It is ASTONISHING how invigorating a little sunshine can be. I wrote Saturday’s post at seven o’clock, and it was cloudy. But by the time I got home after meeting a friend, the clouds had all but disappeared, leaving us with beautiful sunshine. It felt so much like spring it was almost disorienting – and, in fact, I took a walk yesterday afternoon and the earth had this particular damp fresh loamy scent to it that I associate strongly with spring, and I am finding it very difficult to believe it is February.
Seems to me that the birds and critters are confused, too – there are so many robins everywhere! My daughter and I turned a corner the other day and interrupted what must have been the International Summit on Sustainable Nest Building for all the robins that had gathered to network with one another. I’ve seen lots of geese congregations, which makes me think baby geese are not too far behind. And my friend has reported some bucks trolling the woods behind her house for does.
(I am purposefully not thinking about the global or longterm implications of this early spring and its causes, but the thoughts are lurking. And, anyway, we’re supposed to get snow for Valentine’s Day, so perhaps we’ll plunge right back into winter once we’re good and sure it’s time to pull out the shorts and sandals.
Well, whatever the weather, February always goes fast. Even if the current month is an extra day. And then it will be March and real spring will be upon us. I am just happy to see the sun. It brightens everything.
I am even looking forward to trying a couple of new things for dinner this week!
Dinners for the Week of February 5-11
- Coconut Curry Chickpeas with Pumpkin and Lime: My husband heard about this recipe from a colleague, and I have a policy of trying really hard to say yes when my husband suggests something for dinner. So I am going to make this. EVEN THOUGH I despise pumpkin in nearly all forms. The thing is – if you are also a pumpkin hater, and are ready to write off this recipe before you even consider it – the pumpkin in question is pureed pumpkin. Not chunks of pumpkin, as I originally assumed. That makes me feel better about the presence of pumpkin, for reasons I cannot articulate. Anyway. I am going to throw in some bell peppers at the end to add crunch and freshness.
- Cauliflower and Chickpea Curry: Now, THIS is the curry I want to make. Can we have two curries in one week? If we have learned ANYTHING from The Birchwood Pie Project, I think it is YES, the more curries the merrier. (Word keeps changing “curries” to “curried” or perhaps I keep mistyping it, just FYI.) (“Curried” is what you did to your horse after that long ride to get all the dirt and shag from his winter coat.) Am I trying to prove to my husband that a curry without pumpkin is a better curry? Perhaps. IT’S A CURRY OFF, FOLKS.
- Slow Cooker Pulled Pork Tacos with Chili Slaw: This just sounds good to me. And a slow cooker recipe is always welcome. Especially considering my daughter begins a new schedule this week and we will have some later-than-usual nights.
- Spicy Sheet Pan Chicken and Sweet Potatoes: Yum. This sounds simple and delicious. I already have the sweet potatoes on hand, so this is a no-brainer.
The other thing I’ve been wanting to eat lately is tuna salad. I am CRAVING it. There’s a local sandwich shop that makes a really good tuna salad sandwich, but… I don’t need to spend $12 on a sandwich when I can presumably make tuna salad myself.
Here’s the issue. When I make tuna salad for myself I get hung up on a) which tuna, of the eight zillion tuna brands, should I buy?????? and b) why does whatever tuna I choose look all… dark and gross???? For b, at least, I am guessing that TUNA JUST LOOKS THAT WAY. But it’s a difficult hurdle to cross. Tuna from the can does not look like tuna in tuna salad. It just doesn’t. And it gives me the Major Icks. If I could somehow mix the tuna into all the veggies and spices and mayo/mustard/whathaveyou without looking at it, I think it would be FINE. But that seems both ridiculous and also impractical. So I’m left with… not really knowing how to address this craving.
Do you have a tuna salad recipe you love? Do you have a SPECIFIC TUNA BRAND that you love? Should I be buying raw, sushi-grade tuna and cooking it and using THAT? Because I WILL DO THAT, this craving is that powerful. But obviously I would prefer not to spend $25 per pound (or whatever it is) when I can easily spend $1.19 on a can of tuna fish.
In other food topics, the Super Bowl is also this weekend. I may (or may not) post about dining plans for that separately. If I don’t: know that I am going to be making all the yummy snacks.
