Mayo-free Tuna Salad (with avocado)

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Everyone in my house loves tuna. Tuna is cheap and easy. But, mayo is gross. Actually, I love the taste of "real" mayonnaise, but there is nothing real about the (yummy) gloopy white stuff that comes in the convenient little jars at the grocery store. I think doing away with store-bought mayo may have been one of the hardest real food conversions for me. Homemade mayo is delicious, but the eggs make me worry about sending it in Little Bear's lunch. My solution has been to make tuna salad with olive oil and a bit of vinegar (plus the typical tuna salad accoutrements). It's ok. But, not great. 

How to make it great... Let's try avocado! {spoiler alert, it was amazing!}

Scoop one avocado into a bowl.

Add a few tablespoons of unrefined olive oil, a good squeeze of lemon or lime, and whatever spices and mix-ins you like in your tuna (today I just did salt, pepper, garlic powder and dill).

Smoosh it all together, making the mixture as smooth as possible.

Add tuna and mix with the avocado mixture while flaking the tuna.

Eat.

Yum!

I measured, but tuna is so dependent on the brand, draining, and type that you'll probably have to play with the proportions to make it just perfect. As a starting point, 1 avocado + 2 tablespoons oil should be good for 2-ish cans of tuna or 4 of the single-serve packets.

Save the Stems & Make Broccoli Slaw!

It's no secret that organic foods are more expensive than their conventional counterparts. I'm usually incredibly frugal and am certainly not easily convinced to spend more money when there are cheaper options. My food and my beauty products are two major exceptions. I invest in my health and the health of my family, even if it means spending more on groceries and body products. In the spirit of frugality, however, I am always looking for ways to stretch my dollar without compromising.

As a great way to get more use out of fresh broccoli (throwing away the stems disposes of over half of what you've paid for!) and to sneak extra veggies into unassuming dishes, I've started grating the stems and stirring them into various meals.

Broccoli stems actually have a killer nutritional profile (check out the full nutrition facts here). They are packed with vitamin C, calcium, protein, folate (important during pregnancy), iron, and tons of other vitamins and minerals. YUM!

Here we go...

Start with fresh broccoli (I realize that these pictures are overkill for such a simple how-to, but I've been working on weaning myself from the automatic settings on my SLR, and broccoli was my food model this week).

Chop off the florets (this is the part we actually like eating).

What was left after the great broccoli massacre of 2013.

Wash the florets and set aside for whatever recipe you're using them in.

Wash the stems. If you will be having broccoli again in the next week or so, you should be able to save these in an air-tight container in the fridge and combine the stems from multiple days to conserve even more time.

Use a cheese grater or a food processor with a grater attachment to grate the stems (the food processor is way faster and easier than the hand grater). I read today that you should peel broccoli stems before using them, but I had no trouble grating them with the stems intact, and I have no desire to add extra, unnecessary steps...

The grated stems can be mixed into almost anything! This time I used them raw in a cold broccoli salad, but I've also stirred them into pasta sauce, stir-fries, garden salads, etc.

{Product Review} Ceramcor Xtrema 10" Skillet!

I gave away/threw away all of my nonstick pans a few years ago.  Something about nonstick cookware just bothers me.  It's super chemical-laden and usually doesn't hold up without flaking and scratching.  I am way too rough on my pots and pans to worry about scratches and overheating and hand washing...  I've been using Calphalon stainless steel pots and pans since I ditched the nonstick.  I really am a fan of stainless - mostly because it's so durable.  However, I've recently come across several sources that are saying that the metal does leach into food from stainless cookware.  ARGH.  I know we can't avoid everything, but if there's a better option then why not try?

When Ceramcor requested that I review their skillet, I was really excited about getting to try their all-natural cookware.  I instantly checked their pricing and thought that it was more than I would probably ever spend on cookware, but the product was just so intriguing.  The website and other promo materials really talk a big game.  I am a major propaganda cynic, so I wasn't counting on the pan to work the miracles that it claims to work. 

The cookware is lighter than it looks.  It actually has a cast iron look and feel to it, but it weighs significantly less.  The surface is shiny and pretty (and still all 100% ceramic).  The entire skillet is one piece, so I'll never have to worry about the handle coming loose. 

Ok, so it looks good, but can it hold its own on the stove?  Oh my holy moly - yes!  I've never been so impressed by a kitchen item ever.  EVER!  The pan takes a few minutes to get really hot, but it holds the heat amazingly well once its heated.  I wouldn't say that the surface is "non-stick" but it certainly is stick-resistant.  I made a quick tomato cream sauce in it (jarred organic pasta sauce + a dash of cream and garlic) and was super surprised that nothing was scorched at the bottom.  I even tossed in some chicken and whole wheat pasta and then baked it for a short bit.  The food slid right out with no problem!

 

 

Somehow, the pan gets really hot, but it keeps foods from burning (it's not fail proof, but it really is a forgiving pan!).  The bits that didn't pour right out of the pan, came out with one swipe of a Scotch-Brite sponge - just like magic!  It literally goes from super dirty pan to super shiny pan in less than a minute. 

I also loved that I can use anything in it without worrying about scratches.  I used a metal whisk when I made my bacon scalloped potatoes, and it is still pristine.  The metal did leave little grey marks in the bottom, but a vinegar swish and rinse had it restored to its original state in less than a minute.  I overcooked some green beans one night, too, and vinegar pulled up every last bit of imperfection that the beans left.

Since nothing really sticks, all it takes is a quick water soak and a sponge/washcloth and some soap to get it cleaned up.  If you have an accident, and the surface is really messed up, you can even use Bar Keeper's Friend or an SOS pad to get it clean - Ceramcor promises that it won't scratch the surface!

I haven't tried it yet, but the pan can also go straight from the fridge to the oven without cracking.  This would be so useful for prepping dinner the night before and just sticking it in the oven the next night (or for leaving a ready-to-go meal in the fridge that the fam just needs to heat up on a night that you're not home for dinner!).

Ceramcor has a whole line of 100% natural ceramic coookware - skillets, soup pots, bakeware, etc.  I'm absolutely adding a smaller skillet and a wok to my Christmas list!!!