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Easy Canned Tuna Poke Bowl

Posted on by Sarah

Want to recreate restaurant-style poke bowls on the cheap? Use canned tuna and canned crab in this easy canned tuna poke bowl!



Not long ago I posed a question on A Love Letter to Food’s Facebook page:

I love asking open-ended questions on social media because, not only does it get plenty of engagement from readers, but usually gets me thinking. When I asked this particular question, friends and followers had PLENTY of answers. And, seeing as how most of us have been deprived of the restaurant experience for weeks, if not months, I get it. I’m chomping at the bit as much as anyone to actually go OUT to eat.

In fact, for me, the Covid-19 restaurant ban has actually been a proving ground for determining which restaurants actually have good food and which I apparently go to for their ambiance or other factors. If all I can get is takeout, that takeout better be worth it! One type of restaurant whose food I’ve realized I genuinely miss? Poke bowl joints.

A wee bit of backstory: It took me until about age 30 before I ever acquiesced to eating sushi. Like most sushi-averse folks, the thought of eating raw fish seemed SO VERY WRONG. But eventually my husband convinced me to try a local sushi place with famously fresh rolls and my eyes were opened to the amazingness of this culinary wonder. After getting on the sushi bandwagon, you better believe poke bowls were an easy next step. I love their combo of mild and spicy flavors, and they can be surprisingly healthy, too!

Besides that, poke bowls are the Chipotle burritos of Asian food–convenient, customizable, and uncomplicated. And, even though we can’t eat them at restaurants at the moment, they’re pretty easy to make at home. This version is super budget-friendly, using canned tuna and canned crab (I know, it could be a lot fancier with sushi-grade tuna, but we’re going for inexpensive here, mmkay?) Topped with a spicy sriracha aioli–my favorite part of any poke bowl–these are a tasty at-home version of the fast-casual favorite.

So add what you like, take out what you like, and enjoy!

Print Recipe
1 from 2 votes

Easy Canned Tuna Poke Bowl

Quick to prep and easy on your budget, this canned tuna poke bowl is a great at-home version of a restaurant favorite.
Prep Time10 mins
Cook Time25 mins
Servings: 4

Ingredients

For the sriracha aioli:

  • 1/2 c. mayonnaise
  • 1 Tbsp. sriracha sauce
  • 2 tsp. lemon juice
  • 1/4 tsp. garlic powder
  • salt, to taste

For the poke bowls:

  • 1 1/2 c. dry white rice
  • 10 oz. frozen edamame
  • 5.3 oz. can albacore tuna packed in water, drained
  • 6 oz. can white crab meat, drained
  • 1 c. shredded carrot
  • 1 c. cucumber, diced
  • fried onions, for garnish
  • sesame seeds, for garnish
  • sliced green onions, for garnish

Instructions

Make the sriracha aioli:

  • In a measuring cup, whisk together all ingredients. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Make the bowls:

  • In a large pot, make rice according to package directions. Meanwhile, microwave edamame according to package directions and prep all other ingredients.
  • Assemble 4 individual bowls, dividing rice, edamame, tuna, crab, carrot, and cucumber among all. Garnish with fried onions, sesame seeds, and green onions. Top with sriracha aioli.

Notes

A Love Letter to Food original recipe.

Yellow Grapefruit Bars

Posted on by Sarah

Yellow grapefruit bars are lemon bars’ mellow yellow cousin! Try this refreshing baked dessert with fresh-squeezed juice!

My husband calls these yellow grapefruit bars a “sleeper dessert.” You know the kind: the food you don’t think you’re gonna like that much or doesn’t seem that tasty at first…and then it grows on you. And I have to say, I think he’s right.

When I first whipped them up as a last-minute Easter dessert, I wasn’t sure what to expect of them, either. They were mainly an excuse to use up some of the many yellow grapefruits I’d been gifted from my mom’s over-producing citrus tree. Besides, with the coronavirus situation, I really don’t want to go to the store any more than I have to right now…so using up ingredients I have on hand sounded like a solid plan.

I’d made Ina Garten’s lemon bar recipe recently, with delicious results, and was thrilled to have finally found one that didn’t end up runny on top, squishy on bottom. (If you’ve ever made an unsuccessful attempt at lemon bars, you know what a miracle it is to find a great recipe.) Could this tried-and-true recipe hold steady with a substitution of grapefruit juice–and a few other tweaks?

