Tuna Quinoa Cakes

As mentioned in my previous post, I made these the same time I made the Sweet Potato Black Bean Burgers. Both contain sweet potatoes and quinoa, so it was easy to prep and make them together. It was nice to only have to heat up the oven once in this summer heat, too!

The original recipe and photos can be found here, my alterations are below:

1 medium sweet potato, cooked and mashed
2 cans tuna, drained (I use white albacore in water)
3/4 cup quinoa, pre-cooked
1/4 cup onion, chopped (I used yellow, you could use green)
 2 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1 egg. beaten
1/4 cup low fat sour cream (could use Greek yogurt, mayonnaise, etc.)
1 tsp yellow mustard
dash cayenne pepper
1 tsp paprika
1/2 cup breadcrumbs

Mash the sweet potato in the bottom of a medium mixing bowl. Add the rest of the ingredients, and mix well.

Form into 6 cakes and place on a greased baking sheet. Bake in a 400° oven for about 20 minutes, flipping once.

Each cake is 199 calories, 27g carbs, 4g fat, and 14g protein.

In the future, I might put more onions or celery in these. They were a little one-note in the texture department. They reheat well in the toaster oven and I enjoyed mine with a sprinkling of low sodium soy sauce over top!

Christina's Birthday Dinner Party!

First, I would like to apologize for my entire lack of food photos in this post. I'm an out of shape, rusty blogger. Once things started happening I completely forgot about my camera on the side table until long after my guests left.

October 23rd was my 27th birthday. My bosses Jeffrey and Linda had been trying to get up with me for weeks about going out to dinner, them cooking dinner, coming here for dinner, etc. Eventually when we had a plan in place, they had both had dental work so weren't much in the mood for chewing.

(recycled photo)

My butternut squash soup would do the trick perfectly for my birthday dinner party!

I used our rental home's nice dinnerware to make the evening feel more special. I find if you set the table ahead of time and make sure everything is at the ready it makes your guests feel special and the evening runs smoother. The dinner centerpiece was a huge, fresh salad I cut everything by hand for. Lots of the toppings were in small bowls so guests could customize the toppings based on their preferences.

As Johnny pointed out, the orange soup would look great served in these beautiful bowls! With the dinnerware being so busy, I chose to omit dinner decorations, and let the bold plates and bowls speak for themselves!

Appetizers were fresh shrimp cocktail my dad brought, olives, pickles, and bread with a vegetable tapenade. (<--Spell check wants me to change that to tapeworm -- ewwww!)

Dinner started with a huge salad. I used the seeds from the butternut squash as a crunchy topping to connect the courses.

For the seeds I simply tossed them with:

vegetable oil
paprika
garlic powder
salt
pepper

And baked at 350° for about 30 minutes, stirring them a few times to make sure they were evenly toasty and nobody stuck together.

Dessert was a delicious home made key lime pie my boss Jeffrey made from scratch! That's real whipped cream with key lime zest in it! So good!

Disclosure: There are paid links included in this post. Please note, it really was my birthday, and the photos and words are all genuine Christina, unaffected by this opportunity. Just simply a chance to earn a little cash for the upcoming wedding!

Softshell Crabs

I never showed you this, way back from when my dad was helping us renovate the house. It was a long time ago, I know, because he cooked these on a Friday for Lent.


Plate of fresh soft shell crabs he brought from NC. To clean the crabs you cut off their face (I know!) and you can eat the entire thing. Crabs molt their exterior, hard shell so there is a brief window for soft shell crabs. However, my dad does pull off the soft top shell, which makes it easier to clean the inside of the crab, removing the lungs and other gunk. I MUCH prefer eating soft shell crabs that my parents clean, versus those at a restaurant. I learned that the hard way- yuck.

Taking a little dip in oil.
Hopping out of the tub!

We had a huge, huge pile of soft shells. Which Johnny was pretty scared of. He said they looked like giant, fried spiders.

So, we also had some fried fish for him, too.

My plate, stuffed to the edge. The seafood was served alongside some fried rice my dad made and a green apple slaw I made.

And you better believe by the end of the night that whole platter of crabs and fish was gone!

I met Ree!!!

Chances are if you've talked to me on the side you know I love Ree and her blog, The Pioneer Woman. I've wanted to meet her for quite some time, but timing has just never worked out for when she's in town.

