Dilled Tuna Orzo

I found this recipe in "20 Minute Super Suppers, Fresh and Simple" by Better Homes and Gardens. I do love this book for it's tasty 20 minute suppers, like Coyote Pizza and Fabulous Focaccia Sandwiches. We ate this Dilled Tuna Orzo warm for dinner early in the week, then I ate it cold for lunch for the next two days. This recipe works well for a light dinner, lunch, or a side salad. I loved all of the flavors and textures at play here: the dill, the mustard, the lemon....the crunch of the cucumber, the sweetness of the roasted pepper. I began by following the recipe exactly. Then I gave it a taste. For the most part it worked...but I wasn't super impressed. As it turned out, this recipe was a work in progress and I didn't get it right until the second day. After the first taste, I immediately doubled the dressing. It needed more. After adding more dressing, it was better but still not there. It needed something else. I was thinking feta. Since I didn't have any feta, I grated some Cojita cheese over the top and stirred it in. Again, it was better, but still not there. This is where I stopped and we ate it for dinner with some lovely steamed asparagus. The next day for lunch, I added some chopped tomato and a little more pepper. It was nearly perfect. The next time I'll add a little diced red onion too and then...perfection!

You start with 1 1/2 cups of orzo. Just in case you're not familiar with orzo, it looks like rice, but it's really pasta.



Cook, then rinse and drain.



You could poach your own tuna, but I just opened a can of tuna (packed in water), drained it, and broke it into chunks.



I seeded a cucumber and chopped it. I actually peeled mine too. Why? Because the skin on the cucumber *blush* makes me burp. Weird but true. I don't know why. If you don't have this problem, I'd recommend leaving the skin on. It adds color. : )



Combine the orzo, tuna, cucumber, roasted red pepper (and if you're following my revised recipe)chopped tomato, and red onion in a bowl.



In a jar with a lid, combine Dijon mustard, olive oil, fresh squeezed lemon juice, and dill. Shake until combined.



Pour the dressing over the orzo and veggies and toss to combine.



If you like, grate some Cojita cheese or crumble some feta over the top, then stir it in.



Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve warm or chilled. This is how we ate it for dinner the first night; warm with asparagus:



And this is how I ate it for lunch over the next couple of days, chilled with chopped tomato added in:



This one was definitely worth "playing with" until I got it right!

Dilled Tuna Orzo adapted from 20 Minute Super Suppers Fresh and Simple by Better Homes and Gardens

1 1/2 cups orzo
6 oz. canned tuna, broken into chunks
1 small to medium sized tomato, chopped
1/2 cup chopped cucumber
1/4 cup diced red onion
2-3 tablespoons drained and snipped roasted red peppers
1/3 cup grated Cojita cheese or crumbled feta cheese

Dressing:
1/4 cup Dijon-style mustard
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons (more or less to taste) snipped fresh dill

Salt and pepper to taste

Cook orzo according to package directions. Drain in colander. Rinse with cold water; drain again. Transfer to a large bowl. Add tuna, tomato, cucumber, red onion, roasted red pepper, and cheese. Toss to combine. Add dressing ingredients to a jar with a lid. Screw on the lid and shake until dressing is combined. Pour dressing over orzo mixture. Toss to coat with dressing. Salt and pepper to taste.

Tuna Cakes

After last night's involved and indulgent burritos, I needed something quick and easy and a little lighter tonight. Some of you may remember that I'm not the biggest fan of canned tuna from my Spicy Tuna Linguine post. And you may also remember that my husband does little to disguise his distaste for "all things fish" if you read my fish taco post. Tonight, while I was mixing this up, he wandered through the kitchen and asked aloud, "I wonder what possesses someone to see that recipe and actually want to try it." These tuna cakes were pretty tasty. If you liked the tuna patties that your mom used to make, you'll probably like these better. And everyone ate them...without complaint. Not too shabby. Confession: though I despise that aquatic little twerp Sponge Bob Square Pants, and have seriously tried to ban him from our home, I may have employed Sponge Bob to entice my 4 year old to eat these, by calling them "crabby patties". Whatever works, right?

I found this simple recipe in Kraft Food and Family magazine. All you need is 12 oz. of white tuna in water, a package of stuffing, a cup of cheese, a carrot or two, some mayonnaise (I apologize for the state of my mayo container, it took a soak in the cooler after our last picnic),and some sweet relish.


Combine all of the ingredients in the bowl. Add 3/4 cup of water and mix well. Then cover and refrigerate for 10 minutes.


Heat a skillet coated with cooking oil or non-stick cooking spray and place 1/3 cup portions of the tuna mixture onto the skillet, forming cakes.



Gently flatten using a spatula. Cook 3 minutes on each side until golden brown. I followed my husbands lead and sprinkled mine with Frank's Red Hot. Very nice.



