What's For Dinner?

Healthy Tasty Tuna Casserole

1-2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1/2 c. celery. chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 c. cremini or white button mushrooms, sliced
3 c. dried pasta, penne or your choice
2 cans of tuna, packed in water
2 cans  semi-condensed cream of mushroom soup(I use Amy's Organic)*
1/2 c. reduced fat milk
1 c. frozen peas
1/2 c. bread crumbs
1/4-1/2 c. sharp cheddar cheese, grated
1/4 c. fresh parsley,minced
salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Put a pot of water on stove to boil for the pasta. In a large skillet, cook the onion, celery, and the garlic over medium heat until softened(about 10 minutes). Remove to a 9x13 baking dish. Add the mushrooms to the skillet and cook until soft. Add them to the baking dish with the other ingredients.  Open the cans of tuna and add to the baking dish. Mix the milk with the cream of mushroom soup. You may not use all of this mixture.  When water is boiling, salt the water and cook the pasta.   Add the cooked pasta to the baking dish along with the peas( it's not necessary to thaw them unless they are very frozen). Mix up all the ingredients and then add the soup/milk mixture little by little. Again, you may not end up using all of this so just see how it looks. Add the breadcrumbs and the cheese to the top along with the parsley. Bake for about 20-25 minutes.

Feel free to add broccoli to the mix or substitute it for the peas. *I prefer Amy's Organic Semi-Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup because it is lower in fat and sodium than other brands. This is an easy, healthy twist on tuna casserole.

Crab Cakes

1 # crabmeat
2 egg yolks
2 Tbsp. cream
2 Tbsp. olive oil
2 Tbsp. lemon juice
2 tsp. Tabasco sauce
2 tsp. dry mustard powder
2 Tbsp. fresh herbs(parsley and/or basil work well)
1 jalapeno, seeded and minced
1/2 cup finely minced celery
1/2 cup finely monced red onion
1/3 cup finely minced red bell pepper
2 1/2+ cups Japanese bread crumbs(Panko)
1/2 cup toasted pine nuts, rough chopped
salt and pepper
1/2 cup flour
1 egg beaten mixed with 1/4 cup milk or water
canola oil for pan frying (1/4 - 1/2 cup)

Whisk together the egg yolks, cream, olive oil, lemon juice, Tabasco, dry mustard, and herbs in a small mixing bowl. Set aside.  In a separate large bowl, combine the crabmeat, chile, celery, red onion, bell pepper, and the pine nuts.  Add approximately 1 1/2 cups of the Panko to the crabmeat mixture and mix thoroughly. Pour the egg mixture over the crabmeat mixture, combine well, and season with salt and pepper. Cover with plastic wrap and let chill for one hour in refrigerator.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 

Remove mixture from fridge and make into 3" patties. I usually get about 8 or 9. They can break apart so form them well and add more oilve oil to mixture if needed. Set out (in this order) one plate of seasoned flour, one bowl of the egg/milk mixture mentioned above, and one plate of Panko(about 1-2 cups) also seasoned. Take each crab cake and carefully dredge it in the flour, then the egg mixture, and then the Panko. This is a messy job. Keep pressing them back together if they start to crack.

Put a 12" skillet on stove over medium-high heat. Add 1/4 cup of canola oil. After oil gets hot, add the crab cakes in 2-3 batches. Cook until golden brown on each side and then remove to a cookie sheet . When all crab cakes have been browned place them in the oven for about 15 minutes. Serve with your favorite tartar sauce and lemon wedges.Serves 4.

When cooking the crab cakes in the skillet, some of the breadcrumbs will fall off and burn. Do your best to remove these burned bits from the skillet. You will also have to add more oil as the breadcrumbs will soak it up.

These are the best crab cakes I've ever had.  They do require some effort but it's worth it. They also freeze well.