Tuna Noodle Casserole

If you happen to be like me and enjoyed tuna noodle casserole when you were younger, this recipe is for you.  My mom made tuna noodle casserole like every other woman out there in America, you know, with the cream of chicken or mushroom soup, thanks to a certain red labeled soup manufacturer.  When my husband and I were first married, I continued using the same cream soup and making food similar to what he and I had grown up eating.  It wasn't long before I decided to find my own cooking identity and make food in a different way.  Since I don't use canned soup and my children haven't grown up with me making casseroles, they don't like them very much.  My husband requested tuna noodle casserole, so I decided that our casserole ban would be lifted and we would enjoy a new take on a classic favorite from my husband's and my childhood.  This casserole continues to remind me of my childhood, and now that I came up with this recipe we can enjoy it in a whole new way, without sacrificing the comfort food part of this recipe.

Growing up we ate this more like a creamy noodle dish rather then a crumb topped baked casserole.  This is a combination.   My husband didn't want the overcooked noodles you get when it is baked 

but still wanted the casserole with the crunchy topping.

Ingredients:

12 ounce bag of Wide Egg Noodles
2 Cans Albacore Tuna in Water
1 cup finely grated Grana Padano (Parmesan Cheese will also work) plus 2 tablespoons
3/4 package of Ritz Crackers
1 bunch Green Onions
3 large cloves Garlic
1 Yellow Onion
2 cups Heavy Whipping Cream
1 tablespoon Cornstarch
2 tablespoons Cold Water
Sea Salt
Fresh Cracked Black Pepper
2 teaspoons Fresh Thyme or 1 1/2 teaspoons Dried Thyme
2 tablespoons Olive Oil
1/4 cup softened Butter

Dice onion, cut green onion, and press garlic.

Saute onions in a deep saute pan with the olive oil over medium heat until tender, add garlic
and cook  until tender.

Add cream, salt and pepper to taste.

Add Grana Pardano, stir and cook over medium heat until cheese has melted.  Stir in drained tuna.

Cook noodles in large stock pot of water, al dente, to the tooth.  Cook for the shortest recommended time on the package, remove from pan and drain in colander.

Add cooked noodles to cream sauce, green onions, and thyme.

Crush the Ritz Crackers.

Pour tuna noodle mixture into a butter baking dish.

Cover noodles with crushed crackers, cheese, and dabs of butter.

Broil until crumbs brown, cheese melts and bubbles.

Doesn't that look like a plate of comfort food to make any one remember a happy childhood?

Enjoy!

Tuna Noodle Casserole

Printable Recipe Found Here

Ingredients:

12 ounce bag of Wide Egg Noodles
2 Cans Albacore Tuna in Water
1 cup finely grated Grana Padano (Parmesan Cheese will also work) plus 2 tablespoons
3/4 package of Ritz Crackers
1 bunch Green Onions
3 large cloves Garlic
1 Yellow Onion
2 cups Heavy Whipping Cream
1 tablespoon Cornstarch
2 tablespoons Cold Water
Sea Salt
Fresh Cracked Black Pepper
2 teaspoons Fresh Thyme or 1 1/2 teaspoons Dried Thyme
2 tablespoons Olive Oil
1/4 cup softened Butter

Process:

Dice onion, cut green onion, and press garlic.

Saute onions in a deep saute pan with the olive oil over medium heat until tender, add garlic and cook  until tender.

Add cream, salt and pepper to taste.

Add Grana Pardano, stir and cook over medium heat until cheese has melted.  Stir in drained tuna.

Cook noodles in large stock pot of water, al dente, to the tooth.  Cook for the shortest recommended time on the package, remove from pan and drain in colander.

Add cooked noodles to cream sauce, green onions, and thyme.

Crush the Ritz Crackers.

Pour tuna noodle mixture into a buttered baking dish.

Cover noodles with crushed crackers, cheese, and dabs of butter.

Broil until crumbs brown, cheese melts and bubbles.

Enjoy!

