Tuna Couscous Salad
PIN IT!This light, fluffy and healthy tuna couscous salad is a great summer dish that’s flavor-packed!
I don’t think they’ll ever be a time in my life where I don’t crave healthy food over junk food. Of course, there are those occasional days when I’ve had too much wine the night before and all I could possible want is a hamburger with french fries. But no matter what, I always prefer salads to pastas and fresh fruit to candy bars. That’s just one of the reasons I was over the moon when Genova seafood asked me to create a nutritious dish using their premium tuna.
To me, tuna has always had a bit of a bad rap. For one, people never really associate canned tuna with anything gourmet. It’s something you buy to make cheap sandwiches or mix up for a snack. It may be budget friendly and easy, but it’s far from ordinary. Tuna is such an incredibly versatile ingredient. You can toss it in salads (like I did with this tuna couscous salad), mix it into casseroles, make gourmet ceviches and even cocktail party hors d’oeuvres. The possibilities are endless, which is why I’m always trying to find ways to incorporate it into anything I make.
Not only versatile, it’s also good for you, especially the Genova brand. It’s made from high-quality, premium grade Yellowfin tuna, is all natural and is packed in pure ,100% Mediterranean olive oil. If you’d like to try it, here’s a coupon offered by the wonderful folks there! I’m going to just say this once – STOP BUYING TUNA IN WATER. The olive oil adds even more healthy antioxidants, not to mention a freak ton more flavor. You’ll honestly be ASTOUNDED by how much better canned tuna in olive oil tastes.
The wonderfully generous people at Genova not only sent me some of their tuna to try, they sent a gift basket with tons of other Mediterranean goodies, like wine, a cookbook, pesto, tri-color couscous and more. As soon as I unwrapped the basket, I immediately knew I was going to use the couscous in something.
After a quick stop at Whole Foods and $100 later, I had the most beautiful radishes, bean sprouts, sunflower leaves and more to create a fresh, and delicious, salad.
To help inspire you to create your own Mediterranean inspired dish, Genova seafood is giving away a gourmet gift basket to one of my readers! One of you will receive the same goodie basket as I did with enough loot to get you excited to cook up a healthy and gourmet tuna dish. To enter, follow the prompts below. Make sure to share your creation with me using the hashtag #realisticrecipes!
Tuna Couscous Salad
CLICK HERE FOR THE PRINTABLE VERSION OF THIS RECIPE!
Serves about 6 – 8.
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 12 minutes
Total time: 28 minutes
Ingredients:
- 2 cups tri-color couscous
- 2 (7 ounce) cans of Genova seafood tuna, lightly drained and flaked
- 1/2 cup high quality olive oil
- 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons lemon zest
- 1/2 large red onion, chopped
- 1 cup thinly sliced radishes
- 1/3 cup chick peas
- 1/2 cup bean sprouts
- About 2/3 – 3/4 cup fresh greens
- 4 – 5 fresh chives, chopped
- Liberal dashes of sea salt and cracked black pepper
Directions:
- Bring 4 cups of water to a rapid boil and add a dash of salt. Toss in the couscous and reduce the heat to low. Cover the pot and cook for about 12 minutes, or until the liquid is evaporated. Remove from heat and fluffy with a fork or spoon. Place in a large bowl.
- Add in the radishes, chick peas, bean sprouts, fresh greens and chopped chives. Carefully mix in the tuna so it’s fully incorporated.
- In another bowl, whisk the olive oil, lemon juice, lemon zest and salt and pepper together. Pour the oil dressing over the salad and mix to combine. Add in additional salt and pepper to taste.
Nutritional information per serving:
Calories: 326.5
Fat: 16.2 grams
Carbohydrates: 37.8 grams
Fiber: 4.2 grams
Protein: 10.4 grams
Weight Watchers Points: 9
To enter the giveaway, simply fill out the prompts below! Ends Wednesday, July 1st at Midnight. GOOD LUCK!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Raspberry Lemon Quick Bread
It’s about 16,560 degrees outside and I’m asking you to turn on your oven. I know, I’m evil. But trust me, one thick, soft and moist slice of this raspberry lemon bread and you’ll welcome that puff of hot air when you open your trusty oven.
Well, maybe not welcome it, but you’ll be glad you spent that 45 minutes sweating over the stove. That I can promise. It’s like a glass of ice-cold lemonade in soft bread form.
