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Healthy, Asian Tuna Salad

Working from home, I need to keep lunch interesting. I have the entire kitchen and refrigerator at my disposal, but still find myself making the same salad or sandwich on a daily basis. Getting in a rut is easy. But to keep my taste buds satisfied, which is part of my goal with intuitive eating, I’ve made it my goal to try something new each week.

This delicious and healthy recipe makes the perfect lunch. It takes just a few minutes, and I bet you have most of the ingredients in your refrigerator or pantry already. This recipe is nutritious, affordable, delicious, easy and an excellent source of protein which is always key. Thanks to ClassPass, I’m working out more than ever which means I’m always hungry. Ensuring that I have a source of lean protein, like tuna, at every meal not only helps keep the hunger monster at bay but also repair muscles.

Asian Tuna Salad Ingredients
The base of this lunch is an ingredient we always keep handy in our pantry – Bumble Bee Solid White Albacore in Water. Guys, if you’ve never tried this type of canned tuna you HAVE to add it to your shopping cart during your next shopping trip. It is unlike any tuna you may have grown up eating or avoiding. Trust me, as soon as you open the can you will be able to see the quality of this firm, chunky tuna. With a firm texture, light color and fresh taste – Bumble Bee® Solid White Albacore is the perfect ingredient to deliciously enhance almost any recipe, adding a variety of nutrients – including lean protein, healthy fat and important vitamins and minerals.

Healthy Asian Tuna Salad

 

Healthy Asian Tuna Salad

Serves: 2

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Ingredients:

 

  • 1 can of Bumble Bee Solid White Albacore Tuna, drained
  • 2 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
  • 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds
  • 1 teaspoon Sriracha
  • 1/8 cup Grape Seed Oil or other neutral oil
  • 3 scallions (greens only)
  • 1/4 cup shredded carrots or Trader Joe’s Asian Slow mix
  • 1 tablespoon minced cilantro
  • 1 tablespoon cashews or slivered almonds
  • Salt and Pepper to taste
  • Your favorite salad base (kale, mixed greens, romaine)

Instructions

  1. Place the drained tuna in a large mixing bowl, gently breaking the chunks up with a fork.
  2. Add the soy sauce, lime juice, sesame seeds, Sriracha and grape seed oil and toss well to combine flavors and ingredients.
  3. Place greens in two bowls, one for you and the other for a friend!
  4. Top greens with shredded carrots and scallions
  5. Place half tuna salad mixture on top of each bowl of greens and carrots
  6. Top with cilantro, nuts, salt and pepper
  7. Enjoy!

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Want to learn more about the quality and ingredients that go into each can of Bumble Bee tuna? Visit their “Only Bumble Bee Albacore Will Do” site.

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.

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Meatless Monday – Vegetarian Carbonara Recipe

This seems to be a week of firsts on the blog. Last night I shared my first StitchFix experience and today I’m sharing our first Meatless Monday recipe. A popular hashtag on both Twitter and Instagram each Monday, it inspires many people to eat less meat by experimenting with one day of meatless cooking or meals each week.  Over the years this movement has become quite popular as more and more research shows that reducing meat consumption can have many positive health benefits.

As I searched my blog, trying to see whether I’d previously shared a Meatless Monday recipe, I was surprised to not find a single Meatless Monday post. Maybe that’s because until recently, both Bo and I were of the mindset that a meal needed to have meat in order to be filling. Luckily, we’ve come a long way and now enjoy a meatless dinner every other week or so. Sometimes it is more simple, like spaghetti squash and marinara while other times it becomes a fun challenge which results in a delicious, often healthy recipe.

Tonight’s Meatless Monday recipe is the former. After a week of staring at the spaghetti squash just sitting on the counter, we knew we needed to put it to good use. An especially cold night inspired us to create a healthier version of one of our favorite comfort foods – carbonara. We ate our weight in carbonara when we were in Italy, our favorite of which was the fresh carbonara tossed table side in Rome during our meal at Felice A Testaccio. In fact, just thinking about it has my mouth watering. Can I please return to Italy immediately for wine, gelato and pasta? Until we can make our return, this recipe is going to be a regular in our rotation. It is healthy, at under 500 calories per serving, and it is full of rich flavor.