Earlier today I saw her tweet about being in Naperville, which isn't far from Johnny's work, which isn't too far from our house. So I met him at work and we drove out to the bookstore.

I was really nervous, so I texted Mara and Sophia to get rid of some giddy anxiety and tweeted with a bunch of you to pass the time.

I grew up a piano playing, ballet dancing, straight A kind of a gal, so I haven't led the most exciting life.

My celebrity spottings thus far have included handing Van Cliburn a bouquet of roses at a concert and asking him to blow my mom a kiss (which he did).

I also was in the same building as Joey McIntyre once. (He was Fiyero one of the three times I've seen Wicked.)

I know she's not a movie star (yet), but I kind of think of Ree in celebrity-like status. I've loved her books and her blog and seeing her on TV. I was going to have to walk up to her and talk! Eep!

Anyways- there I was, wearing my holey yoga pants, and the line finally dwindled down. There were 103 tickets and we were #98, so it had really dwindled down.

Ree sang Ethel Merman for the girls in line ahead of us, much to my delight. Then we approached her and I gushed bout loving her blog, and her, and Johnny and I talked about her little son that we find adorable, and then poof! it was over and I survived! She is so down to earth and sweet that I forgot my irrational fears of turning bright red, puking, or bursting into tears, embarrassing myself.



We were starved, so after we headed to a little Italian place just up the street, Rosebud. It was the first time either of us had eaten there, but J's friend highly recommended it.

I started with fried calamari. Hands down the best I've ever had! Delicious!

Then I had fetticine alfredo. (I went with a low-fat, low-cal dish since I have to fit into a wedding dress eventually.)

Johnny had some vodka penne dish. He almost always chooses vodka sauce dishes when we eat Italian. He loves them. And he ate this entire plate to prove it.

Then he had a creme brulee for dessert (I snuck a few spoonfuls of it). I ordered some cannolis to go, which I'll eat tomorrow in my PJs while catching up with 16 & Pregnant online since I watched every Glee episode in existence and now have to wait for new ones.

Sorry the restaurant photos are dim. I just have a point and shoot. Which brings me to a survey:

Tuna Noodle Casserole

The inspiration for this recipe is really wacky, so bear with me.

The last night we were in Florida, it was just me, Johnny, and my brother Michael. I was in the kitchen of the rental home cooking fruit filled pancakes and scrambled eggs for our dinner. Johnny and Michael were lounging in the living room talking, with Hoarders playing in the background.

All of a sudden I heard both of them scream "ewwww" and other loud outbursts of disgust. I ran into the room, spatula still in hand, to see what was going on. Apparently, the teenaged daughter of the hoarder had boiled pasta, spooned huge spoonfuls of Miracle Whip in with it, and stirred it together with canned tuna and peas. She put this concoction in the microwave to heat it up, and then they ate in their car, since it was the only place for both of them to sit.

That was Sunday night, and it's kept replaying in my head since. It was so disturbing, especially since both of them were overweight and battling diabetes. I kept thinking "why would they make something so unhealthy?"

I had to make something like it myself, but I wanted to make it healthy. I really don't know why, but I felt like that was the only way I'd be able to get over my disgust of the situation.



1 pound of elbow macaroni
1 cup fat free sour cream
1 packet Lipton's Recipe Secrets mix (I used vegetable)
1 cup frozen spinach
1 cup frozen peas
1 can of albacore tuna, packed in water

Bring a pot of water up to a boil. Season with salt and boil the pasta 2-3 minutes short of being done (very al dente).

While the pasta is boiling, mix the sour cream, Lipton's packet, veggies, and tuna in a covered baking dish. Preheat the oven to 350°.

Drain the pasta and mix with the other ingredients. Put the lid on the baking dish and place in the oven for 30 minutes.

Serves 3-4.

The Ridiculously Delicious Challenge - Stage 3

Thank you for your votes, everybody! Because of you, I have successfully made it to Stage 3 of the Ridiculously Delicious Challenge, hosted by Marx Foods!

In this stage of the challenge, I had to choose one of the other 14 blogger's recipes who advanced and makeover their recipe utilizing three of my unused ingredients from the original eight mystery ingredients.

