Wasabi Tuna Salad

I’m not exactly sure how this happened, but I have become a little obsessed with tuna salad.

Tuna salad is one of those polarizing foods: you either love it or you hate it, and there isn’t much of anything in between. In fact, I bet half of you have already wrinkled your noses in disgust. Blech. Canned tuna.

And I used to be you, shuddering at the mere idea of opening a can of tuna. I used to make gagging faces behind the backs of high school friends who brought little packs of tuna for lunch.

But here I am. Tuna salad. It’s the best!

Especially this spicy Asian version. This delicious sandwich can make a believer out of any tuna salad skeptic. It is totally reminiscent of maki sushi rolls, with all the wasabi and ginger, the thin-sliced avocado, the fresh veg. You have to try it.

Millet Vegetable Stir-Fry

Mind, prepare to be blown:

Stir Friday.

Yes…it’s the solution to my weekly pleadings with my family to name something other than pizza (Jake) or meatloaf (Dave) when I ask what to cook for dinner. Stir Friday.

I love it for so many reasons: 1) it still allows room for creativity, because “stir-fry” is a huge, broad category…but it does give me somewhere to start with the meal planning; 2) it makes a beautiful peace treaty for the taste bud cold war Dave and I are waging…no more can he tell me that I never eat Asian food with him!; 3) it has an awesome name—always a bonus; and 4) it’s so easy to make large amounts of stir-fry, so easy to accommodate different dietary needs, that Stir Friday is the perfect way to kick off one of our major family goals: becoming better hosts.

So, friends who live in the greater DC area, consider this your open invitation.

It’s Stir Friday. Are you coming?

Lemongrass Coconut Noodles with Mushrooms and Tomatoes

When my mom comes to visit, I get kind of excited.

For obvious reasons! She’s the best!

But also because her visits pull me out of my dinner ruts. She doesn’t eat wheat or dairy, so sometimes I have to get really creative to make meals that we can all enjoy! (We eat a lot of Asian cuisines.)

I was a little skeptical about this pasta at first, because I don’t typically love savory coconut without its best friends chili and curry. When I tasted the broth halfway through, I heaved a great sigh of disappointment that it was weird and bland despite its bursting tomatoes and lemongrass.

But dinner must go on (the natives were hungry), and so must I. And much to my surprise, after I added in a generous splash of lime juice and fish sauce, the boring and vaguely sweet coconut sauce turned into this amazing, tangy, practically drinkable concoction.

A symphony of flavors.

Spicy Peanut Noodles with Shrimp

I can’t believe my beautiful girl is 4 weeks old! But it was a long road in getting there (and I’m not just talking about sleepless nights)…did you know she was a week overdue?

I spent a lot of time during the last few weeks of my pregnancy doing one “last” adventure with Jake, one “last” trip to the store, one “last” load of laundry/other heinous cleaning chore… I sure was ready to meet my girl and stop being pregnant! But she was pretty cozy and reluctant to make her entrance. Finally, I decided to try smoking her out.

This meal was one of many versions of what I called “Get-Out-Of-Me-Baby” food: simple, spicy dishes that I hoped would somehow convince Caitlin that the outside world would be a welcome change.

(In case you wondered…the spicy foods didn’t faze her. But this was still a delicious meal!)

Vietnamese Noodle Bowl

This year I got to host my mom’s birthday celebration again.

Of course, the most important part of any real birthday celebration is the cake. But the meal is also a big deal, especially for someone who can’t eat dairy or wheat but still wants to share something special.

My mom pretty much gives me free reign to try new foods when she comes to visit, but for this particular meal with all its importance, I was just stumped. Then, my darling husband suggested Vietnamese, and I instantly conjured up a mental mouthful of rice noodles, grilled shrimp, and crushed peanuts, accented by a mouthwatering sour-spicy sauce.

So we had noodle bowls. And they were delicious!

