Tuna Power Salad

Long lunch tables were puzzle-pieced together in the the Mesa Elementary cafeteria just so. They were the kind with benches attached to them, and each measured at least 14 feet long. Three of them together must’ve held something like 70 children, with ease. 

A long line would form where food was served, single-file, except for when a kid dodged to the side, trying to get a sneak peak at what was getting served that day. It was a line I barely knew—lunch was packed, just about every day, by my mom or my dad. 

The menu of the day almost always included leftovers, for me. Leftover pasta salad, leftover chicken, leftover sushi. Some people dislike eating leftovers but I never did, aside from the slight embarrassment I felt when kids asked what I was eating. Looking back they were probably just genuinely curious, but when you’re 7, explaining yourself can feel like the most painful thing in the world. Um… it’s called pomegranate. The other kids: It looks like a brain. 

Despite my fancy sack lunches, my palate could never get over the taste of canned tuna. Gross! I’d opt for salmon salad over tuna and steer far away from anyone that tried to turn it into a sandwich. Crackers were my vehicle of choice. I supposed I set myself up for being asked why my tuna salad was pink.  

I eventually learned to like tuna salad, the way everyone else learned what a pomegranate was. 

Tuna Power Salad

Paleo, Gluten-Free, Grain-Free,    |   Caitlin Sherwood    

A little sweet and a little savory! Cranberries, apples and walnuts make this tuna salad a star.

Serves: 2   |    Total Time: 20 minutes

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Ingredients:

For the tuna:

• 2 cans of tuna
• 2 tablespoons paleo mayo or, for primal version, yogurt
• 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
• 2 tablespoons minced onion
• 2 teaspoons poppy seeds
• Salt & Pepper to taste

For the salad:

• 4 leafs red lettuce
• 1 cup cabbage, sliced thin
• 2 stalks celery, chopped
• 1/2 cup diced cucumber
• 1/4 cup dried cranberries
• 1 apple, diced
• Optional: squeeze of lemon juice and drizzle of olive oil
• 1 apple, diced

Directions:

1. Drain water from cans of tuna and place fish in a bowl. Mash with mayo/yogurt, mustard, onion, and poppy seeds. Add salt & pepper to taste.
2. Arrange lettuce on 2 plates. Pile a scoop of tuna salad over lettuce on each plate. Arrange remaining salad ingredients around tuna salad.
3. I like to mix everything together when I eat this, which means I don’t really need a salad dressing, but if you want one, or you prefer to not mix everything together on your plate, drizzle the vegetables with olive oil and a squeeze of lemon juice.

Crustless Spinach, Artichoke & Aged Cheddar Quiche

Update: This recipe has new photos as of 3/22/2019. Same recipe! :)

I am making a resolution right now, today. Will you join me? I'm resolving to have brunch more often. 

I recently looked at my calendar and realized a year ago, some of my closest friends had come over for a spring brunch and I had actually said, "We should do this every season. Like spring brunch, summer brunch-picnic, fall brunch, and winter brunch." They all nodded in agreement, delirious on mimosas, coffee, or maybe just morning air. It was settled. We were going to brunch more.

That was a year ago, and now I'm looking back thinking, what happened?? Brunch slipped through my fingers, as I got caught up in life and forgot the glory that is late morning. The smell of freshly brewed coffee? A plate full of quiche? Morning light trickling through a big window? All of these things make my heart sing. So this is my ode to brunch, and my resolution to brunch more: Spinach, Artichoke & Aged Cheddar Crustless Quiche.

Maybe with it written down, I'll actually make it happen. Will you brunch with me? For you, for your mornings? Just think of the late morning sun. 

Crustless Spinach, Artichoke & Aged Cheddar Quiche

Published February 15, 2016 by Caitlin Sherwood

Serves: 6   |    Active Time: 60 minutes

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Ingredients:

9 eggs

1 cup milk

1/2 cup aged white cheddar cheese, shredded

1/2 pound frozen chopped spinach, thawed

1 can artichoke hearts, strained

1/2 onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon coconut oil

Salt & Pepper

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a pie pan, or line one with parchment paper. Set aside.
2. Chopped artichoke hearts. Place artichokes and spinach in a mesh sieve and press the excess water out as best you can. This will help the quiche set. Place strained spinach and artichokes in a bowl.
3. Now, heat the coconut oil over medium heat in a skillet and sauté the diced onion and minced garlic until the onion is translucent. Use a spatula to scrape onions and garlic into bowl with spinach. Stir mixture until onion is well distributed, then sprinkle the mixture into the pie pan, in an even layer.
4. Next, sprinkle the cheese mixture in the pie pan in an even layer.
5. Whisk the eggs and milk until frothy. Add a sprinkle of salt and a few cracks of pepper. Pour mixture over filling in pie pan, ensuring there is egg mixture filling all spaces.
6. Place in middle wrack of oven and bake until golden and puffy, about 45 minutes. Center should be set and there should be no runny eggs. Allow to cool for 5 minutes before slicing and serving.

Maple Sriracha Barbecue Chicken Kabobs

Update: This is an older recipe from Foraged Dish but still a good one! I updated it on 1/1/2019 (happy new year!) to make it easier and more clear. Plus — new pictures, and a video!

The sauce here is as easy as adding 4 ingredients to a bowl. Sriracha, garlic, maple syrup, and coconut oil.

From there you can basically do whatever you like. I use chicken, bell peppers, red onion, and zucchini but you could easily swap in steak or shrimp, and replace the veggies for something else grill-friendly, like yellow squash, mushrooms (I LOVE grilled mushrooms!!), or even little cubes of pineapple. (If you like grilled pineapple, try these sweet and spicy barbeque shrimp & pineapple skewers).

Compared to other hot sauces, sriracha is not very spicy — it’s a little sweet, in fact. This, combined with some maple syrup, turns into an ultimate grilling glaze. It comes out as a sweet and spicy kabob. Make some extra sauce for dipping, sprinkle with cilantro, and serve with a lime wedge if you have it. Make a complete meal by serving over a bed of rice!

Most people would tell you that kabobs are a perfect BBQ, potluck, picnic, camping dinner. But I — crazy me - made these in January while it was snowing. 🤪❄️Watch for snow flake over the grill in the video below!

Maple Sriracha Barbecue Chicken Kabobs

Published January 3, 2016 by Caitlin Sherwood

Serves: 4-6   |    Active Time: 45 minutes

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Ingredients:

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/3 cup sriracha sauce

3 tablespoons coconut oil, melted

3 tablespoons maple syrup

1 pound chicken breast, cubed

1 red bell pepper, diced into bite-sized pieces

1 green bell pepper, diced into bite-sized pieces

1/2 red onion, diced into bite-sized pieces

1 zucchini, diced into bite-sized pieces

Directions:

1. Add garlic, sriracha, coconut oil, and maple syrup to a medium or large sized mixing bowl and stir to combine.
2. Add chicken, bell peppers, onion, and zucchini to bowl and stir to coat in sauce.
3. Assemble kabobs: put chicken and veggies on metal or wooden skewers, alternating ingredients (ex: chicken, bell pepper, onion, chicken, zucchini, etc).
4. Heat grill to high. Place kabobs on hot grill and cook for 12 minutes with lid closed, turning every 5 minutes and brushing with any extra sauce.
5. When juices run clear and chicken is cooked through, remove from heat. Garnish with cilantro and serve hot.