Adriatic Tuna Salad Without Mayo

My Crolicious tuna salad is packed with bold and delicious flavours. You will be amazed at this mayo-free, gluten-free, low-carb tuna salad. It takes about 15 minutes to prepare. This dish is perfect for your no-cooking Friday.

The Tuna salad is perfect for lunch or a light dinner. Here are some quick tips

1.  Drain the life out of the canned tuna. Otherwise, it will be mushy and not taste as great.

2. Chop your vegetable into small, even pieces.

3. Use fresh lemon juice vs. bottled lemon juice.

4. Use fresh herbs vs dried ones.

5. Crumble the tuna. You don’t want large chunks. 

Ingredients for Dressing

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

The zest of one lemon

The juice of 1 lemon

1 tablespoon chopped chives

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper

For the Tuna Salad

3 cans of tuna (solid white albacore tuna in spring water drained well)

1/4 cup chickpeas

1 celery stalk chopped

1 Persian cucumber chopped

1/2 shallot chopped

1/4 cup kalmata olives

3-4 radishes. stem removed and chopped

4-5 basil leaves chopped -about 1/4 cup

Directions

1. In a small bowl whisk together Dijon mustard, lemon juice, and lemon zest., chopped chives. Add the olive oil, salt, and pepper. Whisk and set aside.

2. In a large bowl, add canned tuna, with chopped vegetables, Kalamata olives, and chopped fresh basil. Mix to combine

3. Pour the dressing over the tuna salad, and gently mix to combine all the delicious ingredients

4. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes before serving

5. When ready to serve, toss again and enjoy.

Mushroom Risotto

We move through our days so quickly. We tell ourselves we don’t have time for the mundane things, like grating fresh cauliflower resembling rice. Oh please I’ll buy the prepared, frozen bag. While I do buy and use frozen cauliflower rice, I found freshly grated cauliflower elevates my dishes to a new level and taste.

I love risotto, and I enjoy it when it’s low carb and gluten free as a way to lower my risk of type 2 diabetes and other chronic conditions such as arthritis an autoimmune and inflammatory disease which means that your immune system attacks healthy cells in your body by mistake, causing inflammation (painful swelling) in the affected parts of the body. While I do suffer from chronic lower back pain, I found that sticking to mostly a lower-carb, gluten free diet helps with my overall health and mental well-being. That’s not to say that I never eat carbs, I do but in moderation. This balanced approach to eating has helped me tremendously, as I move through my days with more ease and overall happiness. Moderation is key. Now back to my mushroom cauliflower risotto.

Risotto reminds me of the Adriatic as it’s mostly served with squid, or as a vegetarian dish with lots of seasonal veggies. I opted to make my version with mushrooms, shallots and lots of freshly grated parmesan cheese.

Ingrediets

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 shallot chopped

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup mushrooms chopped into quartered

1 teaspoon fresh herbs I used dill and basil, you can also use parsley, cilantro, oregano

1 head of cauliflower grated (approx 3 cups)

1/2 cup of mushroom broth or vegetable stock

2 tablespoons salted butter

1/4 cup fresh grated parmesan cheese

Directions:

-Place a large nonstick pan over medium heat. Add extra virgin olive oil and shallots. Saute for 5 minutes until shallots become soft and translucent.

-Add quartered mushrooms and sauté for another 5 minutes , mixing often as not to burn

-Add cauliflower rice, vegetable stock, salt and pepper. Cook on medium heat for 10 minutes stirring often.

-Remove from heat and add fresh herbs, I used dill and basil, butter and parmesan cheese. Mix through and serve right away.

-Optional- drizzle some extra virign olive oil on top.

Croatian Appetizer-Tuna Pate

Take your boring canned tuna and transform it into something decadent and delicious in less than 10 minutes.  Pate or Pasteta in Croatian is a true delicacy, but of course I didn’t know that growing up.  It was in second grade when I remember my first taste of liver pate. I wondered why all my friends didn’t have the same sandwich in their lunchbox. Everyday, my Mother schmeared a generous portion of pate on rye bread.   I have fond memories of going to our Croatian delicatessen and hearing my Mother tell the owner she wanted a little piece of pasteta.  

