Barefoot Bloggers: Asian Tuna Salad

This week's Barefoot Bloggers recipe brings us Tuna Salad. Tuna salad you say? Isn't that just popping open a can and mixing it up with mayo (and perhaps a sprinkling of chopped celery)? Not for the Barefoot Contessa! This recipe, selected by Kate from Warm Olives and Cool Cocktails, includes much more -- fresh tuna steaks, avocados, wasabi, lime zest... Think, tuna salad with an Asian flare.

Now, I decided to tweak the recipe a bit and tried it out with canned tuna instead. I've posted here the original recipe and go into detail about my changes in the results/comments section.

RECIPE: BAREFOOT CONTESSA'S TUNA SALAD
4 Servings

Ingredients

• 2 pounds very fresh tuna steak, cut 1-inch thick
• 4 tablespoons olive oil, plus extra for brushing
• 2 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, plus extra for sprinkling
• 1/2 teaspoon coarsely ground black, plus extra for sprinkling
• 2 limes, zest grated
• 1 teaspoon wasabi powder
• 6 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice (3 limes)
• 2 teaspoons soy sauce
• 10 dashes hot sauce (recommended: Tabasco)
• 1 to 2 ripe Haas avocados, medium diced
• 1/4 cup minced scallions, white and green parts (2 scallions)
• 1/4 cup red onion, small diced

Directions

Brush the tuna steaks with olive oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place the tuna steaks in a very hot saute pan and cook for only 1 minute on each side. Set aside on a platter.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine the olive oil, salt, pepper, lime zest, wasabi, lime juice, soy sauce and hot sauce. Add the avocados to the vinaigrette.

Cut the tuna in chunks and place it in a large bowl. Add the scallions and red onion and mix well. Pour the vinaigrette mixture over the tuna and carefully mix.

Results/Comments:

This turned out pretty well... although my tuna salad does not look particularly beautiful, I loved the flavor profile of the vinaigrette. I decided to cut the recipe in half (as that I'm heading on vacation soon, so didn't want too much leftover). I also used canned tuna instead of the fresh tuna steaks (I had a hard time coming across fresh tuna steaks and I also wanted to try it out in the way that I would most likely use it in the future).

A few other bumps in the road... I went to the grocery store on the same night that I made this dish and found very few avocados... and no ripe avocados. Normally I would buy avocados and bring them home to ripen, but I was short on time, so just in case my avocado wasn't ripe enough, I bought some guacamole to substitute. (I love avocados and guac, so I didn't want to omit this from the recipe!). As it turned out, my avocado definitely was not ripe enough, but I cubed a few pieces into the mixture and added in guacamole to taste. Oh, and I also used wasabi paste instead of wasabi powder -- accidentally grabbed the wrong thing when I was at the market, but this still provided the kick of wasabi in the salad.


I taste-tested the "vinaigrette" before mixing it in with the tuna and I LOVED it. It contains many flavors that I love and I could see myself using in a wide variety of dishes. A little bit salty, a little bit spicy, and a little bit of bite. I think next time I might try it with chicken.

This recipe was so simple to put together. A very quick dinner with leftovers to spare for lunch the next day. I wasn't bowled over by it, but I would try it again with different proteins. I think though that it would be quite delicious with fresh tuna, so I'll put that on my list of things to try.

Cheers!

BB: Peanut-y Chinese Chicken Salad

This month, Barefoot Bloggers brings us a dish for lunch, dinner, or just a snack selected by McKenzie at Kenzie's Kitchen - the Barefoot Contessa's Chinese Chicken Salad! I actually remember watching this episode (several times!) where she made this salad (along with a pesto farfalle, yum) and brought it for a picnic on the beach. I wish that I had a beach nearby to bring this chicken salad to, but alas, I suppose my office will have to do! In any case, I was pretty excited to try this recipe because I had seen it multiple times on TV already and it sounded delish.

RECIPE: CHINESE CHICKEN SALAD
Adapted from the Barefoot Contessa's Recipe featured in Barefoot Contessa Parties!

6 servings

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 split chicken breasts (boneless, skinless)
• Good olive oil
• Kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1 1/2 cups of green beans
• 1 red bell pepper, cored and seeded
• 2 scallions (white and green parts), sliced diagonally
• 1 tablespoon white sesame seeds, toasted

Dressing Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1/8 cup good apple cider vinegar
• 1 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 3/4 tablespoons dark sesame oil
• 1/4 tablespoon honey
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/4 teaspoon peeled, grated fresh ginger
• 1/4 tablespoon sesame seeds, toasted
• 1/4 cup smooth peanut butter
• 1 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

What to do:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Place the chicken breasts on a sheet pan and rub with the skin with olive oil. Sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper. Roast for 35 to 40 minutes, until the chicken is just cooked. Set aside until cool enough to handle. Remove the meat from the bones, discard the skin, and shred the chicken in large bite-sized pieces.