carbonara

We are very aware of the inherent contradiction in the term “vegetarian carbonara”.  After all, what is spaghetti carbonara without those deliciously salty hits of pancetta.  However, it is that luxurious egg yolk that coats the pasta that provides richness and makes the dish so luxurious.  For this vegetarian, carb-free version, we used spaghetti squash instead of pasta and a generous amount of sage for a rich, deep, flavor.
Worried this healthy, vegetarian dish won’t be enough to satisfy your appetite?  We paired it with a simple arugula salad to make a complete dinner for two.
Vegetarian Spaghetti Squash Carbonara with Sage pic JPG
Vegetarian Spaghetti Squash Carbonara with Sage
Ingredients:
1 spaghetti squash
3 Tbsp. chopped fresh sage
2 garlic cloves – grated on a microplaner
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese (If you are a strict vegetarian, make sure you buy a vegetarian approved Parmesan such as Trader Joes!)
2 Tbsp. unsalted butter
Extra virgin olive oil
2 egg yolks
1/2 Tbsp. heavy cream
Salt and fresh ground pepper
Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 375, and roast the squash for about an hour; cut in half, scoop out the seeds and use a fork to scrap the meat into a bowl – set aside
2) Beat the egg yolks and cream and add a pinch of salt; set aside
3) Heat butter and 1 Tbsp. of EVOO in a skillet over medium heat; add garlic and soften for 3 minutes
4) Add squash, sage, and Parmesan and toss to mix
5) Season with salt and a generous amount of pepper
6) Take the skillet off the burner and allow squash to cool for a minute
7) Fold in the egg / cream and mix lightly for about 30 seconds; adjust seasoning and serve immediately.
If you’re curious in the nutritional information, see below for the breakdown.
Vegetarian Spaghetti Squash Carbonara with Sage
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Super Fruit Smoothie Recipe

As you guys know, even though the weather is finally cooling down, I am still loving smoothies. Most days I whip up a bowl-sized smoothie for breakfast or a smaller, lighter sized smoothie to sip as an afternoon snack.

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I spend a few minutes each day, staring into the pantry and refrigerator, before choosing the flavor profile for that day’s smoothie. Sometimes they are inspired by backed goods, like my favorite peach cobbler smoothie, while other days the goal is to recreate the Dairy Queen Blizzard of my childhood while still including good for you ingredients.

Therefore, when the gang at Superberries asked me to test on their nutritionally packed, aroniaberries, I couldn’t say no. How much fun would it be to spend some time in the kitchen, getting to know a new ingredient, while experimenting with different flavor combinations? The frozen aroniaberries I received were perfect to include in this smoothie recipe as well as my morning oatmeal this morning.

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I won’t lie, I immediately intended on packing this smoothie with all the wholesome goodness you so many people are craving this time of year. This smoothie includes a new to me berry, the aroniaberry. Aroniaberries provide the most balanced protection against the five most common free radicals which can lead to illness. In addition, this antioxidant rich fruit can help with exercise recovery which is especially important for those of us working out multiple times per week! This dark purple fruit is rich in polyphenols, which neutralize free radicals and minimize the aging process while boosting our immune system!

After seeing the vibrant color of these berries, I was inspired to make a smoothie that would taste like a berry muffin and be vibrant in color. Waking up to a bright, cheery smoothie is the perfect way to start any day, right?


 Super Fruit Smoothie

Super Fruit Smoothie

1 frozen banana

¼ cup frozen aroniaberries

½ cup Almond Milk (I prefer Califia unsweetened almond milk)

1 chopped, pitted date

1 tablespoon almond butter

1 serving vanilla protein powder

1 teaspoon chia seeds

1 teaspoon cinnamon

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

Optional:

A sprinkle of your favorite granola such as Purely Elizabeth or ½ a crushed Nola Bar

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Instructions

1. In a high powered blender or food processor of your choice, blend together all ingredients placing frozen fruit and protein powder closest to the blade.

2. Blend until you it appears to be thick enough to eat with a spoon. If you’d rather sip the smoothie, then blend for a bit longer or add more liquid.

3. Pour smoothie into bowl or glass and top with optional crunch.

Want to create your own Aroniaberry smoothie or try the super fruit for yourself? Superberries are offering 25% off 6 Packs of Superberries Products as part of a New Year’s special. (Aroniaberry+ Daily Wellness Shots not included) Use the code BERRIES25in through January 25th.

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Superberries. The opinions and text are all mine.

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