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