Tuna and Hummus crostini

Tags

appetizer, bell pepper, Bruschetta, canned tuna, crostini, crostini topping, hummus, open faced sandwich, party food, Tuna, tuna salad

Creamy garlicy hummus combined very well with richy lemony flavored tuna topped on toothsome crunch of the crostini, all in one bite.

Did you see “THE CROODS” movie? what’s the most funny scene you liked?

Last weekend, we had a chance to see “THE CROODS” movie. Honestly, I wasn’t so excited about it at the beginning, but the kids insist to go see it, and since there is nothing to do -especially in rainy days- but the movie theatre, so we went. Believe me, it’s a perfect family movie that isn’t just for the kiddos.

incredibly funny, it just looked silliness from start to finish, but also delivers a sweet message about families and how change can be a good thing. It captures the wonder (and more gently, the anxiety) of discovery time and time again. It holds a very heartfelt message about not fearing everything that’s new and stands different before the norm. Valuable insights about seeing possibilities instead of risks and letting the wondrous power of ideas, as opposed to the cave dark’s status quo, lead the way towards enlightenment.

 

“The Croods” is about a family of cavemen who forced to come out of their cave and start living in the world. Grug (Nicolas Cage) is the father and he wants the family to live in fear, he has thereby a valid reasons for his overprotective rule – no one gets to leave the safety of the cave that constitutes their home. “New is never a good thing”, as he stipulates repeatedly with a decided undertone of fear.

But his oldest daughter Eep(Emma Stone)-the self-dependent teenage daughter- longs for a life outside the cave, has grown tired of their eventless existence. She wants to get out and explore. Live, instead of just surviving. One day meets a boy named Guy(Ryan Reynolds) who shows her the light, introducing such revolutionary concepts as making a fire and cracking jokes. He talks about how the world is going to change and convinces her to get the family to leave the cave, from there it’s about “old ways vs. new ways” as the boy and Grug clash over what to do to protect the family.

Sure, as a point of view, the movie encounter along the usual lines of family values, trust and father-daughter relationships, to encourage children to disregard their parent’s safety warnings, but the resolution is actually really touching.

Crostini, Bruschetta, or open faced sandwich, or whatever name you call it, all is just a fancy names for baguette slices that have been brushed with oil, sprinkled with salt and pepper, and baked until golden brown. Crostini, as a small version of bruschetta, makes a perfect choice for parties and gathering, and a good start to any meal as an appetizers or garnishes with foods such as soups.

Crostini served with any topping of your choice makes it perfect as hors d’oeuvres. The creamy garlicy hummus makes a good choice to top with, I prefer the homemade version, but the store bought will serve well too. Top the hummus with a right a mount of lemony flavored tuna that is loaded with sweet crunchy peppers and celery, all on top of crusty toasted little salty bread slices.

Tuna and Hummus crostini

14 ounces canned  tuna in water
1/4 cup minced celery
1/4 cup minced bell pepper (any color available)
2 tablespoon minced red or yellow onion
salt and pepper
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 tablespoon e.v. olive oil
french baghette sliced 1/2 inch thick
Hummus, homemade (recipe comming later)
Fresh radishes, sliced
fresh cucumber, sliced

Drain the water from the tuna. Place the tuna in a mixing bowl and flake it with a fork. Add the celery, onion, yellow pepper, lemon juice, 2 tablespoons of olive oil, salt, and pepper and mix well. Cover and refrigerate for a few hours to allow the flavors to develop.

Preheat the oven at 300 f. Brush the baguette slices with olive oil, sprinckle with salt and pepper, arrange n an oven sheet, toast until crunchy, for about 10 min.

Let the bread cool, spread each slice with a layer of hummus. Spread the tuna salad on each piece of bread, garnish with slices of radish and cucumber, serve immediately.

