New & Improved Tuna Wrap

I love watching Paula Deen.  I don’t love her cooking, but I love HER.  She is so funny, so sweet, so southern and cute.  She reminds me of Mrs. Pots (Beauty & the Beast).  I can’t bring myself to make any of her recipes, though, because it could quite possibly lead to cardiac arrest.  Nonetheless I DVR her shows all the time because who doesn’t love watching a cute old southern lady make meals with enough sugar and butter to feed an army?  So without further adieu, I’d like to share with you a direct (dirty) quote from the celebrity chef herself that made me rewind and playback more times than I’d like to admit:

“I like the bone in my fish.” – Paula Deen

Yummy.  Speaking of fish, I invented a tuna wrap yesterday that came out so incredibly delicious.  Ever get the urge to just throw some good ingredients together and see what happens?  Well that’s what I did and the result was better than I ever thought it would be.

I “fried” up 3 tbsp egg whites in a mini pan with canola oil spray and threw it on a whole wheat wrap.  I then sliced up a tomato and added that to the wrap.  On top of that went two romaine lettuce leaves.  I then drained a can of tuna and mixed in 1 tbsp of sweet  red pepper hummus, a quirt of lemon juice and a dash of salt and pepper.  Onto the lettuce the tuna went and then I rolled it on up and zapped it in the microwave for 15 seconds while I sliced up a granny smith apple.

Oh. My. Lord.  It was amazing.  I loved the crunch of the lettuce and the warm egg whites.  The sweet red pepper hummus really made this wrap a 10 in my book.  The apple on the side gave the meal a sweet touch.  It was so simple to make – it will definitely be one of my go-to lunches from now on.

Sorry Paula, ain’t no bones in this fish.

– Alex

Quinoa Jambalaya

I found this New Orleans-inspired recipe in my June 2011 Oxygen magazine but omitted the shrimp because Jackie is allergic to shellfish (have you even confirmed that with the doc yet??  You’re missing out, sister!).  Feel free to add as much shrimp as you like, though if it doesn’t kill ya!

The “new thing” everyone’s talking about and eating these days is quinoa (keen-wah).  Though it looks like tiny pasta, it’s actually protein-packed grains.  I made this for lunch today.  It was my first time eating it but it definitely won’t be my last.

Ready in 30 minutes – Makes 2 servings

1 tbsp canola oil

1/2 onion

1 zucchini

1 red bell pepper

1 garlic clove

1 low-sodium chicken sausage, sliced into 6 rounds

1/4 cup dry quinoa

1/2 cup low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth

1 can fire-roasted tomatoes

1 green onion, sliced thinly

Sea salt & pepper, to taste

1.  Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.  Chop onion, zucchini, bell pepper & garlic.

2.  Add chopped vegetables and sausage to skillet and saute for about 5 minutes.

3.  Add quinoa and toss to coat, about 2 minutes.  Add broth and tomatoes and bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 10 minutes.

4.  Add the chicken sausage and cover the skillet with a lid.  Cook for another 5-10 minutes or until sausage is cooked through.  Top with green onions, salt and pepper.

5.  Enjoy!

Nutrients per serving:  Calories: 400, Total Fats: 15 g, Saturated Fat: 3 g, Carbohydrates: 39 g, Dietary Fiber: 6 g, Sugar: 9 g, Protein: 24 g

(Recipe retrieved from: Oxygen Magazine, June2011 issue .   Kennedy, R.  (June 2011). Quinoa jambalya. Oxygen Magazine, vol. 14, (6). Canusa Products Inc.)

– Alex