Tuna Salad Open-Faced Sandwich

Sometimes, I just want to eat tuna salad and if I decide to make it, my whole family loves this version! Thank you Elsie! It's delicious but a bit more work than the regular old mayo and relish version; but well worth the effort! We like it on a toasted slice of French Boule, with a little spread of Vegenaise (or mayo), mixed greens, and topped with sliced tomato, parsley and fresh ground black pepper and a pinch of salt. This recipe comes from Simply Recipes (my long time favorite food blog) but instead of a sandwich, we like to make it open-faced or topped on an old fashioned saltine cracker. Usually, we double the batch for the five of us and sometimes we have enough to save for snacking the next day. Tell me how you like it ... it's by far one of our favorites!

Tuna Salad Sandwich 

Compliments of Simply Recipes

1 (6-ounce) can of tuna fish (if packed in water, drain it, and add a teaspoon of good quality olive oil)

1/3 cup of cottage cheese

2 Tablespoons mayonaise

1/4 red onion, finely chopped

1 celery stalk, finely chopped

1 Tablespoon capers

Juice of half a lemon or less (I have found it too lemony when doubling the batch)

Pinch or two of dill (use 1 teaspoon of fresh dill when available)

2 Tablespoons minced fresh parsley

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

Optional - lettuce and sliced tomatoes

Slices of french bread - lightly toasted

Mix all of the ingredients. Serve on toast, either open faced, or in a regular sandwich with lettuce and tomato. For a low carb option, serve on sliced lettuce or in a lettuce leaf (like a lettuce burrito)! Enjoy!

Shaved Asparagus Pizza

*dedicated to our small group*

Love you guys!

What to buy: 

1. Pre-made pizza dough (We got this convenient dough from Whole Foods) 

2. Asparagus

3. Scallions 

4. Mozzarella

5. Fresh Parmesan

How to make:

a. Shave asparagus as shown above ... discard tough ends. Place in a bowl and lightly drizzle with olive oil and season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Taste and set aside.

b. Roll out dough on a floured surface, place on a floured and preheated pizza stone, pan, or cookie sheet.

c. Sprinkle with shredded parmesan and mozzarella

d. Lay asparagus on top of cheese

e. Bake for 10-15 minutes or until bubbly and lightly brown on edges

f. Remove from heat and sprinkle with diced scallions

That's it! Simplicity and Deliciousity! Enjoy with your dearest friends or make it at the next pizza party!

Recipe genius credit goes to Smitten Kitchen - View her beautiful blog post here!

TBLT w/ Jaime's Basil-Mayo

This is one of Chad's and My favorite sandwiches! We don't make it often enough but it beats the "real" BLT any day of the week! Just ask Chad who is a bacon LOVER. ;) It's basically a BLT, but add a T to the beginning and it becomes a vegetarian's dream! Ever heard of tempeh? Say what? I said, Tempeh (pronounced "tim-pay")! It is a patty made of fermented soybeans and is high in protein, easy to digest, and is extremely versatile. LightLife is a popular company that makes tempeh and their famous tempeh-bacon - it's the best - and is available in most health food stores (otherwise known as Organic Smokey Tempeh Strips or "Faken' Bacon").

My sister-in-law and comfort food mentor, Jaime, makes this really yummy basil mayonnaise. A couple summers back she had basil growing abundantly in her back yard and decided to chop some up and add it to mayonnaise for sandwiches. She couldn't stop talking about how good it was and ended up making us a batch to try. We loved it!

Chad suggested we use Jaime's basil-mayo on our TBLT's instead of plain mayo (we like to use a vegan version called Vegenaise). It turned out to be the perfect addition like he imagined!! Ya know, for a guy who really enjoys eating 'real' bacon it is pretty impressive how much Chad loves these sandwiches!  Here we have a sliced sourdough loaf; lightly toasted and spread with Jaime's basil-mayo, topped with browned tempeh bacon, lettuce, tomato and ... sliced red onion. I am already planning to make these for a lovely summer picnic!! Yum, down to the crumb! ;-)

"You do not like them. 

So you say. 

Try them! Try them! 

And you may. 

Try them and you may, I say." 

Green Eggs and Ham by Dr. Seuss

TBLT (Tempeh-Bacon, Lettuce, Tomato)

serves 2

6-8 smokey tempeh strips

1 tomato, sliced

2 lettuce leaves

Prepared basil-mayo

4 slices of sourdough bread, lightly toasted

1. Lightly brown both sides of the tempeh strips in a skillet in a small amount of warmed oil. 

2. Spread basil-mayo over all 4 slices of toasted bread.

3. Layer the rest of the ingredients to your own taste.

Jaime's Basil Mayo

1/4 cup of Vegenaise (or another type of mayonnaise)

1/2 teaspoon of dried basil (or 1 tablespoon fresh basil)

Mix ingredients and store in an airtight container, in the fridge until ready to use.