Feijoada (Brazillian Black Bean Stew, or Chili)

Recently a friend from church had a baby.  I wanted to make a dinner for her and her husband that would be comforting and remind her of her home country of Brazil.  When I was looking up recipes from Brazil, I learned about a Brazilian Black Bean Stew, Feijoada.  Since I had all the ingredients to make the stew, it was a win win.  We had leftovers, so on another night the stew got an upgrade and the recipe below is the upgrade.  This stew was very delicious, so much so, that my husband requested I make it again for a church social.  I made it this afternoon, third times the charm for our church Halloween Party Chili Cook-off.  I added some pepper flakes to the recipe to make it more like chili.  I brought this "chili" and blew away the judges and won first prize.  I think they liked the three kinds of pork, not a traditional chili with beef.  This recipe can be made very easily, and cheaply, depending on your preferences.  At a nearby grocery store, we have blemished discount produce that isn't perfect enough to be sold with the other pretty produce.  On a wonderful whim, I looked at the discounted produce at my local grocery store and struck cheap produce heaven and found bell peppers to use for this recipe.

Look at all that pork, so very yummy.

Ingredients:

1 lb. Black Beans
Kosher Salt
Garlic Powder
3 Green Bell Peppers
2 Red Bell Peppers
2 Yellow Onions
1 lb. Chorizo
4 lb. Pork Shoulder
Left Over Ham Bone (with left over ham and fat)
3 Pints Canned Whole Tomatoes
5 slices Bacon
2 teaspoons Crushed Red Pepper Flakes
Water

Soak black beans over night in water, 3 inches above beans and 2 tablespoons kosher salt.

Cut up the bacon into 1 inch pieces, add bacon, ham bone (remove meat and fat), soaked beans
to a pressure cooker pot or a stock pot on a stove.  If you do not have a ham bone, add more bacon.   Pour enough water to cover beans by 3 inches.  Cook beans in pressure cooker on high for
30 minutes or on the stove simmer covered for 1 hour or until beans are tender. 

Rub kosher salt and garlic powder all over the pork shoulder.  Place on spit of rotisserie or put

 on a rack set into a roasting pan. Roast for 20 minutes, and then reduce the heat to 325 degrees F. Continue to cook for 3 hours. 

My ham bone is leftover so it still has meat and fat on it.  I freeze leftover bones and use them
for other recipes.  Remove meat and fat from ham bone and cut into 1/2 inch pieces. If you do
not have a ham bone with leftover meat on it substitute a ham steak.

Place ham and fat in a stock pot over low heat. We are rendering the fat (melting the fat),
although fat is yummy, it is better melted than having to chew it.  Remove meat when slightly
fried, remove cooked fat when fried.  Leave the melted fat in the stock pot.

Dice the onions, and bell peppers.  Saute the onions and bell peppers in the melted pork fat left
in the large stock pot over medium low heat.

Remove chorizo from the skin.  Break apart with a wooden spoon and cook over medium
 heat in a large 12 inch skillet.

Cut roasted pork into 1/2 inch cubes.  Place ham, fried fat, and pork in the same pan as the chorizo. 

Add the pork to the stock pot with the sauteed vegetables, add drained beans, add whole tomatoes
and cut with a spoon.  Stir and add red pepper flakes.  Cook over medium heat until bubbling.

This is a Brazillian Black Bean Stew, if you omit the pepper flakes, and with the pepper flakes
 it is great as a chili.

Enjoy!

Feijoada (Brazillian Black Bean Stew, or Chili)

Printable Recipe Found Here

Ingredients:

1 lb. Black Beans

Kosher Salt

Garlic Powder

3 Green Bell Peppers

2 Red Bell Peppers

2 Yellow Onions

1 lb. Chorizo

4 lb. Pork Shoulder

Left Over Ham Bone (with left over ham and fat)

3 Pints Canned Whole Tomatoes

5 slices Bacon

2 teaspoons Crushed Red Pepper Flakes

Water

Process:

Soak black beans over night in water, 3 inches above beans and 2 tablespoons kosher salt.