I’ve been busy (no surprise) lately, in a very good way. I don’t know what lucky door I opened, but I’ve been welcomed with some truly life-changing opportunities lately and I can hardly believe it. From amazing food-related opps for this blog to epic adventures abroad, I’m pinching myself daily.
In addition to that, I’m starting another venture (because I don’t have enough to do) with my great friend Kita. We can’t share details yet, but imagine a place on the web with stories and a million beautiful photos of our constant travels.
In the meantime, I’m going to continue to bake, cook, stir and shake so I can provide you guys with some healthy and delightfully light recipes for this insanely hot summer. From this bread, to the refreshingly delicious cocktail I have for tomorrow and some spicy enchiladas on Friday, y’all are going to be very well fed.
Now please excuse me while I stuff 34 slices of this bread into my mouth at my desk. Thank god no one can see past my cube walls. *Holds head in shame whilst wiping crumbs from my face*
Raspberry Lemon Quick Bread
Serves about 10 – 12. Adapted from Taste of Home.
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 45 – 55 minutes
Total time: About 65 minutes
Ingredients:
- 1 1/4 cup all purpose flour
- 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
- 1 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- Zest of 1 lemon
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 2 egg whites
- 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
- 1 cup low-fat Greek yogurt (I used 2%)
- 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1-1/2 cups raspberries
For garnish:
- Melted white chocolate for glaze
- 1 lemon, sliced
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a standard size loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray.
- In a large bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda and lemon zest. In another bowl, beat the yogurt, sugar, egg, lemon juice and applesauce. Mix until combined. Pour the yogurt mixture into the flour mixture and stir to combine.
- In a large stand mixer, beat the egg whites and cream of tartar until stiff peaks form. Carefully fold into the rest of the batter. Once egg whites are folded in, carefully fold in raspberries.
- Pour the mixture into the loaf pan. Bake for about 45 to 50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
- Drizzle the top of the loaf with white chocolate and garnish with sliced lemons.
Nutritional information per serving (1 slice):
Calories: 133.8
Fat: 2.75 grams
Carbohydrates: 32.5 grams
Fiber: 2.4 grams
Protein: 6.25 grams
Weight Watchers Points: 5
Claire
Tags:bread recipes, lemon recipes, quick and easy recipes, quick bread, raspberry recipes
Cheesy One Skillet Gnocchi
Ready for a meal that’s a total game changer?
I mean, clearly you are. It’s Tuesday. And it’s a fact that people crave game-changing meals on Tuesday.
I could completely be making that up out of exhaustion, but let’s roll with it. Lately I’ve been getting home closer to 7pm (instead of my normal 6:30) which throws a major wrench into my dinner plans. The hubby has been picking up the slack (and I must say – his cooking game is on point lately!) I know I shouldn’t complain, but truthfully, I miss cooking.
I was looking through some of my photos from the freelance days, and I actually felt a pang of sadness and nostalgia. Even though I had really had days cooking full time, I still have moments where I miss spending my days in the kitchen, whipping up dishes and recipes I was truly proud of. I’m not saying I’m not proud of my work now, but my recipes and my dishes were 100% me. They were a reflection of my life at that point and I can remember every moment of my life through the recipes I created.
I know that sounds cheesy, but it’s the honest-to-god truth. However, I will say the recipes I’ve been making over the weekends for this blog were made with that same spark. Sure, this one skillet cheesy gnocchi sounds like any ol’ one pot dish, but I’m pretty proud of it. It’s one of those dishes I made where I actually felt good about the entire thing – the fresh, seasonal ingredients, the amazing taste and how it photographed.
It may look like just a dish to you, but to me, it’s represents a little more. It shows that I still got it and my passion is still there, I just needed to find it again.
Cheesy One Skillet Gnocchi
Serves about 4.
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 15 minutes
Total time: 25 minutes
Ingredients:
- 16 ounce package of gnocchi
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 medium onion (red or yellow), peeled and chopped
- 1 large (I used an elephant garlic) clove, peeled and chopped
- 1 large red bell pepper, seeded and sliced
- 1 (15-ounce) can diced tomatoes with Italian seasonings, not drained
- 1 tablespoon crushed red pepper
- Salt and pepper
- 1 bunch fresh basil, chopped
- 4 ounces fresh mozzarella, thinly sliced
- Fresh parmesan chopped
Directions:
- Bring a large pot of water to a rapid boil. Add a dash of salt. Add in gnocchi and cook until they start to float to the top, about 6 – 7 minutes. Rinse in cold water and set aside.
