Tuna Cauliflower Salad

I was inspired by the tuna and zucchini spiral salad Teri made, and pulled this equally easy and delicious salad together for my lunch. Another non-recipe recipe that turned out great - thanks for the inspiration Teri!

                         

For my version, I mixed together a can of plain tuna (drained), pre-cooked cauliflower rice, and leftover cranberry/pumpkin seed mix from a chopped kale salad kit. Then I seasoned it with lemon pepper, salad seasoning blend, everything but the bagel seasoning blend, turmeric, and a drizzle of olive oil. I figured the entire thing has less than 200 calories so I ate it all - and loved every bite. 

Teri's Tuna with Zucchini Noodles

Teri made this easy dish for her lunch and sent me a photo knowing I'd love this one - how good does this sound?

zucchini spirals
package of lemon pepper tuna
everything spice blend
vegetable seasoning blend
ground turmeric

She added a bit of butter to a pan, tossed in some zucchini spirals and let them break up a bit, then added the tuna and spices. Healthy, quick, simple, and delicious!

Kid Craft: grass seed jars

Janis's grandson made these in school and it's such a cute idea I asked if I could share. Super simple, but how fun (and educational) for kids to plant and watch the grass grow. Put some potting soil in a clean empty small jar and add some grass seed (I'm pretty sure this is wheatgrass). Decorate the jar with silly googly eyes (you could add a mouth too with a marker) and a few days later the seed will grow and make "hair". Cute, right?

Tip-sy Tuesday: cilantro

Last week I posted a couple things using cilantro, and my guacamole also needs a lot of it - so I'm often chopping cilantro. Sorry I don't have an actual trick for removing the leaves, it's a tedious process pulling the leaves off the stems - but the tip today is when a recipe calls for cilantro you only use the leaves, no stems. No one wants to eat little sticks so make sure you only include the leaves (maybe the very thin flexible stems of small baby leaves, but cut them up finely). When I need chopped cilantro for a couple different dishes I tend to chop it all at once and divide it into the quantities that I need for each recipe - might as well get it all out of the way at once.

Some recipes from the blog using cilantro include:

mexican street corn salad
asian style meatballs with sweet chili sauce
spring rolls
cilantro lime rice
creamy cilantro dressing

Chocolate Chip, Banana, & Oat Muffins

Saw this recipe on a yogurt container and thought what the heck, they sound healthy and I had the ingredients on hand so...

I made muffins instead of a loaf, and they turned out really good. The combination of whole wheat flour and flax made me wonder if they'd be dry, but I think the yogurt and banana help give it moisture. I added a bit of cinnamon, just 'cuz, and not sure how much it added - but we really liked these. 

As much as you can like a 'healthy' muffin anyway LOL. 

Just kidding, they're good. 

• 1/2 cup Siggi's plain yogurt
• 3-4 very ripe bananas, peeled and mashed
• 2 large eggs
• 1 t. vanilla
• 3 T. maple syrup
• 1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
• 1 cup around flax
• 1/4 t. salt
• 1/2 t. salt
• 1/2 t. baking soda
• 1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
• 3/4 cup dark chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350'. Coat an 8 1/2" x 4 1/2" loaf pan with non-stick cooking spray and set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together yogurt and bananas. Add eggs one at a time, beating after each addition. Add vanilla and maple syrup and beat until combined.

In a separate bowl, stir together whole wheat flour, flax, salt, and baking soda. Add mixture to wet ingredients and stir until combined. Gently stir in oats and chocolate chips. Transfer mixture to the prepared pan and bake for 50 minutes or until cooked through.

Remove from the oven and allow to cool for about 10 minutes before removing from the pan and transferring to a cooling rack.

I stored in the fridge, it doesn't say to but it just seems like they should be in there.

recipe found on the inside of a Siggi's yogurt lid.

Around the Campfire 🔥 (week 29)

Dear Campers ~

Here's a quick recap of what happened at MMDC this past week in case you missed anything:


Posts ~
7/12: 🔥week 28
7/13: zucchini chimichangas
7/14: tip-sy tuesday: dryer sponge fail
7/15: sweet pork
7/16: cilantro rice and salsa beans
7/17: creamy cilantro dressing and dip
7/18: ding dong ditch

What's Cooking ~

• beef wellington, smashed potatoes, roasted veggies, grilled romaine with bleu cheese dressing
• bbq ribs, chopped kale salad
• grilled marinated chicken breast, caesar salad
• chicken sausages, creamy grits stuffed tomatoes, roasted asparagus
• shrimp cocktail, cauliflower rice, sautéed spinach

Miscellaneous stuff keeping me busy ~

• read 'Chosen Ones' by Veronica Roth. She wrote the Divergent series, this is her first adult novel about alternate universes and a bad guy going between them with the 'chosen ones' trying to stop him. Ehhh, it was just ok. Kinda slow, interesting plot line but just didn't do it for me. ⭐️⭐️⭐️ Seems like I haven't read a great book in a while!

That's about it 'round here - hope everyone is safe and healthy, and that you'll stop back next week for lots more recipes, projects, and whatever else I can think of to make at camp! Have a great week!

Sincerely ~

Jill

camp counselor and bored reader

Ding Dong Ditch

Here's a quick fun little idea from my sister - she had all kinds of different names for this but I like 'ding dong ditch' so am going with that hahah! This is so fun - sort of like getting 'boo'd' at Halloween, only this is just a random thing to do for others any ol' time you feel like it :)  

Did you know people are boozing/wine-ing each other (Or if they have kids, juicing each other) by secretly leaving drinks, snacks, puzzles, etc. as a fun surprise? Great pick me up in a time when people may be feeling isolated. 

