The Best Tuna Salad Ever

Generally, I am a tuna salad purist.  Tuna, mayo, chopped celery and onion.  I saw this recipe on pinterest and was intrigued.  I needed a quick and easy meal for tonight, so I gave it a go.

O. M. Gee.

I don't think I will ever make boring old tuna salad again.  I added a few extra ingredients, but overall, I followed the spirit of the recipe.

Ingredients:

2 cans of tuna, packed in water
2tbsp light mayo
1/4 c. pesto
Sundried tomatoes, chopped
Red pepper, chopped
Green onion, chopped
Zerto 4 cheese blend
Salt & Pepper

Directions:

If you are making this as a sandwich or as filling for a lettuce wrap, just mix it all up and filled your vessel :)

I made this as a melt, so I left out the cheese and used it to top my open faced sandwich instead.

Grillled BBQ Chicken Salad Sandwich

I have messed around with this photo (taken cellphone style) for the last 20 minutes and I can't get it to post properly, so here it is, in all its' sideways glory. The sandwich was to ooeygooey delicious not to photograph!

The Cuisinart Griddler has changed our lives. We have a new weekly tradition of having soup and a grilled sandwich once a week, because the Griddler rocks so hard. My husband loves soup and sandwich night more than anything and I have made it my personal vendetta to never serve the same combo.

I bought a rotisserie chicken from Costco on the weekend for quesadillas and the sandwiches, so this was seriously EASY. The bread comes in our kitchen box from Real Food Connections and it is The. Best. I usually try to incorporate other things from the kitchen box into both the soup and sammy. This week, the peashoot greens were especially good on the sandwich!

Makes: 4 sandwiches or wraps.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 a rotisserie chicken, chopped


• 3 stalks of celery, minced


• 1 red pepper, minced


• 1/2 small red onion, minced


• 1/4 c. light or fat free mayo


• 1/4 c. BBQ sauce


• S&P


• 4 slices of cheddar


• Bread or wraps


• Shredded lettuce (I used pea shoots from our kitchen box!)

Directions:

1. Chop chicken and mince veggies. Combine with BBQ sauce, mayo and s&p.


2. Divide chicken into 4 and put on a sandwich or wrap with a slice of cheddar.


3. Grill sandwich or wrap until the outside is crispy and the cheese is melty.


4. Remove from grill and add greens. I had slimy wilted greens, so I add them after cooking.


5. Enjoy :)
   

*I was going to post the recipe for the soup, but I didn't measure a single thing when I made it! Ooops.

Asian Chicken Salad

Source: Me!
Serves: 4

Ingredients:

• 1lbs of boneless skinless chicken thighs


• 1/2 c. flour, seasoned with salt and pepper


• 2 tbsp EVOO


• 1/4 c. mango chutney


• 1 head of Boston lettuce, shredded (or greens of your choice)


• 1 carrot, shredded


• 1/2 red onion, sliced thin


• 1 c. sliced mushrooms


• 2 stalks of green onion


• Asian toasted sesame ginger dressing


• Optional topping: chow mein noodles

Directions:

1. Chop chicken into bite sized pieces. In a ziplock bag, toss chicken in seasoned flour until coated.


2. Heat up oil in a non-stick skillet. Brown chicken for about 3-4 minutes on each side, until the chicken is almost cooked, just a tiny bit pink in the center.


3. Add the mango chutney and toss the chicken until coated. Continue cooking until the chicken is cooked through, about another minute or two.


4. Meanwhile, make up the salad of shredded lettuce, sliced red onion, sliced mushrooms, chopped green onion and shredded carrots.


5. Let the chicken cool a little. Top the salad with the chicken, asisan toasted sesame dressing and crushed chow mein noodles (optional).

Comments:

This almost felt like a restaurant main course salad that would be really bad for you, it was so good! Next time, for a change, I might try tossing the chicken in sweet chili sauce and adding some mandarin oranges. Definitely a make again!

Green Pea and White Bean Soup

Source: Chatelaine Magazine

Ingredients:

1 tbsp olive oil

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 small onion, minced

540 mL can of navy beans, rinsed and drained

4 c. frozen peas

900 mL carton of chicken broth

Garnish: crumbled goat cheese, pancetta or bacon crumbles

Instructions:

Heat a medium sauce pan over medium heat. Add oil, onion and garlic. Sautee for about 3 minutes, stirring continuously until the onion is soft.

Add beans, peas and broth. Bring to a boil over the medium heat. This will take about 12 minutes.

Remove from heat and puree with an immersion blender. Simmer on very low heat for 5-10 minutes.

Serve garnished with crumbled bacon or pancetta and goat cheese.

Comments:

This soup was different, but really nice. It is a great lunch or served as a side or appetizer. It came together really easily and quickly too.

Loaded Baked Potato Soup

Source: skinnytaste.com (a new favorite!)
Serves: 4

Ingredients:

• 2 potatoes
• 1 head of cauliflower
• 1 1/2 c. chicken broth
• 1 1/2 c. skim milk
• 1/2 c. fat free or low-fat sour cream
• 1/4 c. green onion or chives (+ a little extra for garnish)
• Fresh ground black pepper and salt
• Shredded cheddar
• Bacon bits

Instructions:

1. Bake potatoes in either the microwave or the oven. Peel.
2. Break the cauliflower into flourets. In a large pot, steam the cauliflower.
3. Once the cauliflower is steamed, discard the water and add the peeled potato, chicken broth and milk. Boil for 3-5 mins.
4. With an immersion blender, blend until smoth.
5. Stir in sour cream, chives/green onion and salt and pepper.
6. Simmer on low for about 10 minutes.
7. Serve topped with shredded cheddar, bacon bits and additional chives or green onions.

Comments:

This was sooooo easy and made for a really tasty lunch! You can taste the cauliflower a little bit, but I love mashed cauliflower, so it didn't bother me at all. Without the cheese and bacon garnish, this would be a little bland, so make sure you have those on hand to spice this soup up.