I eventually stopped eating pate, when I found out it was made of liver.  The food suddenly lost its appeal.  Decades later, when I returned to Croatia I became re-united with my childhood love.  One caveat, it was Tuna pate that pulled at my heart strings and taste buds.  Tuna pate seemed to be on every restaurant menu in the Adriatic coast. When it came time to prepare a dish for this World Cup soccer match, I closed my eyes and tried to remember all the foods that brought me joy this past summer in Croatia, and tuna pate was top of mind.

Pasteta is traditionally served with bread, crackers, or vegetables.  I enjoy eating mine with gluten free pretzels and cauliflower crackers. Tuna pasteta is served cold pro tip chilling it for a couple days will enrich its flavours.  It’s amazing to serve as an appetizer or for Tea party.  Here are the ingredients that I used in my tuna pate:

Ingredients

1 Canned tuna in water

1/4 cup cream cheese

1 teaspoon chopped fresh dill

2 small Spring scallions- chop the scallions into small pieces

1/2 teaspoon Tabasco sauce

1/4 teaspoon salt

Paprika seasoning

Capers on the side

Directions

1. Drain tuna and place in food processor along with cream cheese.  Pulse until well combined. Add remaining ingredients and pulse a couple times until combined and creamy.

2. Serve on a plate with your favourite gluten free crackers, or pretzels alongside capers.  Don’t forget to add a sprinkle of paprika on top on each dollop of pate.

Gluten free Mac & Cheese

Roasted Squash Cauliflower Mac N’Cheese

Making simple substitutions to your favourite meals is a great starting point to a  healthier lifestyle.  However most of us are creatures of habit.  We eat the same foods, shop at the same grocery stores, repeat the same recipes, and continue on with the same routines.  But if you are serious about eating healthier and losing weight, you NEED TO START thinking differently.  Your mind will come up with many reasons why replacing pasta for cauliflower is a bad idea.  The first step in making a lifestyle change is awareness of your habits.  Habits become automatic, learned behaviours; which are much stronger than the new habits you are trying to incorporate.  Even people who change their bad eating habits can easily fall back on their old ways during stressful times.

That’s why it’s important to keep in mind that making these simple substitutions will help you reach your goal of better health and losing weight.

Let’s THINK about this meal as adding healthy foods to your meal rather than removing foods which makes you feel deprived.  Adding new ingredients to your favourite dish feels like an accomplishment rather than a punishment.

This healthier version of Mac and cheese is made with lots of tasty and healthy options, like butternut squash, cauliflower, and cheese.  I promise you will feel comforted with this creamy velvety take on a classic.

Ingredients

1 medium size butternut squash

2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil

1 cup of vegetable stock

1/2 cup of cream

1/2 cup of gruyere cheese

1/2 cup of cheddar cheese

Fine sea salt, and freshly cracked pepper

4 cups of cauliflower cut in small pieces

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400 F

2. Cut butternut squash in half and scoop out seeds, cut into cubes

3. Break the cauliflower up into florets- making sure its the same size as butternut squash

4. Place vegetables on a large non-stick baking sheet- making sure cauliflower florets can easily spread out in single layer

5. Drizzle extra virgin olive oil and salt over the squash and cauliflower

6. Place in oven and roast for 30 minutes or until soft and gently browned

7. Remove roosted squash from oven and add in separate bowl, along with your vegetable stock, using a high speed food processor blend the squash until a smooth puree is formed.

8. Return the butternut squash puree to the stovetop in a pot over medium heat

9. Add cream, stir and add gruyere cheese and cheddar- mix until combined, add your roasted cauliflower.

10. Pour the whole thing into casserole dish, top with more cheese if you desire, along with pumpkin seeds, basil and crispy pancetta optional)

Homemade Cilantro Lime Dressing

Cilantro lime dressing is so fresh and packed with flavour, plus it only takes a few quick minutes to make. The dressing is so versatile and can be used in salads, on chicken fajitas, with your shrimp, or on your tuna salads. I love making this dressing and having it in the fridge for my family to grab. It’s much better than the store bought version.

Homemade Cilantro Lime Dressing

Ingredients

2 tablespoons lime juice

1 cup of fresh cilantro

1/2 cup of plain Greek yogurt

1/4 cup of mayonnise

1/2 teaspoon maple syrup or honey

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

Instructions: Place all ingredients in blender and blend for several minutes until pureed and creamy.