Fill a basket, box, or bag with goodies and leave by your friend's door. Ringing bell and running (hence the name 'ding dong ditch') are optional, but give them some kind of heads up that there is a surprise outside in case they don't see it!

Creamy Cilantro Lime Dressing

Part 3 of the pulled pork bar (click here for part 1 and part 2) - this creamy cilantro lime dressing is delicious and would be good on just about anything, not just pulled pork. Ok, obvi not good on 'anything' but you get my drift. This is good stuff. 

CREAMY CILANTRO LIME DRESSING

• 1/2 cup buttermilk (see note)
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise (I use light Hellman's)
• 1/2 cup sour cream (I use light)
• 1/4 cup salsa verde or green enchilada sauce (I like Herdez brand)
• 1 T. fresh lime juice, from about 1 medium lime (I use bottled)
• 1 t. garlic powder
• 1 t. dried parsley
• 1/2 t. onion powder
• pinch of dried dill (about 1/8 t.)
• pinch of salt (I use coarse)
• pinch of black pepper (I use coarse)
• 1/2 cup coarsely chopped cilantro (leaves only)
• 1 green onion, white and green parts coarsely chopped, or small bunch of chives

Combine all the ingredients in a blender and process until smooth. Thin with additional buttermilk, milk, or lime juice, if you need to adjust the consistency.

Refrigerate until ready to serve (it can be made several days in advance). Makes 2-3 cups

note: if you don't have buttermilk you can easily make it by adding a teaspoon of white vinegar to milk, let it set a few minutes (don't worry, it'll curdle and that's ok). 

found here at melskitchencafe.com

Cilantro Lime Rice and Salsa Beans

Part 2 of the do-it-yourself' pulled pork bar recipes - click here for part 1/sweet pork post. Janis taught me to make rice in a small enameled cast iron dutch oven on the stovetop, it turned out perfectly and clean up is a breeze.

CILANTRO LIME RICE

• 1 T. butter
• 1 1/4 cups rice (long grain or jasmine)
• 2 1/4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 3/4 t. salt
• 1/4 t. pepper
• juice and zest of 1 large lime
• 2 T. chopped cilantro
• 1/4 t. ground cumin

In a skillet or medium saucepan, melt the butter and add the rice. Stir, letting the rice and butter cook for 1-2 minutes. Add remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and cook for 15-16 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand, covered, for 10 minutes. Fluff with fork and serve. 

makes 6 servings as a side dish


SALSA BEANS

I love a non-recipe recipe - this one is literally just two cans of rinsed and drained black beans, mixed with 1 cup salsa in a saucepan, simmer for a few minutes. 

recipes found at melskitchencafe.com

Copycat Sweet Pork

I made this back in March for a 'do-it-yourself' pulled pork bar that included all the fixings, cilantro lime rice, salsa black beans, tortillas (we mostly ate this like a salad piled on plates with the different sides, but some did tacos) and a creamy cilantro dressing - and it was a hit. Why did it take me over 3 months to tell you about it? I 'dunno. Cuz I'm lame and I forget is all I can say. But I'm telling you now and you really, really want to try these recipes! I'll break them apart as separate posts so you don't get bogged down in all my words and long rambling posts. First up - a copycat recipe from Melskitchencafe.com for cafe rio sweet pork. I have no idea what cafe rio is, is it a chain? Whatever it is, this recipe is great - it might look like a lot of ingredients but is pretty much just dump everything together in the crock pot and let it go. Mmmmm we love this!

Seasoning mixture:

• 1 T. cumin
• 1 T. paprika, regular or smoked
• 1 T. onion powder
• 1 T. chili powder
• 1 T. garlic powder
• 2 t. coarse salt
• 1/2 t. coarse pepper

Pork:

• 3-5 pounds boneless sirloin pork roast, or pork shoulder (don't use loin, not fatty enough)
• 1 cup root beer or cola (Jill's note: I used root beer)
• 1 cup green salsa or green enchilada sauce (Jill's note: I used Herdez brand)

Sauce:

• 2 cups red enchilada sauce
• 1/2 cup light or dark brown sugar
• 8 oz. chopped green chiles
• 1 cup green salsa or green enchilada sauce

1. Combine all the seasoning ingredients together in a small bowl. Measure out 2 T. of the mixture and save for later.

2. Cut the pork roast into large chunks (4-6") and rub the remaining seasoning mixture (not the reserved 2 T) evenly over all sides of the pork. 

3. Add the soda and 1 cup green salsa/enchilada sauce to the insert of a slow cooker. Stir to combine. Add the seasoned pork. Cover and cook on low for 8-9 hours or high for 5-6 hours until tender. Transfer the pork to a cutting board or pan and shred. Discard all but 1/2 cup of the cooking liquid in the slow cooker. Add the shredded pork back to the slow cooker. 

4. Add the 2 T. of reserved seasoning, red enchilada sauce, brown sugar, green chiles, and green salsa/enchilada sauce and stir/toss to combine. Cover and cook on high for 15-20 minutes until heated through. Keep warm until serving. 

note: on her website melskitchencafe.com, Mel has directions for doing this in a pressure cooker if you're interested. She also has info on different cuts of meat, freezing the meat, etc. Click here for her post.