Why, yes, it could–and it did!

These grapefruit bars turned out yummy at first, but as their flavor deepened over 24 hours or so, they got even tastier. (Hence their “sleeper dessert” status.) Their flavor isn’t as tart as lemon, but if you’re not a fan of pucker-up acidity, that may be just fine for you. The shortbread crust holds together beautifully with the help of a splash of milk, since I always find shortbread needs a bit of extra moisture to keep from crumbling. And their fruity, gooey filling? Perfectly smooth AND doesn’t stick to the knife when you’re trying to haul them out of the pan.

If you need a springy sweet fix (and who couldn’t use a little something sweet in these tough times?) a pan of these will do the trick.

(P.S. Did you know there are at least five different types of grapefruit?) I can’t say if this recipe would work with any of the other interesting varieties, but it’s certainly worth a try!)

Print Recipe
2 from 1 vote

Grapefruit bars

Grapefruit bars are lemon bars' mellow yellow cousin! Try these with fresh-squeezed juice.
Prep Time15 mins
Cook Time1 hr
Course: Dessert
Servings: 16

Ingredients

For the crust:

  • 1 c. butter
  • 1/2 c. sugar
  • 2 c. all-purpose flour
  • 1/8 tsp. salt
  • 1/2 Tbsp. milk or half and half

For the filling:

  • 6 large or extra-large eggs
  • 2 3/4 c. sugar
  • 2 Tbsp. grated yellow grapefruit zest
  • 1 c. fresh yellow grapefruit juice
  • 1 c. all-purpose flour
  • powdered sugar, for topping

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a 9 x 13 inch baking dish.

Make the crust:

  • In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar. Add flour and salt and mix. Add milk and stir until dough holds together. Press into the bottom of prepared pan evenly. Bake 25-28 minutes or until lightly browned.

Make the filling:

  • Wipe out the bowl you used to make the crust. Whisk together the eggs, sugar, grapefruit zest, grapefruit juice, and flour. When the crust is done, pour this mixture over it and return to the oven for another 30 to 35 minutes.
  • Cool and dust with powdered sugar. Cut into squares.

Notes

Adapted from The Food Network.

 

Lemon Ricotta Muffins

Posted on by Sarah

These Lemon Ricotta Muffins are sweet, rich, and cake-like–even though they contain whole wheat flour and not a ton of sugar!

Even though I live in one of the hottest places in the country, I still always look forward to the end of winter and the beginning of spring. (Especially now that I’m getting older and seem to be turning into a cranky old lady about the cold.) Here in Phoenix, one of the signature harbingers of spring–along with our beautiful wildflowers and the snowbirds leaving town–is the harvesting of lemons.

I don’t have a producing lemon tree myself, but my mom does, and BOY does that thing produce. There’s no way I could get through the lemon juice from the 49,000 lemons she brought over recently (in addition to the 49,000 I’m sure she also has at her house), but I of course want to hang on to it for use in tasty muffins, sauces, desserts, and more.

My favorite method for preserving all that good, fresh juice? Freezing it in a handy-dandy ice cube tray.

A couple of weekends ago, I enlisted my eight-year-old daughter to help me with juicing–a task she actually seems to enjoy. There really is something kind of fun about watching the whirring devastation of the juicer emptying lemons of their insides. We let it do its quick work, poured the juice into individual little wells, and…

Boom! Fresh lemon juice for months to come!

Now that I have a freezer full of lemon juice, I’ve been going a little nuts with the lemon recipes. The other day I made a batch of these lemon ricotta muffins–which was a bit of a leap of faith, because the lemon ricotta muffin recipes I’ve tried in the past have been a complete disaster. (Granted, that’s probably because I tried to substitute cottage cheese for ricotta and ended up with hard, chewy balls of baked cheese in each bite. Learn from my mistakes: Do NOT use cottage cheese for ricotta in baked goods.)

These muffins, on the other hand, turned out delicious, with a rich, cake-like texture. The creamy ricotta added moisture while eliminating the need for butter or oil. And not only did these taste like spring with their light lemon flavor, some pretty muffin liners (from TJ Maxx) made them look extra fresh and appealing–almost like Arizona wildflowers blooming right out of my oven.