It’s not fancy or anything, but I always buy Chicken of the Sea, solid tuna in water, which you can get anywhere. I very much dislike chunk and I very much dislike tuna in oil. And then I just add mayo (not too much!), some mustard and chopped white onions.
This is exactly the kind of direction I need – thank you!
Oh, wait, I meant Starkist, not Chicken of the Sea. Just saw the can in my pantry – I know what it looks like, not what it’s called!
Ha! I do that, too. Thanks for the correction. 🙂
I buy Starkist, for no specific reason I can recall, other than at some point I got sick of trying to figure out which one I always buy and I COMMITTED.
Anything that says “light” will be grey; the “white” ones are less grey. I buy chunk white or solid white, in water not oil and I always check because sometimes the bins will be mixed cans, presumably due to someone else not remembering to check.
I add mayo (plenty), a little bit of mustard (two peas’ worth, something like that), and a little bit of sriracha (again, about two peas’ worth), plus salt and pepper. Sometimes I like to add some chopped pickles or celery, but almost always that feels like too much trouble.
Excellent – I am glad to know the difference between light and white.
And I DO like celery in my tuna salad, but it IS a pain.
i mean. Just buy the sandwich.
😍
This was my exact thought. Your happiness is worth $12. Way more than that, actually.
I can’t help you with the tuna, but I am intrigued by the curries. Maybe next week – R has a colonoscopy on Monday and has to start his low fibre diet tomorrow. So, I’m trying to figure out meals that either have cooked vegetables (stir fry?) or that he can just omit the raw or leafy vegetables. We’ve been to this rodeo many times so you’d think I’d have it down by now. Ah well. This too shall pass (literally and explosively, gross, but I know you’re well versed in GI stuff around there).
You crack me up. Good luck with finding the solution — it’s times like those, with strict requirements, that make every single low-fiber meal I’ve ever eaten disappear from memory.
I like the albacore in water. I grew up with very simple celery and mayo kind of tuna salad. My foodie college roommate taught me this recipe to add to a can of tuna. Mix in diced onion and tomato (just now remembering that you are not into tomatoes), plus canned corn (like 1/3 cup) and fresh cilantro (if I have any). Mix with ~ 1 tablespoon mayo, ~1 teaspoon brown mustard, and a couple dashes hot sauce.
Canned corn! Tomatoes! Wow, I never would have thought about those as part of a tuna salad!
I usually use solid white canned tuna (sometimes Bumble Bee, sometimes Chicken of the Sea) instead of light, though if I’m making a really big batch, I might do a can of each, or two solid and one chunk light.
My mother’s tuna salad calls for Miracle Whip, which I know bothers some people in the that’s-not-mayo crowd, but you can’t please everyone. I add in celery, onion, a little pickle relish (or you can cut up a sweet gherkin or two), and a squeeze of lemon juice (lime works in a pinch). Yum, now I want some!
Oh I bet lemon juice is a great addition! (I am, alas, one of the mayo purists.)
I always have Beth buy veggie tuna when she goes to Wegman’s because it’s not available at most other stores, so it feels like a treat. I realize that part is not relevant to you, but I mix in mayo, diced carrots, celery, and pickles. I like to make tuna melts with it, with provolone and thin-sliced bread.
Mmmmm tuna melt sounds delicious.
Kirkland Tuna (from Costco) is the best, not sure why. My second fave is from Aldi’s – Northern Catch. I always buy the white/albacore tuna even though I kind of recall a time where everyone said to buy the light tuna, but I don’t remember why. I also think that restaurant tuna salad is just so good, and I have bought containers of it as a treat, and made sandwiches and salads from it at home. One of my fave sub shops that has amazing tuna told me they put breadcrumbs in it, so take that for what it’s worth 🙂
I will have to look for tuna at Costco and Aldi next time I go! Thanks for the rec!
I do not buy canned tuna because it also grosses me out. But the tuna packets seem to have a much better consistency. It’s been awhile since I bought any but I always get the water-packed kind. I got kind of burned out on tuna during my last pregnancy as it was a good high-protein meal that I could have (I had gestational diabetes).
It’s very springlike here, too. I guess our daylilies are starting to bud. I had a dream that there were daffodils everywhere. Isn’t that odd? Last year we had 100″ of snow and terrible icy conditions. This year we’ve barely had any snow and it’s been in the 50s several times in the last couple of weeks. I am worried about our planet but also kind of enjoying it? And it was very sunny here this weekend which was SO WONDERFUL.
