Pretzel Topped Tuna Casserole

It's week three of vintage month and it's about time I made a casserole. Tuna Casserole has alway been a weird dish, I mean hot tuna? You could not have made me eat this when I was younger, but the first time I tried tuna casserole I was shocked at how good it was! For a dish that has been reduced to pre-made mixes in the grocery store, tuna casserole can impress when made from scratch. It's surprisingly easy to make! I used pretzels to top mine because I always have to be a little different. Go ahead and make this easy to prepare meal, it's sort of healthy!

Pretzel Topped Tuna Casserole

• 2 cans of premium Tuna
• 1/2 cup of Frozen Peas
• 2 cups of Egg Noodles
• 1 1/2 cups Milk
• 2 cups Chicken Broth
• 1 Small Yellow Onion diced
• 1 tablespoon Olive Oil
• 3 tablespoons Flour
• 8 Large Pretzels coarsely crushed
• 1/4 cup Parmesan finely grated
• Salt and Pepper

1. Preheat oven to 400°.
2. In a large sauce pan heat the olive oil and onion over medium high heat. Stirring on occasion until slightly colored. Add the flour and stir. Cook until the flour coating on the onion turns slightly brown. Some will have stuck to the bottom of the pan that's okay. 
3. Deglaze the pan by adding the milk and chicken broth. Stir and bring to a boil.
4. While you're waiting for the mixture to come to a boil start making the topping. Crush the pretzels with your fingers into a small bowl. Stir in the grated parmesan.
5. Once the mixture has come to a boil add the tuna, peas, noodles, salt and pepper.
6. Cook for about 7 minutes or until the noodles become soft.
7. Scoop the noodles and stuff into the baking vessel of your choice. I chose to use ramekins cause it adds a bit of classy, and this way you don't end up eating the whole pan by yourself. Top with the pretzel parm mix and bake until the cheese has melted. I garnished mine with some pea shoots!
8. Enjoy!

Photos by Katy Weaver

Turkey Chili

Sometimes simplicity is the key. It doesn't always have to be grass fed bison fillets on organic chanterelle risotto. Sometimes a nice warm bowl of spicy turkey chili is just what you need to get warm after spending it in the frigid fog of a short and dark December day.

Sure some people aren't impressed with turkey chili, but you know what? Those people wouldn't turn down a bowl of this delicious creation if it was offered to them. Not enjoying homemade turkey chili would be like saying you don't enjoy hanging out with your friend at IKEA. Sure she may take a little too long looking at bookshelves, and they all look the same to you, but the truth is you wouldn't choose to be anywhere else at that moment. Just like you wouldn't choose to be eating anything else while you're shoveling this chili into your mouth. Now get off your high horse and make this turkey chili, or some horse chili now that you won't be riding it.

Turkey Chili

• 1 pound Ground Turkey
• 1 yellow Onion diced
• 2 cloves of Garlic minced
• 1 clove Black Garlic minced
• 2 tablespoons Olive Oil 
• 2 Jalapeños diced
• 2 tablespoons Paprika
• 1 tablespoon Cayenne Pepper
• 1 tablespoon Curry Powder
• 1 tablespoon Cumin
• 1 teaspoon Salt
• 1 teaspoon Pepper
• 1 cup +plus the rest of the package Chicken Stock
• 1 can of diced Tomatoes drained
• 1 cup Navy Beans
• 3 cups Water
• Optional:
• Sour Cream
• Chives minced

1. Soak the Navy Beans in 2 cups of chicken stock overnight. 
2. Saute the onion, and garlic in a dutch oven with the olive oil. Add the Jalapeños to the onions and garlic and continue cooking until slightly browned. 
3. Add all the spices. Continue cooking and stirring until the aroma of the spices waft into every corner of your place of residence. 
4. Stir in the ground turkey. As you're stirring in the turkey be sure to sort of chop it up to avoid clumping of the meat. 
5. Rinse the beans. Add the beans to the pot, along with a cup of chicken stock, the diced tomatoes and 3 cups of water
6. Cover and simmer for a few hours, stirring occasionally. Take a trip to IKEA or something while the chili cooks, just enjoy your day you deserve it. 

And if you're wondering who captured the flavor of this chili, it's Katy Weaver!

Fish Tacos

Put down that taco right now! That taco doesn't compair to a fish taco. If you are eating a fish taco, my apologies, carry on. If you're not eating a taco right now, why not make these fish tacos?

When most people say they don't like fish tacos it's, because they've never tried fish tacos. I'll admit that ordering fish tacos from some restaurants might be more of a gamble than ordering the carnes asada, but if you try this recipe at home, I bet that you'll be hooked on fish tacos.

There's different ways you can cook your fish, but I chose to grill my fish. Grilling is a quick and flavorful way to cook your fish. I decided to cook snapper and it turned out wonderfully, but if you can't get ahold of snapper any sort of white fish will work.