Cut the green beans into thirds. Cut the peppers in strips about the size of the green bean pieces. Combine the cut chicken, green beans, and peppers in a large bowl.

Whisk together all of the ingredients for the dressing and pour over the chicken and vegetables. Add the scallions and sesame seeds and season to taste. Serve cold or at room temperature.

Results/Comments:

I would say that this came out pretty successful! I was happy to see that the recipe uses my favorite means of roasting chicken breasts -- this is the same technique that Ina Garten uses in other chicken recipes and the one that I particularly use when I'm making her chicken noodle soup. It is so simple, yet it results in a very moist and flavorful chicken breast. I've done this before when I wanted to just have the chicken breast itself (and not incorporated into another dish). I highly recommend this method! (Even sticking it in slightly frozen!)

I also ADORE the dressing. I tasted the dressing before pouring it on my chicken (I mean, what if I didn't like it? I would hate for all that chicken to go to waste!) and I fell in love. I think this is a great dressing for a regular veggie salad, lightly added. Due to some technical difficulties (i.e. forgot to buy and ran out of...), I substituted the vegetable oil with olive oil.

The original recipe called for asparagus, but I decided to use green beans -- I was all asparagus-ed out from earlier in the week and had quite a bit of green beans left in my refrigerator arsenal. The original recipe also called for bone-in, skin-on chicken breast, but along with the green beans, I have quite a bit of boneless skinless chicken breast in my fridge, so I used that instead. The chicken still turned out very moist.

The end result? Quite a tasty salad, but I think I may have over-dressed it. Although, as I mentioned, I rather love the dressing, I think I may have went a bit overboard with it. But, when balanced out with a pile of greens or on a sandwich, the chicken salad won me over.

Bring Your Lunch to Work Day

I go through periods of time where I'm reallllyy good about bringing my lunch to work ... well, this period of time hasn't been one of those periods of time. Despite the cold weather, I find myself hoofing it to various lunch places near my office, as a treat to (a) leave the office and (b) to get something delicious as a midday treat.

But who is to say that you can't have something delicious made from home? I think it is time to get back on track. Inspired by the Modern Girls Kitchen, I asked around to friends about their bring from home lunch ideas and tried to brainstorm a few of my own. Here are the highlights:

Two Meals in One!

Often some of my favorite lunches come from dinner the night before. We'll often make a bit too much for dinner just so we can have some for lunch the next day. Some "leftover" ideas from my friends and me:

• Fried Rice! -- So easy and perfect for all those leftovers hanging out in your fridge. Just put a little oil in a pan, throw in your rice, some diced up veggies/meat, a teeny bit of soy sauce, maybe a little bit of black pepper for good measure, and a must ingredient (in my mind) -- an egg. Cook it all up together and you're good to go! Warms up well the next day, the day after that, the day after that, and the day after that...


• Dirty Rice -- A variation on "fried rice" -- Rice cooked with ground meat, stock, and spinach.


• Polenta with meat sauce

I'm a big soup fan and one of my favorites to make in bulk is chicken noodle soup -- I love the Barefoot Contessa's recipe -- I've posted about this recipe in a separate entry. I often cook up a large pot of it if someone gets sick and then we can all enjoy the leftovers for days. But also just warm and comforting for any time of year, especially now when it is quite cold out.

No Leftovers? Try this salad formula: My friend RH suggested a "salad formula" to me that encompasses some of those good for you nutrients with very tasty items. Do not be like me and be tempted by Chop't when you can make your own salads at home! (Although, I recently discovered that Chop't delivers... I like that).

Yummy salad = Whole grain + Lean protein + Diced veggies

• Grain ideas: whole wheat pasta, whole wheat couscous, lentils, quinoa, bulgur, barley


• Protein ideas: canned tuna, hardboiled eggs, black beans, white beans, leftover pork chops, low fat feta cheese, avocados (yes, not lean, but healthy fats!), Babybel cheeses


• Veggie ideas: green onions, salsa, parsley, bell peppers, cucumber, blanched broccoli, mushrooms, baby spinach.
  

All drizzled with olive oil, flavored rice vinegar, sprinkle of furikake, or whatever else fits with the ingreidents.

Her particular fave is brown rice with avocado, fake crab meat, cucumber and furikake -- like a California roll salad (inspired by Teaism).