- Add olive oil to a large skillet and heat over medium high heat. Add the onions and cook another 2 – 3 minutes. Mix in the garlic and cook another 2 minutes. Add the bell pepper and cook another 2 – 3 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes, crushed red pepper and chopped basil. Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer for about 5 minutes, or until the sauce starts to thicken up. Mix in gnocchi.
- Remove from heat and immediately top with fresh mozzarella and parmesan. Serve with additional fresh basil for garnish.
Nutritional information per serving:
Calories: 365
Fat: 9.5 grams
Carbohydrates: 52 grams
Fiber: 5 grams
Protein: 10 grams
Weight Watchers Points: 8
Claire
Tags:cheesy recipes, easy one pot meals, easy pasta dishes, gnocchi, one skillet meals, quick summertime food
Lemon & Mint Cupcakes
Are you all ready for another round of “recipes I’ve found in the depths of my 18 SD cards that have yet to be shared here?” I think once you see how fluffy, tangy and sweet these cupcakes are, you’ll forgive me for hoarding them on old camera cards.
I mean right? Don’t these just look perfect? I’m not tooting my own horn here, I promise. In fact, I’m probably the word’s worst cupcake decorator. It’s almost funny. No matter how many tutorials I watch or people I consult, I just can’t seem to figure out how to make my cupcakes look like the ones you buy at bakeries.
However, after a few failed cupcake disasters and enough frosting to grease a pig, I finally got it. Well, for a few at least. As you’ll see in this photo below, not every cupcake looks as pretty as the one next to it. I’m pretty sure I just gave up when it came to frosting the one on the right (you know, the one that looks like a drunk child frosted it?)
That’s why I added the fresh sprigs of mint. Well, that’s not exactly why but it sure does a great job of hiding frosting blemishes. Despite my complete lack of any finesse in the frosting department, I still love to make cupcakes. There’s something just so elegant about a collection of beautiful bite-size cakes.
That and you can’t beat the combination of lemon and mint, especially in the summertime. In fact, the inspiration for these little beauties came from a lemonade mojito I had (I know, I’ll remake it for the blog). It was almost summer in DC (which means 400% humidity) and it was just too sticky for wine. So I ordered a lemon mojito and it was, hands down, the most refreshing cocktail I’ve ever had. The zing of fresh lemon paired with the mild (but still detectable) mint flavor created one incredible sip.
Oh and the rum didn’t hurt either. I opted to skip the booze for these cupcakes and just bring those two amazing flavors together for a fun BBQ dessert. Or you could have one for breakfast. I wouldn’t tell anyone.
Lemon & Mint Cupcakes
Serves about 12. Cupcake adapted from Real Simple.
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: About 18 – 22 minutes
Total time: 30 minutes
Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- Dash of salt
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter
- 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
- 3/4 cups raw white sugar
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon clear vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 tablespoons lemon zest
- 1-1/2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1/2 cup low-fat milk
For the frosting:
- 1 cup butter, unsalted and softened
- 3-3/4 cups powdered sugar
- 1 lemon, juiced and zested
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Fresh mint for garnish
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F and line a muffin liner with paper liners.
- In a large bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder and salt together. In another bowl, beat the butter, applesauce, sugar, eggs, and vanilla together. Add in the lemon juice and lemon zest and beat until creamy.
- Add the butter mixture to the flour mixture, alternating with the milk (but ending with flour) until mixture is fully combined.
- Spoon the batter into the liners, filling about 3/4 the way full. Bake for about 18 minutes, or until fluffy and lightly browned. Place on a wire cooling rack and cool completely (about 20 minutes).
- Meanwhile, beat the butter, powdered sugar, lemon juice and vanilla until creamy. Add in zest.
- Fill a bag with frosting and fit with a piping tip. Pipe the frosting onto the cupcakes and garnish with fresh mint leaves.
