I've entered my busy season. Every year there is an overlap in which I must teach my current classes and prep for next year's classes all at the same time, which results in an absurd amount of books being read. I keep waiting for enough time to add several recipes, but have finally realized such a thing is not going to happen any time soon. So I'm going to start adding one or two recipes in little snatches of time. Today I have a couple seafood dishes.
Early on in our food journey, Rebekah and I became really hungry for tuna casserole. Since I couldn't have tuna, mushroom soup, noodles, breadcrumbs or butter, this left us with peas. Not exactly what we were after. So the hunt began. Realizing that the actual state of tuna is not in the shape of a short, squat can, packed in soybean products, we went in search of the real thing. We discovered fresh tuna steaks. They were amazing. We then played with a sauce, culminating in the use of homemade mayo (Iceream & Other Basics... post), and ended up with a tuna casserole better than anything we'd ever had before. Afterwards, when reveling in the wonder of it, I told Rebekah, "Eating this, I can almost pretend like I'm normal," to which she immediately quipped, "Can you pretend like it only took 10 minutes too?" Ah, well, at least it tasted amazing.
Tuna Casserole
1. Sear two tuna steaks over med-high heat (I use a cast iron skillet). Salt & pepper, and cook till barely done (still pink inside). FYI: Sushi-quality steaks from a meat counter are infinitely better than the cheaper kind in a package on the grocery shelf. Break them into small pieces
2. Cook a package of gluten-free penne pasta (I like Tinkyada best) and run hot water over a package of frozen peas till they're thawed. (Freshlike is the only brand I've found without salt on them)
3. Make a batch of homemade mayo (Icecream & other basics... post) and thin it with a little rice milk if you want it less mayonais-ee. Either way, make sure you mix in enough to make it creamy.
4. Mix everything together and crumble several handfuls of natural, sea-salt potato chips on top.
5. Bake in a 350-degree oven briefly till hot and chips are toasted.
Beware! After eating this, you will never be able to go back to canned tuna. We eventually found a natural brand that I could have and substituted it. This was a shockingly disappointing experience, and we were never again tempted to shortcut the searing of fresh tuna.
Seafood Pasta
1. Roast a red pepper (cut in half & scoop out, broil till skin is blackened; cover with a towel & let steam.)
1. Season 1 large salmon fillet with olive oil, lemon basil, sea salt & fresh ground pepper (or sub with drizzled fresh lemon juice & sweet basil). Sear over high heat, leaving the inside rare. Break into bite-size pieces.
2. Steam any other seafood you would like: crab, scallops, shrimp, etc.
3. Saute 2-3 sliced carrots, 2-3 green onions, and 3-4 handfuls of spinach, with sea salt & fresh ground pepper. Add the diced, roasted red pepper.
5. Stir everything into a batch of gf pasta (I like Tinkyada penne, or chinese rice noodles).
Fried Fish
Not too gourmet, but amazingly good when your diet is so limited. Buy whatever kind of fish you like (catfish, blue gills, etc.) and bread it in plenty of gf flour mix. Salt & pepper it generously then fry in plenty of oil. The trick to frying fish is to use a non-stick pan (I know they're poison- I don't use them often), and turn the fish several times letting them get really crispy and golden brown. Mmmm.... we really love these. They're great with oven-crispy potatoes and cole slaw...
Oven-Crispy Postatoes
Wash some smaller potatoes and cut them in half long-ways. Coat them in olive oil and sprinkle both sides with coarse salt. Bake in a hot oven (375-400?) till browned and crispy.
Cole Slaw
Mix a package of pre-cut slaw veggies with some home made mayo. Salt & pepper it, sprinkle with a little sugar to taste, and throw in some raisons.