You should have noodle bowls, too. This is like a great, big, noodle salad. It involves very little cooking (except, of course, the shrimp and the noodles), and you can serve everything warm or cold, which is perfect for unpredictable situations like having company! And, bonus, each eater can customize their bowl to their liking. A perfect, simple meal for guests!

Vietnamese Pickles

You know what’s really easy to make? Pickles.

The first time I ever encountered non-cucumber pickles was a revelation to me. I have always hated cucumbers, and pickles were naturally distasteful to me, as well. But there I sat, across the table from the man I would one day marry, sweaty and gross after the first of many 3-mile runs, getting ready to eat pho.

Of all things.

Right after running.

Or rather, I should say, that he was getting ready to eat pho, and I had opted for something less warm, because I didn’t think I could handle a pot of heavy broth at that precise moment.

So there we are, me feeling super awkward because of the sweat now drying on my clothes, my calves already tightening from the run (in which, naturally, I had pushed myself too hard in order to impress this strange man), and him chatting merrily about pho broth.

And I found this weird little dish of condiments in the middle of the table. And there were pickled carrots and daikon radishes. And I had no idea what a daikon radish was. And…I totally thought they tasted weird.

Citrus Ginger Kale and Tofu Salad

This is the best salad I’ve had in months.

It is, in fact, the first way I have ever genuinely liked tofu. Ever. I mean I eat tofu from time to time, but mostly I am tolerating it for the sake of protein. I don’t really know why I liked this so much…I think it was marinating, maybe, that really did it for me. The tofu just soaked up the spicy, gingery, soy marinade, and as it baked it became ever so lightly browned and crisp at the edges, and it was jsut heaven for me. I ate a good six or seven cubes while I was assembling the salad. Yum.

The dressing is bright and delicious. The salad is textured and fun to eat with chopsticks. With all those raw veggies and the buckwheat soba noodles…it packs a pretty hefty nutritional punch, too! Let’s eat healthy and act like we do that all the time. (And maybe let’s make it a habit!)

Ginger Tamarind Brussels Sprouts

You guys, I just can’t seem to get enough of brussels sprouts this season!

I keep finding new, awesome recipes to try! My husband, barely tolerant of brussels sprouts most of the time, has really been a champ throughout my quest for more and more and more and more ways to eat these babies.

This recipe was really a winner. The dish has almost a Thai flair with the ginger and tamarind. And they make really good “starter sprouts.” (You don’t know what that is? It’s what you serve someone who says they have never tried brussels sprouts, or they don’t think they like brussels sprouts for some reason.) The sweet and sour sauce and the warm ginger really sing in this recipe. In fact, the flavor of the sprouts isn’t very distinct at all! (It’s okay. I still like these. Despite the fact that the rich, bitter sproutyness is a bit disguised…)

CSA Week 17: Miso-Curry Delicata Squash

We have been getting a lot of fall squashes from the CSA! At least two per week, usually weighing in over 1 lb. apiece.

Good thing I love fall squash!

It’s also been fun to get to know some of the different varieties. Normally, I am a butternut-acorn-pumpkin girl, but now I am learning about kabocha, buttercup, carnival, and the lovely delicata.

This is an amazing recipe from one of my favorite cookbooks: Super Natural Every Day. I love that the curry isn’t too spicy, but it perfectly complements the sweetness of the squash. Plus, this meal is so healthy! It combines fresh potatoes and kale, which are also in season right now from the CSA, with fall squash and tofu: Perfect nutritional balance of brightly colored veggies, complex carbs, and protein.

(And the best part was that Dave loved it, despite the kale and squash, which he typically hates! He hoarded all of the leftovers to himself…I’m just saying.)

CSA Week 7: Japanese Cucumber Salad

It’s day 2 of my quest to excise the fridge of all the cucumbers. With a cucumber salad!

This salad is so easy! All it takes is the patience to slice the cucumbers.

Serve this salad with some teriyaki vegetables (or chicken, if you are so inclined) and steamed rice. The light, crisp dressing and the bright flavor of the cukes will complement the heavy, bold flavor of the teriyaki well!