After perusing the widely diverse recipes, I chose to interpret the Moroccan inspired fish tacos and coleslaw by Lawyer Loves Lunch in a new way.

My makeover uses a different flavor inspiration - the lively Jamaican jerk seasoning. Jerk seasoning is such a unique spice/marinade. It uses sweet, spicy, hot, salty, all in one burst of unmatched flavor. I looked through recipe after recipe until I found a list of must-have inclusions. In place of the traditional brown sugar, habanero chilis, and black pepper I used the coconut sugar, Tepin chilis, and Szechuan peppercorns, respectively. I feel like these ingredients still represent Jerk seasoning's complexity, while adding a diverse spin.

Jerk seasoning:
1/3 cup coconut sugar
3 gloves garlic, minced
7 or 8 dried Tepin chilis, ground (more or less depending on your spice tolerance)
1 Tbsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
1 tsp Kosher salt
1 tsp Szechuan peppercorns, ground
1/2 tsp ground allspice
1 tsp ground Thyme
1 small onion, minced (can use green onions/chives)
2 Tbsp low sodium soy sauce
2 Tbsp vegetable oil

Coleslaw:
1/4 wedge of small green cabbage
2 Tbsp mayo
2 Tbsp lemon juice
2 Tbsp rice vinegar
1/2 tsp celery seed
salt and pepper, to taste

Additional:
1 lb. cod fillets
10 6" tortillas (your choice of corn or flour)

Begin by mixing the Jerk seasoning ingredients in a shallow glass dish. Taste and adjust seasonings to your personal preference.

Liberally cover the cod fillets in the Jerk and allow to marinate for at least two hours.

Chop the cabbage into bite sized pieces. Mix the remaining ingredients together with the cabbage. Cover and refrigerate for at least two hours for the flavors to develop.

Heat a griddle pan to high. Cook the cod fillets through, until they begin to flake.

Plate your fish tacos using the warmed tortillas, generous chunks of the Jerk marinated cod, and a healthy forkful of the coleslaw.


This is such an explosion of flavors. The Jerk seasoning covers every tastebud on your tongue with heat, sweet, spice, warmth, salty, and peppery. The coleslaw is very tart and refreshing, a nice addition to the other complex flavors.


Only 10 of the 15 Stage 3 competitors will move to Stage 4, so wish me luck! There will be no voting for this round. The 8 recipes chosen the most times to be made over will move up and Marx Food's opinions will determine the other 2 advancers.

Edited to add: My 2nd choice makeover choice would have been Snippet of Sue's salmon.

Salmon, Spinach, and Spuds

I found a hidden gem in the last door of the frozen food aisle. Up on the top shelf, nearly out of sight.

It's an inconspicuous 2 pound package of frozen, wild caught salmon, plainly packaged with no flashy graphics or name brand. The filets are individually wrapped in vaccuum sealed pouches for convenience. Regular price is $12.99, but it's been on sale a couple times over the past few weeks for only $9.99.

Johnny isn't usually a seafood fan, but with that deal (and a similar one on cod) I'm definitely cooking with fish a lot more lately. I haven't heard any complaints yet, so I'll keep it up!

This recipe was inspired by a sea bass recipe in one of the culinary mystery novels I've been reading.

4 filets of wild caught salmon
2 cups frozen, chopped spinach (no need to thaw)
1 small onion, chopped fine
3 cloves garlic, minced
salt, pepper, and garlic powder, to taste

Preheat oven to 400°. Spray a 9 x 9" square baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Lay the filets in the bottom and sprinkle with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Chop the onion, mince the garlic, and mix these with the frozen spinach. Spread this mixture evenly over the salmon. Season with the salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Cover tightly with foil. Bake for approximately 30 minutes, until the salmon begins to flake and the onions are tender. Remove the foil and let bake another 5 minutes for any residual moisture from the spinach to reduce off. Serves 2.

I plated this with some boxed garlic mashed potatoes I've had hanging out in the pantry.

Johnny said it was good, not great. He preferred the salmon and pea puree dish I cooked earlier this month.

I have to disagree. This was so full of flavor! It tasted like something you would get at a restaurant. I really loved it, and am sad there aren't any leftovers.

