Penny Pinching "Spicy Tuna Rolls"

With Cucumber and Sweet Ginger Vinaigrette Salad

Serves 3-4 for less than $15!

This past week my brother came to visit me to celebrate Thanksgiving. As thankful as I was to have him here, it occurred to me my wallet was not suited for restaurant outings. My brother was craving sushi and we all know what those prices look like at most restaurants. So I decided to make a play on sushi by using canned tuna, and instead of rice use cucumber and tortillas as the wrapping. Ideally, the low-carb whole wheat tortillas for the lowest calorie intake, (I used flour for this recipe because I had them on hand) or stick with the cucumber roll-ups for an even lower calorie/carb option. For the filling, feel free to put in whatever you usually like in your sushi. I love sushi that has fruit like mango or papaya in it. But since I'm pinching pennies for this recipe...I used carrot, avocado, and canned tuna with a "spicy mayo" sauce. The best part about this recipe... it's easy to make and involves no actual cooking... no pots, pans, or heat necessary!

Ingredients:
-3 cans of tuna
-About 1/4 cup of shredded carrots (you can shred or chop 1 whole carrot to save $)
-About 3 Tbsp of soy sauce (or tamari for gluten free option) use to your taste, this acts as salt factor.
-1/3 to 2/3 cup of non-fat plain yogurt (use as if mayo)
-A couple tsp. of sriracha based on your heat preference
-A couple tsp. of honey (for the tuna mix) AND 1 Tbsp for the salad dressing
-About 1/4 cup of rice wine vinegar
-About 2-3 Tbsp of canola oil (or whatever oil you got!)
-1 Large avocado thinly sliced
-2 large cucumbers (one for the salad and one for the sushi rolls)
-3 low-carb whole wheat tortillas (see my breakfast burrito post for a good brand suggestion!)
-1 tsp of Powdered ginger or fresh grated (whatever you can get)
-2 tsp of wasabi paste or powder to mix into soy sauce for dipping (optional)
-1/4 cup of sliced red onion
-1/4 cup of shredded red cabbage

Prep:
-Start by thinly slicing red onion (or white whichever you have handy) and red cabbage into shreds and soaking in rice wine vinegar. Let sit for 30-45 min. at least.
-Mix together yogurt, sriracha, and soy sauce. Incorporate tuna into mixture. Feel free to add in garlic powder. Taste.
-Slice, chop, and shred remaining ingredients for rolls and salad.
-Combine rice wine vinegar, oil, honey, and ginger in a mason jar or container with a lid. Shake vigorously!
-Use a mandoline to thinly slice the cucumber into carpacchio slices. (See my video episode 1 for a visual demo!) In this recipe, I didn't have my mandoline available so instead I cored out the center of the cucumber to stuff with the sushi filling and then sliced them into little sushi pieces... It worked out nicely but the filling didn't stay in as well as it would with the thinner slices individually rolled.
-Fill the tortillas and the cucumber slices with the tuna mix and add the sliced avocado and carrots. Be careful to overfill. You can use a touch of honey or cream cheese on the end to hold the roll ups in place. Slice the rolled up tortilla into sushi sized pieces. Be sure to use a sharp knife so not to smush the filling out. You can also put toothpicks through them for easy eating! The cucumber roll ups take a little more patience but they are totally worth it!
-Pour the dressing over the thinly sliced cucumbers for the salad.
-Plate the sushi and then surround it with the "pickled" onion/cabbage mix which can be used on top of the rolls like pickled ginger.
-Serve with the wasabi spiked soy sauce for dipping

Warm Butternut Squash Harvest Salad

With Dried Cranberries, Raw Cashews, Cotija Cheese, Quinoa, and a Rice Wine Vinaigrette 

Hearty, harvesty, and healthy. Pretty sure harvesty isn't a word but just go with it. This salad is great alone or as an accompaniment to a protein or pasta dish. Get your fill of vitamins, fiber, protein and even calcium in this salad! This is a simple dish with many interchangeable ingredients. Feel free to venture out and try different combos...Shall we get on with it?

Begin by cooking the butternut squash with whatever process you prefer. If you par-cook the squash in the microwave and then finish it off on high heat (400-425 degrees) for 15 min. or so it will have a great roasted flavor in half the time. 