Tuna Cakes from Kraft Food and Family

Prep Time: 10 min
Total Time: 26 min
Makes: 6 servings

Ingredients:
2 cans (6 oz. each) light tuna in water, drained, flaked
1 pkg. (6 oz.) STOVE TOP Stuffing Mix for Chicken
1 cup KRAFT Shredded Mild Cheddar Cheese
3/4 cup water
1 carrot, shredded
1/3 cup KRAFT Real Mayo Mayonnaise
2 Tbsp. CLAUSSEN Sweet Pickle Relish

Directions:

MIX all ingredients. Refrigerate 10 min.

HEAT large nonstick skillet sprayed with cooking spray on medium heat. Use ice cream scoop to add 1/3-cup portions of tuna mixture, in batches, to skillet.

FLATTEN into patties with back of spatula. Cook 6 min. or until golden brown on both sides, carefully turning patties over after 3 min.


Nutrition Information: Calories 320, Total fat 17 g, Saturated fat 5 g, Cholesterol35 mg, Sodium 810 mg, Carbohydrate 24 g, Dietary fiber 1 g, Sugars 3 g, Protein 19 g, Vitamin A 35 %DV Vitamin C 0 %DV Calcium 15 %DV Iron 10 %DV

Weight Watchers Points: 8 pts for 2 cakes. Use lowfat mayo and reduce fat cheese to shave fat grams and a point or two.

Spicy Tuna Linguine with Garlic and Pine Nuts

Honestly, I can take canned tuna or leave it. Now a nice piece of seared ahi tuna is a different story(love it!), but I never ever think, "Mmm. I can't wait to open up that can of tuna that has been at the back of my pantry for Lord- knows-how-long and eat it for lunch." For one thing, it stinks. I will agree that can of tuna does have potential: tuna salad sandwiches, tuna noodle casserole, grilled tuna patties... but it's just never in the front of my mind when I'm thinking of what to eat. Well here is one recipe that, in my opinion, elevates the value of canned tuna exceptionally. Makes it classy, even. But I wouldn't say "fancy" because then I'm thinking of Fancy Feast and my whole mindset that canned tuna is okay goes right to cat food and I'm done. It ruins the whole Spicy Tuna Linguine euphoric glow that I've been basking in since dinner. So, "classy" tuna it is.

There were a lot of flavors and textures going on with this light, refreshing pasta: the familiar garlic, the subtle heat from the red pepper flakes, the tuna, the freshness of the cilantro and finally the toasted pine nut topping. I'll go ahead and answer the question that I am asked about most of my meals: yes the kids ate it! I dished out their portion before adding the cilantro (because it's green...oh the horror!) and the pine nuts (because I only like those nuts BEFORE my food, mommy, not IN it!). I also picked the mushrooms out of one of the bowls. Sneaky, sneaky. Anyway, Yeah. They liked it. Shovelled in mouthfuls of noodles, even.

So to begin, I minced 4 cloves of garlic, chopped 1/2 cup of onion, and sliced 2 cups of mushrooms.


I tossed that into a skillet heated with a tablespoon of olive oil and added...


1/2 teaspoon of crushed red pepper flakes. Cook the mushroom mixture until golden brown.


Then I measured about 14 oz. of chicken broth and added it to the skillet with


a can of diced tomatoes.


I brought that to a boil and threw in the linguine. Give it a stir to make sure that the pasta strands are all separated. Then, reduce the heat, cover and cook until your pasta is tender.


Add the can of drained tuna and stir to combine.


Oh, and don't forget the fresh, chopped cilantro. I love cilantro!


Serve it topped with toasted pine nuts. You can't really see them in this picture. I accidentally stirred them in before I remembered to take the shot. Oops.

I love this pasta. I'm thrilled that there are leftovers for lunch tomorrow. Seriously. I'm not just saying that. Canned tuna. Hmm. Impressive.


Spicy Tuna Linguine with Garlic and Pine Nuts

1 tablespoon olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups sliced mushrooms
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can (14 1/2 ounces) chicken broth
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
9 oz. uncooked linguine, dry or fresh
1 can (12 ounces) water packed tuna, drained and chunked
1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/3 cup toasted pine nuts or almonds

In 12-inch skillet, heat olive oil over medium-high heat; saute garlic, mushrooms, onion and red pepper until golden brown. Add tomatoes, chicken broth, salt and black pepper; bring to a boil.
Separate uncooked linguine into strands; place in skillet and spoon sauce over. Reduce heat to simmer; cook, covered, until cooked through. About 4 minutes for fresh, 10 or more for dry. Toss gently; add tuna and cilantro and toss again. Sprinkle with pine nuts.
Makes 6 servings.

I added up the total calculated Weight Watchers points for all of the ingredients and divided by 6 servings. I came up with 5 Weight Watcher's points per serving if you sprinkle it with 1 tablespoon of toasted pine nuts. 1 T of pine nuts = 1 point according to my 2003 WW book.