Shrimp Avocado and Pasta Salad

Tags

avocado, healthy food, kids friendly, lemon olive oil dressing, Lunchbox ideas, Pasta salad, quick lunch, rotini pasta, salads, shrimp

My family’s favorite pasta salad that makes perfect picnic’s main dish and great lunchbox idea.

With weather changing to warmer temperatures, announcing beginning of spring, although the weather outside is still too cold, but we are getting ready to welcome the summer. Yesterday was the official day of spring, my favorite season.
Spring to me is not only a season, but it also means a lot;

The beginning of life…
Simplicity…
Warmth…
The beauty…
The bright flowers popping through…
Leaves starting to stretch out…
Songs of the new hatch sings…
Buzz of the bees…
Rat a tat tat of the rain…
Picnics and more family fun…

Every time I make this salad it remind me of spring. Cool, easy to prepare, with all beautiful colors; greens, yellow, red, purple, and white. Sure will feast your eyes, and sing a happy symphony in your mouth.

One of my family’s favorite salad, it makes a great lunchbox meal, plus it’s easy to make that the kids would love to share the work preparing it for the next day school lunch. It is also a savory side dish to bring for family gathering and potlucks, a satisfying one dish meal for busy weeknight or weekends, and wonderful main dish salad to prepare for picnics.

All ingredients complement each other. The juicy sweet and slightly tart tomato, the crunchy cool cucumber, the purple cabbage pop in, all combine to meet with the protein portion shrimp that sucks in all the tangy,lemony juices, while the onion gives a little push, and the cheese lends this very fresh dish the gravity of age, and the olive oil emulsified in for rich, slippery body. The flavors swirl as you slurp it up, bouncing from bright and clean to deep and savory, and once all the pasta gone, you’ll have the nice fresh vegetable salad.

Also, because I make it so often, I also make a lot of variations on it. Sometimes I use different vegetables, or substitute the chicken of shrimp or make it veggies only dish. But it will always be our favorite pasta salad.

Shrimp Avocado and Pasta Salad

3 cups uncooked Garden Rotini
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon dried basil leaves
1 teaspoon dried oregano leaves
1/4 cup high-quality olive oil
1 teaspoon of lemon zest
1/4 cup lemon juice
salt and black pepper to taste
1/3 cup shredded parmesan cheese (sometimes I use Mexican 4 cheese)
about 10 large shrimp (I prefer raw wild caught, but the frozen and cooked will work too)
2-3 Bay leaves
1 large avocado cut in cubes
1/2 cup diced green or orange bell pepper
1/4 cup diced red onion
1 cup fresh spinach, roughly chopped
2 tablespoon fresh mint leaves, chopped
2 tablespoon fresh italian leave parsley, chopped
1 cup grab or cherry tomato, cut in halves
1/2 cup cucumber, chopped
1/2 cup purple cabbage, chopped

In a pot, bring 3 quart of water to rabid boil. Add salt and 1 tablespoon olive oil (this helps the pasta not to stick together). Cook the pasta uncovered on medium heat until tender, about 10-12 min. Rinse the pasta in cold water to stop the cooking. Drain well and put into a large bowl. Add lemon juice, olive oil, dried basil leaves, oregano, and parmesan cheese, mix well, let the pasta soak all the juices.

Meanwhile in another pot bring water to boil, you may add some bay leaves, add the raw shrimp boil for 5 min, the color will change to pink. Rinse with water to stop cooking then take off the shells and clean. Add lemon juice, lemon zest, and garlic powder, mix together.

In the pasta bowl, add the shrimp and the remaining ingredients and gently mix until well combined. Test for seasoning.

Serve chilled.

Tuna Salad My Way

Tags

cold sandwich, fish and seafood, light lunch, radishes, sandwiches, Tuna, tuna salad, tuna sandwich

    Reinvent the tuna salad with few unexpected flavor booster.

