Lemon Pasta with Tuna and Capers

1 Comment April 17, 2015 nourishinggrace

Rethinking tuna casserole over here… When I grew up, there was this tuna casserole dish that most mom’s in our neighborhood made. It usually had spirally noodles, canned tuna, mayonnaise and topped with bread crumbs that got really crispy when it baked in the oven. To be honest, I didn’t really like it – mostly because canned tuna doesn’t really taste that good when it has been cooked in an oven for 45 minutes and it always was dry.

This lemon tuna pasta is a modern twist on an old weeknight staple. All that is cooked is the pasta. The rest you just add to the bowl and toss. Try it, I hope you like it. This is also a great weeknight meal for those nights when you have very little time to spare. Serve it with a large salad, and this is a healthy dinner.

My normal journey through the grocery store involves mostly the outer edges of the market. That is where the perishable products are displayed, and I try as often as possible (most nights) to feed my family foods that are alive… because we are alive! Those are nourishing and contain more nutrients. With that in mind, there are some processed products that we buy, and so whenever applicable I will share the brand. You’ll note in all cases that the ingredient list is short and contains ingredients that are pronounceable and also ingredients that you know what they are.

The tuna in this dish is really yummy, it is moist and the capers add this little zing to the already lemon zesty pasta.

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Lemon Pasta with Tuna and Capers

Ingredients:

1 package Trader Joe’s Lemon Parappadale Pasta

1 can tuna packed in olive oil

2 tablespoons capers

extra olive oil to drizzle

salt and pepper to taste

1. Prepare pasta according to directions. You need not use the lemon pasta, but it gives it a nice kick and goes really well with the capers (which are my hubby’s favorite!). Trader Joe’s also has a plain parppardelle also or you can use spirally noodles. Just look at the ingredients. Make sure it is short and simple.

2. Open tuna and add tuna and oil into can (do not drain). Separate the tuna with a fork. Add capers.

3. When pasta is done cooking, strain and add to bowl. Toss. Add more olive oil, several tablespoons. Salt and Pepper to taste.

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Enjoy!

cool refreshing Bulgarian cucumber soup

Leave a comment April 15, 2015 nourishinggrace

After forty days of fasting from meat, it might be disappointing to see a vegetarian recipe, but this soup is soooo delicious. We have a really wonderful friend from Bulgaria who brought this over for Pascha. This is a great no cook soup – perfect for a warm sunny day. The cucumbers and dill make it light and fresh, but then the walnuts add a richness to an already delicious soup.

One note – this recipe is made from a homemade yogurt, which has a soupier consistency, but really rich flavor. If you buy store bought then stay away from greek yogurt, because it has had all the whey strained out – which is why it is so thick. Look for Seven Stars plain yogurt and make sure you buy full fat…. harder to find, but better for you.

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Bulgarian Cucumber Soup

Ingredients

1 large fresh cucumber, shredded through a large holed grater
2 small garlic cloves, minced
½ cup fresh dill, finely chopped
2½ cups plain yogurt
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
approximately ⅓ cup water
2 tsp sea salt
1/2 cup walnuts, finely chopped

Directions

Place all ingredients (except water) into large bowl and stir well to incorporate. Add water until you get desired consistency… like a thin pea soup.

Serve chilled.

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lenten chili with guacamole

Leave a comment March 27, 2015 nourishinggrace

This lenten vegetarian chili with guacamole is an easy weeknight favorite and if you end up with leftovers – it tastes even better the day after!

Chili can spark great debates about how it should be eaten. Whether you like yours on it’s own or with rice, is up to you. During Lent, we always serve our chili over brown rice. The reason is a little nutrition combined with traditional know how that amounts to a complete protein on your plate.

There are twenty different amino acids that can form a protein, nine of these amino acids, our body can’t produce on its own. In order to be considered “complete,” a protein must contain all nine of these essential amino acids in roughly equal amounts. For this reason, these nine amino acids are considered essential amino acids —we need them in food form because our body can not synthesize these from other available amino acids. Since proteins are the building blocks of the body this becomes a consideration during long periods of fasting.

The majority of plants and grains do not contain complete proteins; however, meat, dairy, seafood and eggs do. During long meatless and dairy-less periods it is possible to obtain the necessary protein for our diets through the combining of certain foods. Traditional and ethnic fasting recipes tend to combine legumes and grains in some fashion.

While it is not necessary to consume complete proteins at every meal, over the course of a day or days it makes a difference. The following food combinations yield a complete complement of amino acids.

Grains (rice, corn, wheat, barley, etc.) and legumes (peas, beans, lentils)
Seeds (Sesame or sunflower) and legumes
Hummus and pita
lentils and rice

These are good examples of combining foods such that all 9 of the essential amino acids are present.

Aside from proper combining of foods, the following are good plant sources of complete protein to include in your diet.

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Quinoa

Buckwheat

Soy (tempeh, sprouted tofu and miso)

Hempseed

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Chia

Soy

Rice and Beans

Now, for the chili.

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lenten chili with guacamole

Ingredients

2 cups of any combination of the following beans : red kidney beans, white kidney beans, black beans, pinto beans

1 onion red or yellow, diced

2 carrots diced.

5 cloves minced garlic

1/4 – 1/2 cup chili powder (we use Penzey’s regular). Use your judgement here, different chili strengths for different palates.

Salt and pepper to taste

2 chopped red peppers

1 carrot, chopped small

2- 14 oz cans diced organic tomatoes

3 cups water

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The night before, place beans in a bowl and fill to cover with water. Leave until you are ready to make chili.

To make the chili, rinse beans and place in large pot with water to cover. Turn the heat to high to bring to boil and reduce to medium. Skim any foam that accumulates. Cook for an hour. When the beans are done drain. You may reserve some of the cooking liquid.

When the beans are almost done (they will begin to soften), saute the onion, red pepper, carrots and chili powder with 3 tablespoons olive oil in a large pot. Saute for three minutes, until the chili powder becomes fragrant.

Add remaining ingredients.

Cook over low simmer, with loose lid on the pot, for approximately 45 minutes. Check on the consistency, you may cook longer if you like a thicker chili.

Serve over brown rice topped with a hearty scoop of guacamole (2 avocados, 1/2 clove garlic, bunch cilantro chopped, 2 tablespoons red onion chopped, juice of one lime – mash it all together).

yummy.