tuna and cranberry wraps

I’ve been feeling guilty about not posting. I have been eating easy foods while in the midsts of multiple fills, like some of the chilis I froze in single servings. I’ve also made simple chicken or shrimp.

Something easy and tasty – plus gives me a little more carbohydrate, since I cut back a little too far – are wraps. Tonight I made a nice tuna wrap. With cranberries and almonds!

Tuna Wraps, makes 2

2 carb balance tortillas, 8 inch size
1 envelope tuna (single serving)
40g craisins – about 1/3 cup
10g sliced almonds
1 tablespoon sweet relish
2 tablespoons reduced fat mayonnaise
a bit of shredded lettuce
28g shredded reduced fat cheddar – about 1/4 cup

Mix tuna, craisins, nuts, relish and mayo together. Spread tortillas with a tiny bit of mayo, especially along the edge to fold on top. Sprinkle on shredded lettuce and cheese, spread tuna salad along middle of tortilla. Roll up and eat.

Each: 322 calories, 19g protein, 41g carbohydrates, 6.5g fat.

Whoops, I accidentally bought tuna packed in oil this time. I’d normally buy tuna packed in water so I’ve adjust the number to reflect that…plus added correctly this time.

Each:

epic fail

Well, I liked the idea.

Another recipe from Ellie Krieger’s cookbook but this was not something I can recommend.

The theory seems sound – and I may try it without the gorgonzola. But I like gorgonzola cheese! I like everything in these portabella panini – but combined they seem to somehow manage to taste almost, but not as tasty as, like dirt.

The idea, to use portabella mushrooms as bread in making a panini. Stuffed with gorgonzola cheese, sun dried tomatoes (not packed in oil), roasted red peppers, and greek olives – plus I added some sliced turkey breast to increase the protein a notch.

The result. Tasting almost like dirt. I find I’m blaming the gorgonzola. Maybe I bought bad gorgonzola? How do you know if gorgonzola has gone bad?

comfort food

I told Hannah last week – only a little tongue in cheek – that I would give her a recipe for one of my favorite comfort foods. I didn’t have any of the ingredients at the time because it’s better, over all, if I don’t have them around the house.

But once in a while, I just gotta have that peanut butter and jam and potato chip sandwich!

I ought to feed the rest of the potato chips to the critters. Still, that can’t be healthy for them.

PBJ and potato chip sandwich

Ingredients

worthless white bread
peanut butter (choosy Zazzys choose Jif)
jam of your choice (in this case, hot pepper jelly)
classic potato chips

I like a healthy shmear of peanut butter on one piece of bread and a light coating of jam on the other. I put the potato chips on the jam side then smush the peanut butter side on top of them.

Flip the sandwich to serve peanut butter side down.

As it happens, I’m not the only person that does this to peanut butter sandwiches. According to Epicurean.com, Jeff Smith, aka the Frugal Gourmet, likes his peanut butter sandwiches with potato chips inside as well.

antipasto bread

antipasto bread

Originally uploaded by zazamataz

This is another one of those non-recipes. I’ve seen recipes but they are just silly.

Start with one recipe for a favorite bread. I’m using a simple white Italian here. I’ve seen recipes for antipasto bread using frozen bread dough but bread is just so easy and you get much better texture making it yourself.

After the first raise, knead the dough with only a minimum of extra flour. Extra flour does not help the bread at this point and if you use a dough scraper to get it started, the bread won’t be very sticky anyway.

Roll it into a big, thin rectangle. I don’t know – I guess mine was maybe 15″ x 20″ Make sure it doesn’t stick, keep dusting lightly with flour as needed.

The filling: it’s an Italian sandwich but let’s face it, if you prefer other fillings you can just call it something else. I used provolone, ham, pepperoni, green olives, roasted red peppers and marinated artichoke hearts. I love using specialty Italian meats for an extra special sandwich.

Along the long side of the dough, layer cheese and meats and veggies and another layer of cheese. The cheese against the dough helps to keep it from getting too moist, I think. Leave a couple inches at the bottom of the dough and a half inch or so at the sides. Paint the edges and bottom with egg wash.

Roll the dough carefully, tucking the bits and pieces of stuff back in as you roll. When you get to the bottom, work the seam together. It’s almost certainly still going to leak but try to get it closed. I poked slits in the top to vent the steam and I still had some cheese leakage.

Dust your work surface lightly and roll the loaf back and forth a few times in a futile attempt to really get that seam closed.

Position the loaf on a cookie sheet, probably kitty-cornered, and let raise a half hour or so while preheating the oven to 400°F. Before putting in oven, paint lightly with the egg wash. Open the oven door and throw a half a cup or so of water into the oven and close the door quickly. Wait a few seconds and stick the bread in, being sure to avert your face from the steam.

Let cook about a half hour until a dark golden brown. Let sit 10 minutes or so before trying to cut and serve. I recommend an electric knife for this part. It goes through the whole sandwich easily.