Quick and Yummy Ahi Tuna Marinade

I am taking a little break from birthday party posts, although I do have some fun things to share from some recent birthday parties we have gone to. Soon...

Time for a recipe. A fish recipe. My husband recently brought home some ahi tuna, also known as yellowfin tuna. We eat fish about three times a month in our house. I have not eaten red meat or pork since I was 13, or poultry since I was 19. I have had two healthy pregnancies, without eating any of these and I look to nuts, legumes, eggs, cheese, yogurt, whole grains, and occasionally soy or fish for protein. Fish can be very nutritious and are packed with great nutrients such as omega-3’s, B vitamins, and lean protein. However, many fish are contaminated with toxins, such as mercury which can adversely affect brain development and the nervous system. There is a lot of conflicting information out there about what fish is safe to eat and in what quantities. All tuna generally has mercury in it, much of it in high levels. I have been told by a health care professional that a pregnant or nursing mom should not eat more than 3 6 ounces servings of ahi a month. All this to say, it is good to be knowledgeable about the fish you chose to eat. You can talk with your naturopath or MD about it. A reliable internet source for safe fish can be found on the Environmental Working Group's Website.

So, on to the marinade I made for the ahi my hubby brought home.

Asian Marinade for Ahi Tuna
By Tiffany Teske

This is enough for one 6 - 8 oz steak.

Ingredients
~ 1 Tbsp sesame oil
~ 1 Tbsp soy sauce (substitute 1 teaspoons of wheat-free tamari for gluten-free diets)
~ 1/2 Tbsp of grated fresh ginger
~ 1 small clove garlic, minced
~ 1/2 teaspoon lime juice

Directions
Mix all ingredients together. Coat the fish with the marinade, cover, and put in the fridge for an hour or more. Cook the fish by whatever method you prefer.

A Week of Birthday Posts - #5 - Birthday Party Food

Food, glorious food. Hehehe! We love it around here. And party food is oh so fun to research, decide upon, and prepare. I have found that for kids' birthday parties it is best to keep it simple. My children are adventurous eaters but that doesn't mean all of their friend are. In fact, my daughter, and all the moms, were the only ones who really liked my homemade strawberry rhubarb lemonade. It never even crossed my mind that most of the kids would find it way too tart...



I made a better decision on the healthy snack part of the party. After the kids made a craft, I served fruit and dip. I never realized that strawberries and mini marshmallows would be such a sell! The berries were organic and so deliciously sweet that they didn't need any special preparation. I just washed and hulled them, slid them onto a frilly toothpick, and kept them from sliding off with a single mini marshmallow. Every single one was eaten. The dip on the other hand, again something my daughter likes, was not a huge hit with some of the kids. I had made it during a cooking class I taught for older kids (ages 6 - 9) where it was well received. See what you think...


Honey Fruit Dip
Ingredients
~ 1 cup plain yogurt
~ 1 Tablespoon honey
~ Brown sugar to sprinkle on top
~ Fruit

Directions
1. Mix honey into yogurt.
2. Sprinkle brown sugar on top.
3. Dip strawberries, grapes, banana slices, whatever fruit you like, into the dip and enjoy!


And what would a party be without cake? Since we had other food and snacks I decided to go with mini cupcakes. This way the kids could eat one or two and get to chose exactly what they wanted.


My friend, Alannah, owns my favorite bakery and she is amazing with mini cupcakes. I am blown away by the array of flavors and her attention to detail. They are all beautiful!


Happy birthday, Quin! We can't believe how quickly you are growing. You are a wonderful daughter, friend, sister... We love you!

Delicious Gluten Free Chocolate Energy Bar Recipe

I have a few recipes that are so universally appealing that every time I make them I am asked for the recipe. One is for almond flour scones. Another one is for our family crepe recipe. And a third is my energy bars, which I was kind of shocked to figure out I have not posted about before.

If you are an energy bar fan you are will love these, because, well, they taste a lot better than packaged bars. And if you are not an energy bar fan you will love these because they, well, don't taste like packaged energy bars. They are chocolaty, nutty, sweet without being too sweet, and energizing. Packaged energy bars give me energy but I would rather eat cardboard. My friend, Heidi, made these for my blessingway, two days before I gave birth to my second child last May, and we have been making them regularly ever since. My 3 year old, my hubby, and I, all love them. As do anyone I have ever made them for. AND they are gluten free, IF you use gluten free rice cereal like Erewhon Crispy brown rice or puffed rice cereal(rice krispies are not gluten free because they contain barley malt). Also, oats are gluten free but are often processed in factories with items that contain gluten. Make sure you buy truly gluten free oats.