Nutritional information per cupcake:
Calories: 236.5
Fat: 12.5 grams
Carbohydrates: 19.1 grams
Fiber: >1 gram
Protein: 2.5 grams
Weight Watchers points: 5
Claire
Tags:cupcake recipe, dessert recipes, easy lemon cupcake, easy mint cupcake, healthy recipes, mint recipes
Tofu Taco Salad
What a month. Actually, scratch that — what a YEAR. I’ve been running at full-speed ahead since January and I think my body has finally caught up to all of it. I finally know what the expression “bone-tired” actually feels like. Every ounce of me is so exhausted that I’m starting to get physically sick.
However, that has changed a little. I got out of dodge this past weekend and spent as much time as possible sleeping, relaxing on the beach and disconnecting from the stresses of my real life. I finally had a weekend where i didn’t have any deadlines, deliverables or work to get through – and I took full and complete advantage of that.
I also cooked. Remember when I used to do that frequently? Remember when I used to make delicious dishes and share them here on the blog every day? Me too. Sort of. My life has been such a blur of long days & late nights, I don’t remember the last time I cooked for blogging purposes. Not only am I usually too drained to cook something inspiring after I get home on weekdays, my weekends are so busy with chores, friends and husband that I don’t have a second to make something.
But friends, the times? They are-a-changin’. My schedule is becoming more manageable and a heck of a lot less stressful, and blogging is finally becoming something I can actually take on with excitement once again. I’m not sure if its going to be daily, weekly, or just a few times a month, but something will happen on this little space here.
Since I spent the weekend in the sun, drinking all of the wine and actually relaxing, I didn’t get this salad up in time for Memorial Day. However, it doesn’t matter because this is easily one of my new favorite salads because it’s so jam-packed with fantastic flavors; like zesty lime juice, Mexican seasoning, crushed red pepper, creamy avocado, ripe and juicy tomatoes and crunchy tortilla bits.
Not only is this the perfect accompaniment to your burgers, brats and hotdogs, it’s an amazing standalone salad for an entree too!
Plus. this awesome salad is the perfect dish for any hot summer day where all you want is something light & fresh that reminds you of a Mexican getaway.
Tofu Taco Salad
CLICK HERE FOR THE PRINTABLE VERSION OF THIS RECIPE!
Serves about 4.
Prep time: 10 – 15 minutes
Cook time: About 40 minutes
Total time: 55 minutes
Ingredients:
For the salad:
- 1 large yellow onion, peeled and chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 jalapeños, seeded and chopped
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 1/2 cup chopped orange and yellow bell peppers
- 4 cups baby arugula
- 2 cups chopped on-the-vine tomatoes
- 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 1/4 cup green onion
- 1 cup chopped tortilla chips
- 1 large avocado, pitted and chopped
For the tofu:
- 1 package extra firm tofu, pressed and chopped
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons Mexican seasoning
- Salt and pepper
For the dressing:
- 1/3 cup + 1 tablespoon fat free sour cream
- 1/3 cup + 1 tablespoon fat free mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon ranch seasoning
- 1 large green onion, chopped
- 1 1/2 teaspoons fresh lime juice
- 1 large canned chipotle chili, chopped
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Line a large 9 x 13 pan with foil and spray with nonstick cooking spray. Toss the tofu with olive oil, Mexican seasoning, salt and pepper. Bake the tofu for about 30 – 35 minutes, or until crispy, stopping to flip about 17 minutes in.
- To make the dressing, mix the sour cream, mayo, ranch seasoning, green onion, lime juice and chipotle chili together. Stir to combine. Cover with foil and chill for at least an hour.
- Preheat a skillet over medium heat and add olive oil. Mix in the onion and cook about 2 minutes. Toss in the garlic, peppers and jalapeños. Saute the vegetables until soft and fragrant, about 4 – 5 minutes. Remove from heat.
- In a large bowl, toss the arugula, tomatoes, cilantro and green onion. Mix in the cooked vegetables, cheese and tortilla chips. Top with chopped avocado and crispy baked tofu.
- Toss the salad with dressing and serve immediately!
Nutritional information per serving:
Calories: 379.5
Fat: 14 grams
Carbohydrates: 22.75 grams
Fiber: 4.5 grams
Protein: 21.75 grams
Weight Watchers Points: 8
Claire
Tags:healthy tofu recipes, Mexican recipes, salad recipes, spicy salad recipes, tofu taco salad recipe