Cut up the bacon into 1 inch pieces, add bacon, ham bone (remove meat and fat), soaked beans to a pressure cooker pot or a stock pot on a stove.  If you do not have a ham bone, add more bacon.  Pour enough water to cover beans by 3 inches.  Cook beans in pressure cooker on high for 30 minutes or on the stove simmer covered for 1 hour or until beans are tender.

Rub kosher salt and garlic powder all over the pork shoulder.  Place on spit of rotisserie or put

on a rack set into a roasting pan. Roast for 20 minutes, and then reduce the heat to 325 degrees F. Continue to cook for 3 hours. 

Remove meat and fat from ham bone and cut into 1/2 inch pieces. If you do not have a ham bone with leftover meat on it, substitute a ham steak.

Place ham and fat in a stock pot over low heat. We are rendering the fat (melting the fat), although fat is yummy, it is better melted than having to chew it.  Remove meat when slightly fried, remove cooked fat when fried.  Leave the melted fat in the stock pot.

Dice the onions, and bell peppers.  Saute the onions and bell peppers in the melted pork fat left in the large stock pot over medium low heat.

Remove chorizo from the skin, break apart with a wooden spoon and cook over medium heat in a large 12 inch skillet.

Cut roasted pork into 1/2 inch cubes. Place ham, fried fat, and pork in the same pan as the chorizo. 

Add the pork to the stock pot with the sauteed vegetables, add drained beans, add whole tomatoes and cut with a spoon.  Stir and add red pepper flakes.  Cook over medium heat until bubbling.

Enjoy!

Homemade Flour Tortillas

Over the weekend I gave my friend some homemade flour tortilla dough to roll out at home and cook. I also gave her some of our left over unstuffed bell pepper to make burritos with.  She and her husband loved the tortillas and asked me for this recipe.  When I was a teenager, I had a lesson on making homemade flour tortillas.   Recently I was craving those tortillas again.  This particular recipe is from Rick Bayliss.   He has a cooking show on Live Well Network.  This recipe is super easy, and truthfully it is a great recipe.  Keep in mind this recipe can be made with shortening, if you are concerned about using lard, but they do taste better with lard.  Lard has less saturated fat than shortening and contains more polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fat.  Both monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats can benefit your heart, versus shortening that does not contain these fats.

These will be the best tortillas you will ever eat.  I promise you will want fresh from now on.

Ingredients: 

3/4 lb. ( 2 3/4 cups) All-purpose Flour, plus a little extra for rolling the tortillas
5tablespoons Lard (vegetable shortening can be substituted)
1 teaspoon Sea Salt
3/4cup very warm tap Water

Mix flour, salt, and lard together in a mixing bowl with a paddle attachment or with your fingers.

Add water and mix to form a slightly sticky dough.

Divide dough into 12 equal portions and cover with a tea towel.  Allow to rest for 30 minutes.
 I doubled the recipe for my family.

Preheat skillet over medium high heat.

Dust counter with flour and roll out balls of dough with a small rolling pin.  Turn quarter 
turn after each roll to roll out a round tortilla.

Cook tortillas on skillet until brown bubbles form then flip and repeat.

Place cooked tortillas in a folded tea towel. 

Enjoy!

Homemade Flour Tortillas

Printable Recipe Found Here

Ingredients: 
3/4 lb. ( 2 3/4 cups) All-purpose Flour, plus a little extra for rolling the tortillas

5tablespoons Lard (vegetable shortening can be substituted)
1 teaspoon Sea Salt
3/4cup very warm tap Water

Process:

Mix flour, salt, and lard together in a mixing bowl with a paddle attachment or with your fingers.

Add water and mix to form a slightly sticky dough.

Divide dough into 12 equal portions and cover with a tea towel.  Allow to rest for 30 minutes.

Preheat skillet over medium high heat.

Dust counter with flour and roll out balls of dough with a small rolling pin.  Turn quarter turn after each roll to roll out a round tortilla.

Cook tortillas on skillet until brown bubbles form then flip and repeat.

Place cooked tortillas in a folded tea towel. 

Enjoy!