Another suggested combination, with a Mexican flare, is quinoa, black beans, salsa, shredded cheddar, and green onions.

Summer Ideas

So yes, still many months until summer (although perhaps some of you reading are enjoying summer right now...), but a simple summer idea (also courtesy of RH): white beans, black beans, diced tomatoes, olive oil, and salt/pepper.

So, I hope that these ideas are helpful to you in your quest for bringing lunch to work... it certainly was helpful to me to ask around and be inspired by my friends' ideas.

I'd love to hear about any of your successful lunch ideas!

Taste of Georgetown Recipes

More for as a note to myself, here are the recipes from the Taste of Georgetown:

Baked and Wired Carrot Cake
Cake:
o 2 ¼ (11.5) oz. all-purpose flour
o 2 cups sugar
o 2 teaspoon baking soda
o 1 teaspoon cinnamon
o ½ teaspoon salt
o 2 cups shredded carrots
o 1 ½ cup canola oil
o 4 eggs
o 1 cup chopped pecans, toasted, and cooled

Pre-set oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour two 9” pans. Whisk together all dry ingredients. Blend all ingredients at low speed, except nuts. Whisk with attachment on mixer for 3 minutes on high. Stir in pecans. Bake for 34 minutes, remove and allow to cool.

Cream Cheese Icing:
o 1 stick butter, softened
o 1 lbs. 8 oz. powdered sugar
o 1 teaspoon vanilla
o 1 tablespoon evaporated milk (may not need)

Blend together all the ingredients, and apply to cup cakes. Spread additional ½ cups of chopped and toasted pecans over the icing for decoration. Makes 16 Cup Cakes.
Recipe Provided by: Baked and Wired

Leopold's Kafe Cucumber Radish Salad
o 7in. plate
o European seedless cucumbers
o Yogurt dressing (See condiments ect.)
o Radishes
o Dill
o Toasted walnuts
o Frissee
o Lemon-honey oil

Slice cucumbers on the mandoline skin on. Toss generously with kosher salt and press in a perforated hotel pan with a fair amount of weight on top. Cucumbers should come out crisp and a little salty. Toss with some yogurt dressing and black pepper to taste. Salt only if needed! Make a small pile of frissee in the middle of the plate to add some height to the dish. Pile a neat mound of salad to resemble a pyramid and decorate around with slice radishes (held in water) like a Christmas tree. Sprinkle with crushed walnuts, top with some fresh dill peluche and drizzle some of the lemon-honey oil around.

Recipe Provided by: Leopold's Kafe

Clyde's Jumbo Lump Crab Cakes
Serves 2
It is important to pick over the crab meat gently to remove excess shell and cartilage. This is one of our most requested recipes.

o 1 lb. Jumbo Lump Crab Meat
o 1/3 cup Mayonnaise
o 1 tblsp Water
o 2 tsp Old Bay Seasoning
o 1 tblsp Dijon Mustard
o 1 tblsp Chopped Parsley
o 4 Saltine Crackers

1. Pick the crab meat over to remove excess shells and cartilage.
2. Combine the mayo, Old Bay, parsley, mustard and water until smooth.
3. Add the mayo mixture to the crab meat and mix, being careful not to break up the lumps of crab meat.
4. With your hands, break up the saltines into crumbs and mix into the crab mixture.
5. Form into four patties and pan-fry, or broil the cakes until golden brown.

Recipe Provided by: Clyde's Crabcrake Sliders

Four Seasons Hotel Grilled Pineapple
o 1 Pineapple, whole
o 2 C Orange Liquor (Like Grand Mariner)
o 1/2 C Honey
o 1/4 C Brown Sugar
o 1 T Pink Peppercorns
o 1 qt. Honey or French Vanilla Ice Cream
o 1 pt. Caramel (good store bought is fine)

1. Remove the outer skin of the pineapple, yet leave the top. Trim the top leaves with scissors so they do not have sharp points.
2. Marinade:Over a low/medium heat simmer the liquor, honey, brown sugar and peppercorns.Simmer until the liquid is reduced and visible thicker. Remove from heat and chill.Place the pineapple in a ziplock bag and pour the liquid in the bag. Let sit from 6--10 hours.
3. Grill:Before removing the pineapple from the bag, triwl the pineapple in the bag one more time to coat the fruit with the marinade. Place the pineapple on the grill over a low heat. Spin the pineapple every 3-5 minutes, until all sides of the pineapple are dark brown (not burnt and caramelized). The pineapple should be fork tender all of the way through, including the core.
4. Slice 1" thick piece of pineapple. Top with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and drizzled With warm caramel. Great with a Riesling Wine.

Recipe Provided by: Four Seasons Hotel