Can anyone know how Collin’s novels won everyone’s heart and mind?
I mean her three masterpiece books, the hunger games series. Once you start read you can’t stop. I never obsessed in reading any novel before like this one. Am i alone or you too agree?
Do you think there is a trick? Like in food world, when someone have his own tricks in making lovely and humble recipes?
For me, there is no tricks. It’s just I like to play around, With ingredients I mean ( don’t understand me wrong, hahhhhh…..). With a quirky little twist to the classic, that make my son says why this thing didn’t be this way all the time.
Like this little lovely. Classic tuna salad got renovated when became more healthy. substituting the mayo with the healthy extra virgin olive oil and a squeeze of fresh lemon juice. Not to mention the extra loads of fresh vegetables zapped with earthy hit of black olives, sweet bite of radishes, floral touch of parsley, and aroma perfumes your taste of basil and mint leaves. Once you have the Flavors in your head, they’re impossible to get out. Let the whole classic world wonder why things haven’t always been made this way.
Plus, from my middle eastern side, I like to stuff everything in between the pita pocket. That makes it more likely to be a good choice for light, healthy and quick-lunch idea. Great idea for school lunch too, just stuff it when served to not let the bread soak with the juices and become mushy.

Tuna Salad Sandwich

1 5 oz can of tuna solid chunk in water
1/4 cup chopped tomato
1\4 cup chopped lettuce
1 small radish chopped
1\4 cup chopped cucumber or small thinly sliced
1/4 cup chopped carrots or thinly sliced
1 tablespoon sliced black olives
2 tablespoon chopped onion
1 tablespoon chopped parsley 5-6 sliced mild sweet pepper
1\2 teaspoon dried mint leaves
1\2 teaspoon dried basil leaves
salt and pepper
2 tablespoon lemon juice
2 tablespoon olive oilMix all chopped vegetable together with the tuna. Adjust the seasoning, salt, and the amount of lemon according to your liking.
Assemble and stuff it into pita pockets or roll it with tortilla ar your favourite kind of bread.

And enjoy.

What other blogs have with tuna salad:

BALSAMIC-CANNELLINI BEAN TUNA SALAD Salad

 

Tuna Salad

 

Apple Tuna Salad Lettuce Wraps with  Balsamic Vinegar Paleo Mayo …

 

Lunch Recipe: Tuna Melts with Olive Oil Mayonnaise & Parmesan – Recipes from The Kitchn

 

Tuna, Artichoke, and Israeli Couscous Salad (lattesandleggings.com)

 

Gourmet Tuna

Chickpea Patties “Falafel”(The Daring Cooks’ February Challenge: Flipping Fried Patties!!!)

Tags

arabic salad, chickpea patties, chickpeas, daring cooks, falafel, falafel spices, fried falafel, legumes, middle eastern food, pita bread, pita sandwiches, sandwiches, tahini sauce

The Daring Cooks’ February 2012 challenge was hosted by Audax & Lis and they chose to present Patties for their ease of construction, ingredients and deliciousness! We were given several recipes, and learned the different types of binders and cooking methods to produce our own tasty patties!

A Middle Eastern delight: Falafel is a deep-fried ball or patty made from ground chickpeas and/or fava beans and they’ve been fast food in the Middle East forever. Falafel is usually served in a pita, which acts as a pocket, or wrapped in a flatbread. The falafel patties are topped with salads, pickled vegetables, hot sauce, and drizzled with tahini-based sauces. Falafel patties may also be eaten alone as a snack or served as part of a meze. Falafel patties are appealing to children and are a good source of protein.

The origin of falafel is unknown and controversial. A common theory is that the dish originated in Egypt, Where is known as ta’amiya, possibly eaten by Copts as a replacement for meat during Lent. As it generally accepted to have first been made in Egypt, where Alexandria is a port city, it was possible to export the dish and name to other areas in the Middle East. It has also been theorized to a lesser extent that falafel originated during Egypt’s Pharaonic Period or in the Indian subcontinent. The dish later migrated northwards to the Levant, where chickpeas replaced the fava. Falafel has become a dish eaten throughout the Middle East and the fritters are now found around the world as a replacement for meat and as a form of street food. In modern times, falafel has been considered a national dish of Egypt and for the levant countries of Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, and specially for Palestine, where also the Israeli’s now claimed it to them selves after occupying the lands of Palestine in the mid 1900′s.