Peach Galette

When I went to Lewin Farms recently, they had the last of the seasons fresh peaches, so of course I picked some up.  My parents and mother in law came to visit this weekend for my son's Baptism.  My dad really likes peach pie, so this morning I made the next best thing, a peach galette.  Galette is like a pie with crust and filling.  It is made on a flat sheet instead of in a pie pan.  Galette is like a French country version of the American pie that we have all come to love.

Summer dessert, perfect for those fresh peaches you found at the store.

Ingredients for Crust:

8 ounces cold Unsalted Butter
4 ounces Lard
5 to 7 tablespoons Water
18 ounces All-purpose Flour, approximately 2 3/4 cups, plus extra for dusting
1 1/2 teaspoon table salt
1 1/2 tablespoon Turbinado Sugar (white sugar can be substituted)

Egg Wash of 1 Egg Yoke and 1 tablespoon Water

Ingredients for Peach Filling:

5 large Yellow Peaches

3 tablespoons Tapioca Flour

1 teaspoon Cinnamon

1/2 cup Cane Sugar (white sugar can be substituted)

1/2 teaspoon Nutmeg

Cut butter into 1/2 inch cubes.

Mix butter, lard, flour, and salt together in a mixer with a paddle attachment or
use your fingers to combine.

Cut peaches into 1 inch wedges.  Sprinkle tapioca flour, sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg
over peaches and gently stir.

Preheat Oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit

Refrigerate crust for 20 minutes.

Cut dough in half and roll both halves into 1/4 inch circles.  Place on a cookie sheet.

Divide peach mixture between both crusts.  Fold crust over the filling.

Brush egg wash onto galettes and sprinkle with sugar.

Bake peach galettes for 50-60 minutes.

Enjoy!

Peach Galette

Printable Recipe Found Here

Ingredients for Crust:

8 ounces cold Unsalted Butter
4 ounces Lard
5 to 7 tablespoons Water
18 ounces All-purpose Flour, approximately 2 3/4 cups, plus extra for dusting
1 1/2 teaspoon Sea Salt
1 1/2 tablespoon Turbinado Sugar (white sugar can be substituted)

Egg Wash of 1 Egg Yoke and 1 tablespoon Water

Ingredients for Peach Filling:

5 large Yellow Peaches

3 tablespoons Tapioca Flour

1 teaspoon Cinnamon

1/2 cup Cane Sugar (white sugar can be substituted)

1/2 teaspoon Nutmeg

Process for Crust:

Cut butter into 1/2 inch cubes.

Mix butter, lard, flour, and salt together in a mixer with a paddle attachment or use your fingers to combine.

Refrigerate crust for 20 minutes.

Cut dough in half and roll both halves into 1/4 inch circles.  Place on a cookie sheet.

Preheat Oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit

Process for Peach Filling:

Cut peaches into 1 inch wedges.  Sprinkle tapioca flour, sugar, cinnaon, and nutmeg over peaches and gently stir.

Divide peach mixture between both crusts.  Fold crust over the filling.

Brush egg wash onto galettes and sprinkle with sugar.

Bake peach galettes for 50-60 minutes.

Enjoy!

Sodium Free Shrimp Chow Mein

My youngest sister, Adrienne, is dealing with a health concern that requires her to eat a low sodium diet.  She requested I try my hand at creating a low sodium chow mein recipe.  My goal ended up creating a chow mein recipe without any added sodium.  While researching the elusive umami flavor, that flavor that is pivotal to Chinese and Japanese cuisine such as chow mien, I learned some cool stuff about what flavors really give the umami flavor in recipes.  Monosodium glutamate is the flavor compound that we have come to call the fifth flavor of umami.  Oyster mushrooms are high in glutamates, the highest content of all mushrooms.  My recipe uses the umami of oyster mushrooms to replace soy sauce and oyster sauce, the two ingredients used in traditional chow mein sauce.  

Chow Mein is one of the yummiest Chinese take out items on the menu.  This is all homemade.

