedly ward off stretchmarks by eating lots and lots of fatty omega-3 fish oils.

Friends, that I can do.



I bring you Giada's Salmon Al Cartoccio. So flaky. So tender. So flavorful. The first time I made this I was really skeptical about salmon and tomatoes together. Don't be. It's really good. And is the foil really neccesary? Oh yes it is. The salmon cooks by steaming in the foil. That's where the tenderness comes from.

So whether you need to ward off some stretch marks like me, or if you just want the health benefits of Omega-3's and lycopene, Mmm, this is a great recipe.

Giada's Salmon Al Cartoccio

Every time I make something to show you, I am always amazed by how simple it is. Is this really all that goes into this meal? You bet. So. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.

You will need 4 salmon fillets (I used two and saved 1/2 the sauce for next time), 1 14oz can of FIRE ROASTED tomatoes, 2 shallots, 1/2 a lemon, olive oil, oregano, thyme, kosher salt, and cracked pepper. Like my decorative rug? It's hiding my dryer.

Start with this. You don't have to buy any particular brand, though I do like that this one is organic. I hear Hunt's makes some mean fire-roasted tomatoes too. Try them. They're the best.

Drain the tomatoes of excess water, and put them in a small bowl.

I love shallots. Use them if you can get them. They really do make this taste special.

Now chop those shallot up finely, and add them to the tomatoes.

Now it's time for some olive oil. Put in 2 tbs of olive oil.

Then add the juice of 1/2 a lemon. I love this lemon juicer. Does anyone know where I can find another one? Mine's wearing out.

Now add 1 tsp oregano and one tsp thyme.

And don't forget 1 tsp salt and some cracked pepper.

Now mix all that goodness up. You are done with the sauce!

Now take your salmon filet and put it on a piece of foil. Drizzle it with a bit of olive oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Top generously with the tomato sauce. Mmmm..

Fold the foil up into little airtight packets and stick them in the over for 25 minutes.

Open carefully - It's hot!

Plate and enjoy!