There’s no reason why kids – any kids – can’t eat good, real food. Adapted from a New York Times recipe, this recipe is modified for allergy by omitting all bovine dairy and all gluten sources. Manchego (sheep’s) cheese is the substitute for stronger Parmesan and Gruyere cheeses. The spice is dropped for kids’ palates here too, by omitting Tabasco and using the milder (and less allergenic) Manchego. The result is a pleasing, easy to eat, nourishing meal that kids with feeding or texture issues can enjoy.
Tuna Manchego Souffle
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Your kids can feel fancy and enjoy a truly nourishing, restorative food in this dish. Use straight-sided ramekins for baking; use four 1.5 cup capacity ramekins for four adult servings, or six 1 cup capacity for six toddler size servings. I find that Manchego cheese from Spain is routinely available at my local Costco.
Your kids can feel fancy and enjoy a truly nourishing, restorative food in this dish. Use straight-sided ramekins for baking; use four 1.5 cup capacity ramekins for four adult servings, or six 1 cup capacity for six toddler size servings. I find that Manchego cheese from Spain is routinely available at my local Costco.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Using wax paper or paper towel, grease bottoms and sides of your ramekins with ghee. Place them in the refrigerator to chill before baking.
Melt a tablespoon of the ghee in a saucepan, and add onion. Cook on medium heat til softened, 2-3 minutes. Add finely minced tuna and stir til warmed through. Remove it from heat and set aside on a plate or cutting board. Don't let the tuna onion mixture dry out by overheating.
In a 1 quart sauce pan, bring almond and coconut milks to barely a simmer. Remove from heat, cover, and set aside.
Melt 3 tablespoons of the butter in a saucepan and add GF flour blend. Stir rapidly with a wire whisk to smooth, blended texture. Then add warm milk, and whisk rapidly until the mixture is thick and smooth.
Blend the starch (tapioca, potato, or arrowroot) with the water to an even smooth blend in a small cup. Add it to the simmering mixture. Whisk in the mustard, Worcestershire, cayenne, salt and pepper. The mixture should be thick and smooth but not sticky. If it is too thin, remove a half cup of mixture to a small dish and add a half teaspoon more starch. Blend to thicken, then add this back to the pot, and stir steadily on medium high heat until it thickens.
Add egg yolks and continue briskly whisking the mixture for a few seconds, then remove it from heat.
In a mixing bowl, beat egg whites until stiff peaks form. Set aside.
Stir grated cheese into the warm mixture, then add about a third of the beaten egg whites. Stir quickly until well blended. Then add the rest of the egg whites and fold them in gently with a rubber spatula.
Fill chilled souffle dishes to about 3/4 full. Arrange dishes on a baking sheet and place in the oven. Bake 20 minutes, until well puffed and golden brown on top. Serve immediately.
Tuna Pesto? It’s good. I modified this recipe from a cookbook I was gifted many years ago, of traditional Italian pasta sauces. One of the recipes called for a can of tuna, which sounded awful, until I tried it. It’s delicious. Merging that recipe with a basil pesto – minus the Parmesan and boosted on lemon – produced my version below.
Most of us are not eating a lot of tuna these days. But I keep this recipe in my rotation because it is so easy and fast to make, and it’s versatile – it can pair with anything from gluten free pasta (for picky eaters working on transition away from grains) to green beans, cauliflower, on a baked potato, or in a soft tortilla. Use a lentil pasta to keep the whole meal grain free. You can also vary the nut or seed choice; my favorite is raw sprouted pumpkin seeds, but classic walnut or pine nut are wonderful too; raw sunflower seeds work as well. I like unseasoned, raw or sprouted seeds or nuts for best flavor.
Note: Worcestershire sauce can be tricky to find gluten free, and without stuff like corn syrup – but it is a major piece of the puzzle in this recipe’s flavor. Don’t skip it. Find The Wizard’s brand gluten free, organic, vegan version and keep it on hand for this and other occasions calling for this complex condiment. In the US, Lea & Perrins claims to be GF also.
Paleo Tuna Pesto
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An unexpected variation on the usual pesto! If your family tolerates nuts, try this with walnuts or pine nuts. Enjoy tossed with cooked vegetables, a favorite pasta of any type, as a crostini or bagel spread, packable school lunch dip, or rolled up in soft tacos.
An unexpected variation on the usual pesto! If your family tolerates nuts, try this with walnuts or pine nuts. Enjoy tossed with cooked vegetables, a favorite pasta of any type, as a crostini or bagel spread, packable school lunch dip, or rolled up in soft tacos.
Start vegetables or pasta that you will be using with the sauce: Green beans, cauliflower, broccoli or Romanesco are delicious with this sauce. Steam, roast, or sear to desired doneness, about 15 minutes. While these are cooking, assemble the sauce.
Place half the olive oil in a food processor. Add the drained tuna, seeds or nuts, lemon wedge (washed and seeds removed), Worcestershire, ginger root, and fresh herbs. Slowly add the remaining olive oil, and process until smooth.
Once blended, here is the consistency you're after. Adjust salt and pepper to taste, process to blend.