Shrimp Chow Mein Ingredients:

Chinese Noodles (homemade noodles recipe below)
2 packages Oyster Mushrooms
1 Red Bell Pepper
2 Carrots
6 cloves of Garlic
1 Yellow Onion
1 bunch of Green Onions
1 head of Napa Cabbage
3 inch piece of Ginger
4 cups Water
2 lbs. Raw Deveined Shrimp
Toasted Sesame Seed Oil

Chinese Noodle Ingredients:

1 1/2 teaspoons Baking Soda
3 Eggs
3 cups All Purpose Flour
1 1/2 teaspoons Sea Salt
3/4 cup Tapioca Flour
6 tablespoons Water

Combine all dry ingredients for noodles together in a mixer bowl and mix completely
with a paddle attachment.

Beat eggs and water together, then add to the flour mixture.   Knead with a
dough hook for 5 minutes.

Using a pasta machine, roll dough to the number 2 thickness and cut with the spaghetti cutter.
Use tapioca flour to keep the noodles separated.

Boil a large pot of water.  Boil noodles for 30 seconds.

Drain noodles well.

Peel ginger and onion.  Cut onion in half.  Add half the mushrooms without the stems, garlic,
and 3 cups of water to a pressure cooker pot.  Cook ingredients on high for 10 minutes.
 This will be the sauce for the chow mein.

Puree sauce from the pressure cooker in a blender.

Pour sauce into a small pan and cook over low to medium heat until reduced by half.

Cut carrots, bell peppers, and green onions into 1/4 inch matchsticks.  

Cut cabbage and remaining oyster mushrooms into chunks.

Preheat wok over high heat.  Be prepared for smoke and have windows and fans on to
circulate the air.  Add 2 tablespoons oil to the wok and begin stir frying carrots.

Next add the bell pepper and stir.

Have ingredients ready and waiting next to the wok.

Add shrimp and more oil.  Stir fry until the shrimp is pink and opaque.

Add more oil to flavor.

Now for the cabbage, green onions, and mushrooms.  Stir fry.

Add noodles and stir.

Stir fry with some more oil if needed.  We want the noodles to be slightly crispy on the outside.

Push sauce through a sieve over chow mein.

Stir and cook for minute or two more and serve.

Enjoy!

Sodium Free Shrimp Chow Mein

Printable Recipe Found Here

Shrimp Chow Mein Ingredients:

Chinese Noodles (homemade noodles recipe below)
2 packages Oyster Mushrooms
1 Red Bell Pepper
2 Carrots
6 cloves of Garlic
1 Yellow Onion
1 bunch of Green Onions
1 head of Napa Cabbage
3 inch piece of Ginger
4 cups Water
2 lbs Raw Deveined Shrimp
Toasted Sesame Seed Oil

Chinese Noodle Ingredients:

1 1/2 teaspoons Baking Soda
3 Eggs
3 cups All Purpose Flour
1 1/2 teaspoons Sea Salt
3/4 cup Tapioca Flour
6 tablespoons Water

Chinese Noodle Process:

Combine all dry ingredients for noodles together in a mixer bowl and mix completely with a paddle attachment.

Beat eggs and water together then add to the flour mixture.   Knead with a dough hook for 5 minutes.

Using a pasta machine, roll dough to number 2 thickness and cut with the spaghetti cutter.  Use tapioca flour to keep the noodles separated.

Boil a large pot of water.  Boil noodles for 30 seconds.

Drain noodles well.

Shrimp Chow Mein Process:

Peel ginger and onion, cut onion in half.  Add half the mushrooms without the stems, garlic, and 3 cups water to a pressure cooker pot.  Cook ingredients on high for 10 minutes.  This will be the sauce for the chow mein.

Preheat wok over high heat.  Be prepared for smoke and have windows and fans on to circulate the air.

Add 2 tablespoons oil to wok and begin stir frying carrots.

Next add the bell pepper and stir.

Have ingredients ready and waiting next to the wok.

Add shrimp and more oil.  Stir fry until the shrimp is pink and opaque.

Add more oil to flavor.

Now for the cabbage, green onions, and mushrooms.  Stir fry.

Add noodles and stir.

Stir fry with some more oil if needed.  We want the noodles to be slightly crispy on the outside.

Push sauce through a sieve over chow mein.

Stir and cook for minute or two more and serve.

Enjoy!