I have never tried the packets before! But maybe I need to. I can definitely understand how you would grow weary of tuna if you had to eat it a lot.
It sounds like there are some good tuna suggestions in the comments, but if you can’t find a good recipe after that you have my blessing to treat yo’self to a $12 sandwich. I know…I know…but it’s something you’ll have once in a while and not every day right? And you really love it.
Stop the presses! Your husband comes up with a dinner idea and a recipe!!! Yep, it’s worth a can of pumpkin to encourage this.
I see a week of curries and tacos so I approve this week’s menu!
Definitely worth a can of pumpkin! And I admit to being intrigued.
I have to second the tuna from Costco. I’m sure it’s just Chicken of the Sea repackaged or something, but it’s good and relatively inexpensive. I agree with everyone who says treat yourself to a sandwich once in a while, though. You only live once, why not splurge on a delicious, nutritious treat?
We put canned pureed pumpkin in a soup with chickpeas (NOT garbanzo) and black beans and it’s mostly a thickener. The soup doesn’t TASTE like pumpkin at all. So I think you’ll be surprised.
I am really curious to find out what the pumpkin will be like!!!!
Okay, okay, if you are all going to FORCE me to buy a sandwich I love I guess I better do it. 😉
It IS something what sunshine can do. We had some yesterday and I felt like a new woman. Even the birds were singing! Ahhh.
I love a good tuna sandwich! I’m sure the restaurant one is delicious, and it’s great when you find one you really like. I like to eat tuna sandwiches on toasted bread. ❤️
Yes! The birds!!!! There were so many birds singing the other day that my daughter got out the Merlin Bird ID app to find out which ones were serenading us.
We love that bird app!
White or albacore tuna has the nice white color, but it has more mercury, so I think you’re not supposed to eat more than one can per week. I just add mayo and finely chopped celery and/or carrot. Use a food processor if you want it to be smooth, like in a restaurant. And add chopped hard boiled eggs and cooked pasta (mini shells) for tuna pasta salad.
I am not a big fan of tuna, so can’t help there. I dislike curry and coconut, but I like pumpkin – not sure how I feel about pumpkin in food that isn’t a muffin or bread, but I don’t eat either anyway. Coach just quizzed me on who was in the Super bowl in exchange for a foot rub. I got one team right. It was a lucky guess, honestly. I can’t believe the Super bowl is this weekend. The Chicago Bears are laughably terrible, so I have not paid any attention.
Wow, I can tell you got some sunshine- you’re looking forward to making dinner!!! And a CURRY OFF!!! Yes! I’ll join you! And I like pumpkin. Also, i do hope you post about your Super Bowl menu- I still haven’t decided what I’m making, but it will be something fun.
I watch this food blogger on YouTube called Flavcity, and he swears by skipjack or chunk light. Here’s what he says — Making epic tuna salad starts with buying the best canned tuna at the grocery store, and that means either getting skipjack or chunk light tuna. Both of these tuna fish are low in mercury because they are smaller, you want to stay away from large tuna like albacore, they are higher in mercury.
I’ve never tasted his salad, but maybe that’s a good place to start?
I don’t buy anything except solid white albacore tuna. There may be a superior brand but I haven’t paid attention to that. I would LOVE that cauliflower and chick pea curry–three of my favorite things!
Wegmans albacore tuna in water is the best. Also with the usual chopped onion and celery. However, I worked with a little Italian woman who would mix tuna and egg salad together and it was really very good.
Try tuna some time with Miracle Whip instead of mayo, it’s also actually pretty tasty.
If I’d gotten here before Sarah I would have said just buy the sandwich. Actually I’m still going to say just buy the sandwich. You have a craving, how have you NOT just bought the sandwich? Also I hate tuna so I would not be helpful trying to say anything BUT just buy the sandwich. Have now typed the word sandwich so many times. If I had anyone here to cook for I would lift your week’s meal plan entire. Also hold up, chickpeas are not garbanzo beans? All is ashes. I just tried an instant pot butter chicken recipe. It’s okay. More President’s Choice butter chicken than Indian restaurant butter chicken, but I could probably fiddle with it a bit.
also, um…. the currier the better was right there.