As with the falafel, dried chickpeas are a must for this recipe; the canned version are simply too soft and patties will fall apart.
Don’t use a food processor; it makes the mixture too runny to shape into patties. You can shape the Falafel by hand or use the falafel mold or scoop “Aleb Falafel”, it’s used both commercially and at home to shape the falafel and drop them straight into the hot oil.

1 pound dried chickpeas
1 large onion, coarsely chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 bundle of Parsley, washed and stems trimmed
1 bundle of cilantro, washed and stems trimed
2 slices of stale bread
1 tablespoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon ground dill seeds
1 tablespoon dried dill weed or chopped fresh dill weed
1/4 teaspoon red chile flakes, optional
Salt and pepper, as needed
1 teaspoon baking soda
1\2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup vegetable oil
sesame seeds, optional

Make the Falafel:
Rinse and clean the chickpeas, then soak in water for at least overnight or 24 hours. Check if it needs more water, and make sure it’s all covered and the water is 2 inch above the chickpeas.
Drain the chickpeas and place them with the onion, garlic, parsley, cilantro, and the bread in the bowl, then grind them in the meat grinder. I use the kitchen aid meat grinder, try not to use the food processor because it will make the batter too runny and mushy.
Run the ingredients through the grinder the first time, add the bread after grinding all the other ingredients, as this will help get every bit remaining of chickpeas and parsley from the grinder.
Add the spices and mix it together, then run the mix for second time through the grinder and grind it very fine, I used the smallest size of the grinder disk.
At this step, you can divide the mix into patches and freeze some for a quick and handy prepared falafel mix, just you have to defrost first then continue with the next step.
When you are ready to fry the falafel, add the salt, pepper, baking soda and baking powder. Mix will, and let set for 10 min before frying. If you see the mix too dry add a couple of tablespoon of water and mix.

Heat the oil. Form the mixture into walnut-sized balls, or patties shape. you can use the falafel mold to shape it, sprinkle with sesame seed if you wish, and deep-fry or pan-fry in hot oil.
If you want a lighter falafel version, you can bake them, and you will get the healthier and still have the same delicious taste, You will have to arrange the patties in an oiled oven sheet, then spray the patties with oil and bake. But the traditional way is to fry falafel, to me I hardly die for fried ones.

Sandwiches:

to make the sandwiches, it’s a traditional way to serve with pita bread, the pocket pita is the perfect. you can use any size of pita, here I used the mini size “the griddler pita”, it’s the same recipe for pita bread but the only thing is it baked on the griddler.

6 to 8 pita, lightly toasted and warmed (recipe will posted soon in a separate post)
tahini sauce, recipe follow
Arabic simple salad, recipe follow
Hummos (recipe will posted in a separate post)

Make the Sandwiches: Stuff the pita with falafel patties inside, top with salad, and drizzle with the tahini sauce. Serve immediately.

The Arabic simple vegetable salad:

1 cup Shredded lettuce
1\2 cup Tomato, chopped
2 tablespoon red onion, chopped
1\2 cup cucumbers, chopped
1\2 cup parsley, chopped
salt and pepper
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon olive oil

In a large bowl, toss all the ingredients together, season with salt and pepper.

Tahini Sauce:

1 clove garlic
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup tahini
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup lemon juice

Mash the garlic and salt together. Add the tahini, mixing well. The sauce will thicken. Gradually add the water, blending thoroughly. Then add the lemon juice. Blend well.

Note: This can be a thin or thick sauce, depending upon the use and preference. Simply adjust with lemon juice and water. This can be used with vegetables or in combination with other recipes.