calories

Too, Too, Too, Tuna

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I don’t know about you, Gentle Reader, but after enjoying this recent festive holiday season, I am feeling both penniless and puffy.

So, what’s a girl to do?

I cut back, both in calories and costs.  But protein is really important health wise (the ancestors of humans came down out of the trees and started making shoes and reading Mad magazine once they began eating protein). 

One of my life-long favorite foods is also a cheap protein that’s really good for you.

It’s canned tuna.

But first, I am Italian, and as a descendant of the boot, I have very strict notions about food.  And one of those beliefs is that cheese and fish do not belong together; except in a filet o’ fish, which is technically neither.  So, don’t come at me about tuna melt.  It’s an abomination.

Nope.

But back to the fish.

You can eat tuna on just about anything that will hold it—from a fork, to a freshly baked fancy French croissant (Petey’s choice).

A few ideas:When I’m feeling especially off track, and in need of nutrition but very limited calories, I opt for a roll-up.  You can use zucchini, cucumber, carrot, sliced into thin strips, but I just love Boston bib lettuce.  I’m not actually fond of the lettuce with anything but tuna, somehow the astringent flavor of the lettuce works well with the rich, fecund tuna and its additions.When I’ve made a special trip to Whole Foods or La Farm Bakery Cafe for some of Chef Lionel’s Vatinet’s fresh, delicious, bracing sourdough miche, I have a sandwich on it.  There are few breads that even come close to Chef Lionel’s.  Frankly, it’s tough to find anything that comes close to the flavor and quality of the product they make and serve at La Farm.

And, when I was a child the stable we belonged to Lazy R, had a snack bar, and they served it on a buttered, toasted bun.  I still love it that way.And, when I’m feeling a little more laissez-faire health-wise, a special treat for the entire Matthews family is to eat tuna with a big old stack of scoop-shaped corn chips.  Fritos sells scoops, but the dollar store usually sells a generic brand that’s just as good as the name brand, and about two or three dollars cheaper.

Avocado can be a delicious partner for tuna.  Put it in the hole of a halved, seeded veg.  You can dice it up and mix it in the tuna, along with a splash of citrus juice to reduce oxidation, which causes browning.  Or, and stay with me now, mash up the avocado, and use in the place of mayo. Just try it.

Mix-ins.  I have a confession.  It doesn’t matter how puffy I’m feeling, I love mayonnaise on my tuna most of all.  But, I don’t drown it (unlike a Petey and a Kid that shall go nameless).  I leave the meat in chunks, and toss it with enough mayo to barely coat it.

Then I add interesting, tasty, and nutritious ingredients that ups the flavor and the healthy.Not always, but occasionally I add hard-cooked egg.  It’s great for stretching both egg and tuna.  It also changes the flavor completely, but in a really good way.  It’s like a disguise.

I always start with a big shake of toasted sesame seed.  It’s fiber, vitamins, and minerals in an almost unnoticeable way.  White onion, for me is non-negotiable, I love the crunch and that pop of onion funk. Image result for sesame sunflower seedsThen lately, I’ve started using sunflower seeds.  The texture it adds is addictive.  I’d miss it if I left it out. Petey’s not a fan, but The Kid’s a true convert.

What this new addition tells me is that to keep riffing on tuna.  That it’s never too late to teach an old tuna eater some new mix-ins. Thanks for your time.

The Miller’s Tale

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Paint, wood conditioner, and summer clothing that wrinkles if you look at it funny are the seed’s historical uses.  But until recently, they were definitely not for eating.

The seed to which I refer is flax seeds, or linseeds.

Today, seeds are very popular additions to diets.  Some people argue that they contain all the nutrition that the mature plant or fruit would contain.  I’m not sure they’re quite that magical but they are mighty little nutritional powerhouses.

Let’s look at those flaxseeds.  The alternate name, linseed comes from the Latin nomenclature: Linum usitatissimum.Omega 3 and 6 fatty acids are essential for heart health.  It can prevent heart disease and lessen the chances of heart attack in people with pre-existing heart disease.  The body doesn’t produce fatty acids so we have to procure it from outside sources.  Fish is a really good source, but most of us don’t eat enough.

Some people eat fish oil in the form of dietary supplements.  But, there are two utterly ominous words that I’ve heard in reference to fish oil pills which guarantee that those aquatic tablets will never pass my lips: “fish burps”.Flaxseeds though, have two to four times the amount of omega 3’s that humans need to reap a 30% reduction in the risk of heart-related death.

I’d like to share a couple of quick facts concerning calories.  If you look at the fine print, many nutrition labels are based on a 2000 calories a day diet.  But, unless you’re a professional athlete in training, that number is really high for most people.The simple rule of thumb for daily consumption of calories is ten times the weight to which you aspire.  So, if you want to weigh 150 pounds, you eat 1500 calories.

This number is also necessary to calculate the correct number of fiber grams you need.  Scientists recommend we eat 14 grams of fiber per 1000 calories you consume.  And one tablespoon of flaxseed contains 2.8 grams of fiber.  For me, that one tablespoon is 15% of the fiber I need.

There are two types of fiber in the world, soluble and non-soluble.  Soluble can be broken down during digestion; non-soluble, as the name suggests, does not and passes through your body virtually unchanged.Flaxseeds contain both.  But, to get the soluble fiber, they must be broken down outside your body in a mechanical fashion.  Which means milling.

You can purchase them pre-milled.  But I like the whole seeds in things like fruit salad and tuna or chicken salad.  So I buy them whole.  Whole, they add both flavor and a chewy texture.To get both types of fiber and unlock all the other nutrients, I grind them in an electric coffee grinder which I use exclusively for spices.  You can pick one up for under $20.

Once ground, they can be added to baked goods, salad dressing, yogurt, smoothies, and even something like breading for meat.  You absolutely cannot tell they’re in there and they don’t add any type of weird texture.  The only effect is a slight thickening in liquids, so you may have to thin them slightly.

Most weeks I give you a recipe.  But this week, I offer only information.  Because if you think about it, you can come up with all kinds of dishes to which you can add a solid punch of nutrition.

So you’ve come to the end of the column only to find out that this week it’s a do it yourself-er.So really, thanks very much for your time this week.