Oooh I’m so intrigued by the chickpea pumpkin curry! I do like pumpkin in things – I find it adds a nice creamy texture.
As for tuna – I like the Genova Italian yellowfin tuna packed in olive oil – I get it from Costco. I don’t like mayo in my tuna salad and I don’t like draining tuna. I find with the stuff packed in olive oil, I can just dump the tuna out of the can, mash it up, add my mix ins and skip the mayo altogether. Whereas the tuna packed in water wouldn’t have the right consistency and I’d have to add oil or mayo. It is more expensive, though. But I do think it tastes better. Though to be honest there will always be something about tuna that reminds me of catfood.
I keep wanting to try the curry recipes (and those by Birchwood Pie); I have not acquired a taste for curry yet but I would like to, specially the Japanese curry.
I also have not acquired a taste for tuna sandwiches…but my husband loves them. We buy the Kirkland ones. We add diced onions, a little mayo, hotdog relish and sliced black olives…add black pepper to taste. He either its it just like that or we make tuna melt sandwiches.
I also recommend the solid white tuna in water, not oil, and lots of regular mayo (not Miracle Whip), diced celery for crunch, sweet relish, a glug of pickle juice, plenty of salt (like, more than you think seems reasonable) and celery seed. I’ve made a variation with Everything But the Bagel Seasoning that is also stupendous. Made into a sandwich with pepperjack cheese, it’s amazing!
But also… you are worth a $12 sandwich 😉
Okay, now I want tuna salad! YUM.
Late to the party as usual. I’m not sure what kind of tuna The Husband buys; but I’m pretty certain it is in water and not oil. I love good tuna melt if it doesn’t have crunchy things in it (like celery!); but The Husband does this healthier “tuna salad” where he uses olive oil, garlic powder, probably salt and pepper, and some hot sauce (and, most likely, some other things that I’ve left out). Shockingly enough for a girl who came from a traditional tuna salad household; I love this version – particularly with Melba Toast or some other substantial vehicle.
It’s amazing the effect the sun has on one’s outlook; isn’t it?
I think you should buy the sandwich!uy A little splurge now and then didn’t hurt anyone, and if you’re craving it, lean into that!
I do love tuna for lunch, though. I usually buy the flavored Starkist tuna packets – lemon pepper is my fave! I just mix it with some mayo and sometimes with capers/cucumbers/pickles if I’m feeling fancy.
Love tuna salad sandwiches made any way you want. We buy Bumble Bee Solid White Albacore in Water. It comes in a four pack which reduces the price + it seems to be always stocked in our local Kroger unlike some of the other brands.
I have thoughts about tuna. I go four ways with tuna.
1. A local deli makes a delicious tuna sandwich.
2. I sometimes buy the tuna salad and bring it home and make a sandwich, or eat it on crackers, or if I’m in a very specific mood I might even eat it on salt and vinegar potato chips. Don’t tell anyone, that’s embarrassing.
3. I buy expensive tuna from Italy, in a jar, with olive oil. It’s probably not a pretty color, I don’t notice that. I mix it with a touch of mayo (you don’t need much because of the oil), a bit of lemon juice, red bell pepper, green onion, capers, a bit of fresh thyme. I like that open faced on toast, with cheese – aka, fancy tuna melt.
4. I buy regular tuna sometimes (starkist or chicken of the sea or whatever) and mix that with mayo, mustard, red onion, relish, and a bit of salsa. This tastes OK to me, but is my least favorite of the 4. It comes out much better when my husband make it.
Solid tuna in water is the way to go. Don’t buy the chunky stuff – that’s gross. I get my tuna from Trader Joe’s and I am very happy with it.
I love tuna! I agree, it does’t look that great out of the can. Do you think you do most of the Tuna Making with a blindfold on? Or perhaps have Carla do it? She’s a wonder in the kitchen.
We always buy the White tuna, line caught. It’s supposed to be the ‘better for the earth and the ocean’ version.
“International Summit on Sustainable Nest Building” Thanks for making me laugh out loud!
I am really craving chickpea curry now. Unfortunately I have no fresh veggies at home. Sigh. I think I need to rummage the pantry and see what I can through in.
Can you tell I am starving?