Fish Tacos

• 1 lbs snapper
• 8 white corn tortillas
• 1 mango cut into small cubes
• 1 avocado sliced
• 1/3 cup chopped red cabbage
• 1/3 cup diced red onion
• 1/2 cup sour cream or yogurt
• a small sprig of cilantro chopped
• 1 lime juiced
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon paprika

1. Place the snapper in a pan deep enough to hold the fish and the juice from the lime. Lay out your fish in the pan and pour the lime juice over it. Sprinkle the cayenne pepper, paprika, a dash of salt and pepper over the fish. Oh, did you make sure your fish is deboned? You should probably do that. Let the fish sit for a  moment. 
2. Since the fish takes almost no time at all to cook, now is a good time to cut up the mango, cabbage, onion, and avocado. 
3. Now that all the produce is cut up it's a good time to put the fish on the grill. You should only flip the fish once. Cook each side for about 5 minutes, but your grill might vary, so keep an eye on your fish so it doesn't burn. Once you've flipped your fish place the tortillas on the grill just long enough for the flames to heat them and make them soft.
4. Once the fish is finished grilling you can start making your tacos. I like to top my fish tacos with hot sauce and cilantro lime sour cream, which you can make by adding some chopped cilantro and some lime zest to sour cream. If you're watching your weight you can use plain yogurt instead of sour cream. 

Aren't you glad you finally tried fish tacos? They're just as delicious as pork or beef tacos, but they're way better for you. Enjoy!

Photos by Katy Weaver

Peach Glazed Salmon

I asked for suggestions for dinner and the response I got was, "salmon with...peaches!" After mulling it over for a while I decided to make an Asian inspired Peach Glazed Salon dish. For making it up as I went along, I say it turned out pretty damn good. I paired the salmon with some brown rice and stir fried vegetables. 

I would suggest starting the rice first.

Brown Rice with Chives

• 1/2 cup brown rice
• 1 table spoon of chopped chives

1. Make the rice and once it's finished cooking, fluff the rice and add chives to add some color and flavor.

Peach Glazed Salmon

• 1 pound salmon fillet
• 2 peaches diced 
• 2 chives chopped (mainly for garnishing)
• Juice from one lime
• 1 teaspoon of lime zest
• 4 large leaves of mint finely chopped
• 3 sprigs of lemon thyme
• 1 1/2 tablespoon of soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon of ground ginger
• crumbled goat cheese (optional)

1. In a bowl combine everything listed above expect the goat cheese and salmon. Mix and crush everything together with your fingers. 
2. Heat the oven to 375. Take out a baking sheet and some tin foil and set the salmon fillet on the tin foil. Pour the peach mixture (glaze? salsa? chutney?) over the salmon covering the top of the entire fillet. Wrap the salmon in the foil making a nice foil pocket so all the moisture doesn't escape. 
3. Bake for 25 minutes. 
4. Though it may look a little gross, leave the peaches on the salmon! That's where flavor lives. 

Stir frying vegetables is pretty easy to do just take out a skillet or a wok, turn the stove on medium and add the following ingredients in the order they're listed in.

Stir-Fried Vegetables

• Olive Oil
• Onion
• Garlic
• Mushrooms
• Carrots
• Bell Pepper
• Snap Peas
• Carrots
• Soy Sauce
• Sesame Seeds

There are two methods of plating this dish. The traditional way of piling everything into thirds on a plate and eating them separately. The other option is to make a tower of deliciousness and top it off with some goat cheese and chives. 

Option #1

Option #2

Another healthy and delicious dish!

Photos by Katy Weaver

Quinoa Stuffed Bell Peppers

The three words I would use to describe this dish would be healthy, colorful, and delicious. These stuffed peppers are both filling and very light at the same time by the time you finish them you're full, but not stuffed (see what I did there?). 

Quinoa Stuffed Bell Peppers

• 1/2 cup quinoa cooked
• 1 can of black beans drained and rinsed
• 4 bell peppers stem and seeds removed 
• 1/4 lbs. of ground pork chorizo 
• 1/3 cup coarsely chopped onion
• 3 cloves of garlic minced
• 1/2 of a large zucchini coarsely chopped
• 10 grape tomatoes cut into quarters
• 6 small mushrooms sliced
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 tablespoons taco seasoning
• a dash of cayenne pepper if you have it

These things go on top of the peppers:

• hot sauce
• avocados
• cheddar cheese
• sour cream

1. Boil the water for quinoa about 1 cup of water. Once it reaches a boil turn down to a simmer and cook until the water is gone.
2. While the quinoa is cooking take out a skillet and add the olive oil, onions, and garlic Once the onions become golden brown in color add the mushrooms. Deglaze the pan with a splash of white wine or water. Then add the chorizo.
3. Oh did you preheat the oven to 375? You should probably do that now.
4. Once the chorizo is browned add the zucchini, taco seasoning, and cayenne pepper. Mix so that the taco seasoning is no longer visible as giant clumps of red stuff. Then add the cooked beans, tomatoes, and the cooked quinoa. Mix.
5. Scoop the filling into the peppers. Place the pepper into a casserole dish or meatloaf dish, really anything that can go in the oven and can hold 4 bell peppers.
6. Place the peppers into the oven for 20 minutes.
7. Remove the peppers from the oven. Cut vertically and top it with cheddar cheese, sour cream avocado, and hot sauce, or whatever you think would be good. 

A healthy dinner that's not terribly complex to make and it looks festive. This dish can easily be turned into a vegetarian dish by replacing the chorizo with some sort of meat substitute. Are you still reading this? You should be stuffing your face with this stuffed pepper by now!

Photos by Katy Weaver