While your squash is cooking, get a batch of quinoa cooking (about 1 cup) and follow box instructions. (You can substitute veggie stock instead of water for more flavor) I used red quinoa for this salad because it has more fiber (and it was on sale!) Don't forget to salt (and any other seasonings you desire) your quinoa during the cooking process (I like onion powder, garlic powder, salt/pepper).

While your warm ingredients are cooking, toss together:

Romaine, dried cranberries, cotija cheese, and raw (or roasted) cashews. 

The ratio for these ingredients is all relative to your personal preference. Feel free to swap out the ingredients. Try feta, walnuts, and pomegranate seeds. The possibilities are virtually endless. 

Now for the dressing:

-Olive oil (or canola) 

-Rice Wine Vinegar (or apple cider)....Use approximately 2 parts oil to 1 part vinegar

-About a tbsp of honey for every 1/4 cup of oil

-About a tsp of garlic powder

-Salt and pepper to taste

Allow the squash to cool just long enough to handle it. Cut into cubes, slices, slivers, whatever floats your boat. Toss into the salad along with the cooked quinoa. Add dressing and coat evenly. Serve while still warm (NOT HOT), you don't want wilted lettuce. Enjoy. 

Poor Man's Meal

Spaghetti Squash Casserole

With Roasted Red Peppers and Crab Meat

(...For around $12 feeds ~6 people!)

Hey kids, did ya miss me? It has been too long! After my fabulous 2 week excursion to London, moving into a new apt, and getting a new job, it hardly left time to blog.... but that doesn't mean I haven't been cooking. I'm so excited fall is here, and you will be too when you see what I have in store! So, in honor of me spending all my money on traveling and buying new furniture, I have dedicated a special post for the poor man... aka ME. I am officially the most broke I have ever been and you wouldn't believe the resourcefulness that came out of it. Just because you've got a small budget, doesn't mean you have to eat ramen everyday. This casserole is packed with vitamins, protein, is naturally gluten free and exploding with gourmet flavor. It serves 6 for around 12 bucks... or you can keep it all to yourself and really stretch your means. Oh, and P.S.... this meal comes out to 787 calories total! If you do the math, 1 serving is 131 calories. So don't tell me eating cheap can't be healthy! Now let's get on with it....

Ingredients:

-1 large spaghetti squash (around 2-3 lbs.)

-2 large red peppers (or whatever color floats your boat)

-1 yellow onion

-1 can of crab meat (6 oz.)

-1 can of tuna (5 oz.) (You can use all tuna if you're really broke and it will save you about 3 bucks)

-3 small-medium garlic cloves

-1/2 cup of your choice of shredded cheese (I used a fontina/mozz/parm blend because the sharpness    balances the crab/tuna well)

-a couple tsp. of fresh grated nutmeg (or use what you got), smoked paprika, salt, pepper, and dried Italian herbs to taste. (Nutmeg added a great warm flavor that paired well with the crab but don't feel obligated to buy it if it's not in your pantry.)

Prep:

-Follow whatever method you prefer of cooking the spaghetti squash. You can roast it, microwave it, cook it on the stove, do what you gotta do. Cook it fully as the baking process is merely to warm the ingredients and melt the cheese. 

-Once cooked, set aside to cool before you remove the filling.

-Meanwhile, Roast on high heat (425 degrees) the red peppers with a touch of olive oil. I cut them and lay them flat first.

-Chop and combine the garlic onion and tuna/ crab meat in casserole dish (use a 5" by 10" or larger)

-Once peppers and squash have cooled enough to handle, scrape out with a fork the "spaghetti" and dice the red peppers.

-Combine all ingredients in casserole dish with the dried herbs. Make sure to mix well so flavor is evenly distributed.

-Top off with cheese of your choice. (Feel free to use more or less based on your dietary restrictions; it's delicious combined throughout the casserole too!)

-Bake at 375 degrees for about 20 min. or until cheese and edges of casserole are golden brown and bubbly.

As always, remember that I believe in resourceful cooking, especially when you're on a budget. This means, if you don't have a spice, don't fret. You will learn with time that many things work well together and you can swap out seasonings for your own version of a dish. Don't be afraid to take a risk, otherwise you will never learn anything except how to follow a recipe... SNOOZE. Be brave, be curious, and be resourceful. Enjoy everyone....

Video Blog episode 2!

More Please Video Blog

Episode 2: Pesto Zucchini Pasta and Quinoa and Mixed Greens Salad