Salmon in Lemon Brodetto with Pea Puree

One of my Twitter friends tweeted a picture of their dinner a few weeks ago and it was beautiful! I asked about the recipe, and she happily sent it over for me.

I knew I had salmon fillets in the freezer, so on a whim I decided to make this semi-ambitious dinner on a weeknight. It came together easier than I expected, and really packs a lot of great flavors and plates nicely.

Johnny was really impressed when he came downstairs to see what was going on. Then when he started eating he could not stop complimenting the dish. Every bite he took meant new praises were on their way. He even dared to say it made it to the Top 10 best dishes I've cooked, maybe even the Top 5. That is saying a lot from a self-proclaimed seafood hater.

I followed this recipe pretty closely, which I'll list below with my small edits.

Bordetto:
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 shallot, diced (I used a small onion)
2 lemons, juiced
1 lemon, zested
2 cups broth (I used vegetable)

Pea Puree:
2 cups frozen peas
2 cloves garlic
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

Salmon:
4 fillets
olive oil
salt and pepper, to taste

For the bordetto, heat the olive oil in a small saucepan. Add the shallot (onion), sauteeing until tender and fragrant. Add the lemon juice, zest, and broth. Simmer uncovered to let the sauce reduce some.

Thaw and heat the peas. Reserve a few tablespoons for garnish. Puree the remainder of the peas and ingredients in a food processor or using a stick blender. (Note: I then chose to keep this warm in a small skillet, which helped reduce the raw garlic flavor which I thought was a bit strong for our tastes.)

Season the salmon with salt and pepper. Grease a pan with olive oil and cook until the salmon is done, about 3 minutes per side. (I used the Griddler, eliminating flipping and making grill marks.)


To plate, spoon the lemon bordetto on the bottom of a plate. Place a salmon fillet in the middle. Scoop a healthy dollup of pea puree on the salmon. Garnish the plate with a few whole peas.

Top Chef fans will be happy to know that I made my own pea puree, I did not steal it!

Blogger Meet Up - Big Bowl

Sunday morning Di (Johnny's sister) and I set off to pick up Jenn. Then we met Mara, Beth, Mel, and Kelly (Johnny and Di's sister-in-law).

We were all at Big Bowl to gab it up and chow down - which is exactly what we did! We definitely need to do this more than once a year! Can you believe September 2009 was the last time I saw Beth and Mara!?

I'd never been to Big Bowl before and to be honest, I was so busy conversing that I really didn't study the menu like I normally would. I opted for a ginger seafood dish, with scallops and shrimp.

It was good, but because I requested no mushrooms, there really wasn't much in terms of veggies - just the green onion bits.

Before we said our goodbyes we got a group shot. Last time we totally forgot to get pictures together!

I left with some goodies too, of course!

Jenn made everybody mini banana muffins with chocolate chips. Forgive the notebook paper background, but I had to get a really quick pic because this was the last one! They were so good, I had all I could do to save one for a shot!

Mel made an awesome white chocolate "bark" with pecans and dried cranberries. This is so creamy and delicious - just my type of dessert! I'm not a huge fan of chocolate, but dark and white chocolate are an exception!!

And Beth was such a sweetheart to get up early and make us all pumpkin scones! I've already gobbled up three four of these!

Thanks girls! Di, Kelly, and I had a blast with you! :)

Friday Firsts - Hurricane Mo's

Happy Friday everybody! Sorry I'm still MIA in the blog world - when I get home in a few weeks I'll be back to regular posting and commenting. Thanks for hanging in there with me this summer!


Tonight we went out to dinner at Hurricane Mo's by my parents' house with some family friends. I'd never been there before, but they had some awesome seafood options.

My mom and Jimmy got fish tacos.

Johnny and Bob got fish 'n chips with fresh haddock.

Jaime got popcorn shrimp.

Sandy got a seafood trio with scallops, mahi mahi, and shrimp.

And I got mahi mahi with a pineapple salsa and coconut rice - it was sooooo good. I'm pretty sure they just added some shredded coconut so I'm going to try and recreate it at home.

Now it's your turn to tell me about your first! To participate in Friday Firsts create a blog post featuring a "first" of yours. Next, link that blog post below and tell us about it! If you don't have a blog or a specific post to link to please tell us about your first in the comment section! Any and all participation is welcome!



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