Cranberry Avocado Tuna Salad

Ever since I made Stephen King’s tuna salad recipe, I realized that I’m not 10 years old anymore, and I do like tuna salad.  It was one of those lovely moments when you try something that you hated as a child but your taste buds have changed from twenty years of spicy foods, sugar dissolution, and finally appreciation of nutritional value, and suddenly that dish you abhorred tastes amazing.

Long story short, I’ve made a lot of tuna salad lately, and this recipe is definitely my tuna salad pride-and-joy. It is perfect for the impending summer (Midwestern friends—its coming. I promise. Winter can’t stay forever. This isn’t Game of Thrones.)

Cranberry Avocado Tuna Salad

1 celery stalk, chopped

2 green onions, chopped

½ cup dried cranberries

2 cans responsibly caught* tuna

1 teaspoon agave

½ tablespoon lemon juice

Pinch of salt

½ cup mayonnaise

½ avocado, cut into bite sized pieces

*Yes, I realize that responsibly caught tuna probably taste the same as any other tuna. But why be an asshole if you don’t have to?

Step 1: In a small bowl mix agave, lemon juice, salt, and mayonnaise.

Step 2: In a large bowl toss onions, celery, cranberries, and tuna. Pour small bowl mix onto large bowl and stir in. Once thoroughly stirred, carefully toss in the avocado.

Step 3: Let sit for 15 minutes and then serve.

Serves 4. 

My Anti-Raisin Broccoli Salad

"Raisin cookies that look like chocolate chips cookies are the reason I have trust issues." - Unknown

You know how people say you should never grocery shop hungry? I know that’s usually so you don’t over buy, but my true fear is that I’ll gorge myself on everything I bought the moment I get home. Whenever I’m pretty sure this fear is going to materialize, I buy broccoli salad right before I hit up the check-out line. I picked broccoli salad as my go-to grocery day snack for two reasons: it’s a vegetable hidden by the delicious taste of bacon, and also, bacon.

Fortunately it’s pretty filling (I think it’s mostly the gas produced by the broccoli, but still…) so the rest of my groceries can usually make it to the cupboards unharmed. 

But I do have a complaint about grocery-style broccoli salad, and that is one pesky ingredient. I think you know what I’m talking about. RAISINS. Not only do they taste gross, but I think I'm especially bitter at raisins because those little grapes could have become wine. Such lost potential. 

Lets face it. Raisins are the oompa loompas of the food world. Small, icky, and just plain wrong.

So this is my new and improved version of broccoli salad, heavy on the bacon, failed-wine free, and…

Argh, sorry, forgot what I was going to say. I started thinking about bacon again. Anyway, here is the recipe. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

5-6 cups broccoli florets

¾ cup mayonnaise

1/3 cup white sugar

3 1/2 tablespoons white vinegar

½ teaspoon salt

1/3 cup sunflower seeds

1/3 cup dried cranberries

8 strips of bacon, cooked and crispy

½ red onion, finely sliced

Directions:

Step 1: In a small bowl, mix mayonnaise, white sugar, vinegar, and salt. Add bacon, cranberries, and sunflower seeds. 

Step 2: In a larger bowl, toss broccoli florets and onion. Slowly pour the small bowl mixture over the tossed mixture in the larger bowl. Stir until all pieces are equally coated. Enjoy!

Serves 4-8 sides. 

Gluten-Free Thanksgiving Made Simple

"To do what nobody else will do, in a way that nobody else can do, in spite of all we go through: that is what it means to be a nurse." - Rawsi Williams

I'm a nurse, so I work a lot of holidays. About half of them, actually. This year I'm working Thanksgiving. I also recently moved, so instead of doing Thanksgiving "potluck style" like I usually do with my large family back in the midwest, I prepared the whole meal myself! As a result, I didn't make everything from scratch, but I did make a darn good meal. I am calling this my "express" Thanksgiving, because it only took 3 1/2 hours total, and most of that was turkey cook time (and I did all my shopping in the morning before I started cooking!).

Feel free to steal any of my secrets--after all, the point of Thanksgiving isn't to make a bunch of complicated recipes from scratch, but to spend time with people you love. So I'm personally giving you permission to cheat a little this year, and spend more time loving, and less time cooking!

The Turkey

Last year I made my first Thanksgiving turkey, which was a combination of recipe suggestions and tips from family and friends. It was absolutely amazing. It was a little time consuming, but man was it delicious! This year I decided to try something else, and used a turkey bag. It was easier (which is what I wanted), but not nearly as good. If you have the time to baste, and want to make a perfect turkey, follow this recipe. 

The Stuffing

I love how there are so may easy gluten-free options available these days. This year, I tried Glutino's Cornbread Gluten-free Stuffing. It was great! I highly recommend it, especially if you are pressed for time. Otherwise, if you have time to make your own stuffing, here is my personal recipe. I really enjoy changing my recipes up, based on my mood, which is a little more tricky with a box. In general, I prefer using my own recipe and adjusting it, but overall I was impressed with Glutinos and would try it again.

Green Bean Casserole
This has been the hardest recipe for me to "get right." I have adjusted my recipe about six times, and this is the best version. One of the tricks to this casserole, and really almost any casserole, is to let it cool before serving. Otherwise you won't give the casserole time to thicken up. Have your own great green bean casserole recipe? I'd love suggestions!

The Rolls
One of my goals this year is to perfect gluten-free rolls. I'm definitely not there yet. So for Thanksgiving I tried Udis Gluten-Free French Rolls. They were fantastic! They only take 5 minutes to heat up, and they went amazing with my orange marmalade. A simple, yummy add-on to any meal.

Additional Sides
Corn, canned cranberry. Sadly, I didn't make my own mashed potatoes this year. My family recipe is literally the best mashed potatoes you will eat in your life. I will make them and post it eventually, because it is a recipe that has to be shared. This year it was just a matter of time, which is why I bought mashed potatoes from Whole Foods instead. They were divine.

Not pictured: Whole Foods Gluten-Free Apple Pie

Also not pictured: Me drinking a ton of red wine and wearing reindeer antlers while cooking...I wish I was joking.