Energy Bars

Ingredients:
3/4 cups smooth organic peanut butter
3/4 cups liquid honey
1/2 cups unsweetened cocoa powder (I use Cocoa Camino which is organic and fair trade)
1 1/2 cups organic quick-cooking oatmeal (not instant)
1 1/4 cups rice crispies (I use brown rice cereal)
1 cups dried cranberries
1 cup sliced almonds

Directions:
- In a med/large saucepan, combine peanut butter, honey & cocoa and cook over low heat until smooth.
- Remove from heat & stir into the saucepan the oatmeal, cereal, cranberries & almonds. You can use your hands.
- Into a well-buttered 8x8 pan, firmly press the mixture, cover & chill in fridge an hour or two. Cut, eat & enjoy!

Almond Flour Scones - Passing on the Pleasure

My friend, Cindy, brought over a batch of these amazing scones the week I gave birth to Emmanuelle. They gave me the much needed energy that was necessary for nursing a newborn and for regaining my strength. Plus they tasted amazing! I asked her for the recipe and for some reason JUST got around to making them. I have no idea why I didn't make them sooner, they are truly EASY PEASY. To somewhat start a tradition I made them for a friend who recently had her third child... We brought them over along with a batch of soft pretzels from a local bakery. The intention was to eat the pretzels with cream cheese and to leaving the scones for them to eat but instead I think everything were gone by the time we went home. There were three women and six children after all...

I wrote the recipe below as I made them but I put additional options in parenthesis. This is a great recipe for people who can't have gluten or grain flours. The egg can also be replaced with flax seed emulsion and the honey replaced with agave or maple syrup to make this recipe vegan.

Almond Flour Scones
8 servings

2 cups blanched almonds, ground (you can grind your own or buy them ground into meal for the same price as whole at Nutter's. Go on 20% off day and buy a large bag, you can freeze it.)
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 large free range egg (1/4 cup flax seed emulsion can be used in place of egg, see below *)
1/4 cup honey (or maple syrup)
1/2 cup organic cooking dates, chopped to about raisin size (can use raisins... see variations below)
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/2 tsp ground cardamom

Grind almonds to a fine powder in a blender or coffe grinder (I just use the course almond meal AS IS from Nutter's, our local bulk health food store). Mix in baking soda well, rubbing into the almonds with your fingers to combine. Add cardamom and set aside. Whisk eggs or flax seed emulsion with honey or maple syrup and vanilla. Stir whisked egg and syrup into almond flour and stir in dates. Let batter sit for about 5 minutes to thicken. Drop onto oiled cookie sheet and bake at 350 F for about 8-10 minutes. Let cool before removing from tray (or they may break apart).

Variations
- 1/2 cup grain sweetened dairy free or regular chocolate chips and a pinch of cinnamon
- 1/2 cup frozen blueberries and a tsp or organic lemon zest
- 1/2 cup chopped frozen cranberries and a tsp or organic orange zest
- a dollop of fruit sweetened jam in the middle of each unbaked scone

*Flax Seed Emulsion
Combine 3 part ground flax seeds with one part water. Store in a jar in the fridge for up to one week.

Please feel free to leave a comment with more suggestions on variations. Also, leave me a link to your favorite gluten free recipe. Cheers!

What's For Dinner?

Image by Vegetarian Times

Try this delicious dinner for two.

Edamame Rice Bowls
Recipe by Vegetarian Times

Ingredient List

Serves 2

* 1/2 cup brown rice
* 1 8-oz. bag frozen shelled edamame
* 1/4 cup dried cranberries
* 2 oz. crumbed feta
* 10 pitted kalamata olives, halved
* 3 Tbs. chopped cilantro
* 1 Tbs. olive oil
* 1 Tbs. lime juice
* 1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes

Directions

1. Bring 1 1/4 cups water to a boil, stir in rice, and season with salt. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer 45 minutes, or until rice is tender.
2. Bring 2 cups salted water to a boil, add edamame, and cook 2 minutes, or until tender; drain and set aside.
3. Toss together rice, edamame, cranberries, feta, olives, cilantro, olive oil, lime juice, and red pepper flakes in large bowl. Season with salt and pepper.

Nutritional Information

Per SERVING: Calories: 540, Protein: 20g, Total fat: 24.5g, Saturated fat: 6g, Carbs: 63g, Cholesterol: 25mg, Sodium: 778mg, Fiber: 9g, Sugars: 14g