For an Easter brunch or sweet afternoon snack, give these Lemon Ricotta Muffins a try! And tell me in the comments: What flavors make you think of spring?

This post contains an affiliate link. This means I have received compensation for including it.

Print Recipe

Lemon Ricotta Muffins

Rich, cake-like, and full of lemony flavor, these muffins are a special treat!
Prep Time15 mins
Cook Time20 mins
Course: Breakfast
Servings: 12 muffins

Ingredients

  • 1/2 c. white whole wheat flour
  • 1 1/4 c. all-purpose flour
  • 2/3 c. granulated sugar
  • 2 1/2 tsp. baking powder
  • 1/4 tsp. salt
  • 3/4 c. ricotta cheese
  • 1/2 c. almond milk
  • 1/4 c. olive oil
  • 1 egg, lightly beaten
  • 1 Tbsp. lemon zest
  • 2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease a 12-cup muffin tin, or line with paper liners.
  • In a large bowl, mix both flours, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Make a well in the center and add all remaining ingredients. Stir gently until combined.
  • Divide batter among muffin cups and bake 16-20 minutes. To retain freshness, store baked muffins in the refrigerator.

Notes

Adapted from MyRecipes.

 

Crock Pot Mexican Chicken & Corn Chowder

Posted on by Sarah
This Crock Pot Mexican Chicken and Corn Chowder is a delicious and easy fix-and-forget meal for busy weeknights!


My kids have been playing piano for a number of years now. We were blessed to have a teacher who came to our house weekly for six years, and I guess I never knew how good we had it in this convenient setup. I didn’t have to cart everyone off to someone else’s house one day after school, and got to prep dinner to the sounds of gradually improving classical tunes (also to the sounds of my kids not fighting with each other for an hour and a half because they were occupied with piano).

Now, however, our beloved piano teacher has taken a job as a computer programmer. (Sadly, teaching piano lessons isn’t the most lucrative career. I get it.) For several months, we’ve been trying to nail down lessons with a new teacher, to no avail. Finally, though, we’re locked in with someone I think is going to work out well–phew!

The only problem? She’s only available from 5:00 to 6:30 PM, RIGHT when I’d normally make dinner. So what do you do when your kids’ new piano teacher can only do lessons when you’d rather be home slicing and dicing so you can eat on time?

You Crock Pot it up, that’s what.

 

This Crock Pot Mexican Chicken & Corn Chowder saved the day this week when I knew I’d be indisposed in the early evening. With a little work in the afternoon, our family was able to come home to something warm and filling–and oh-so-tasty–for dinner.

The original recipe from Chelsea’s Messy Apron (the one that made me say, “YES, I MUST EAT THAT AT ALL COSTS”) had the enticing phrase “Mexican street corn” in its title–and yeah, I could see where you could kinda get a street corn vibe from this soup. But to me, it wasn’t so strong that this actually seemed like eating a bowl of street corn.

Even so, this was a darn delicious Mexican-flavored chowder my whole family loved! It’s got chicken for protein, black beans for fiber, and two types of corn for sweetness and crunch. You may think the single cup of chicken broth that goes into it won’t be enough, but don’t add more! You’ll be surprised at the end that there’s plenty of liquid.

The other great thing about this soup is that it has just enough spice from a bit of chili powder, cumin, and paprika. No one (not even my 8-year-old) said it was too spicy, which tells me it has just enough kick. I served it with my Perfect Cornbread Muffins and we were able to sit down to dinner by 7:00.

Now…which Crock Pot meal am I gonna make this week (and the next, and the next, and…)? Drop me your favorite slow cooker recipes in the comments!

Print Recipe

Crock Pot Mexican Chicken & Corn Chowder

This Crock Pot Mexican Chicken & Corn Chowder has it all: chicken, corn, black beans, a creamy, cheesy broth, and just enough spice!
Prep Time15 mins
Cook Time4 hrs
Course: Main Course
Servings: 8

Ingredients

  • 1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breast
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 c. chicken broth
  • 2 14.75-oz. cans cream-style corn
  • 1.5 c. frozen fire-roasted corn
  • 1 15-oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained
  • 1 4-oz. can diced green chilies
  • 2 tsp. chili powder
  • 1/2 tsp. paprika
  • 1 1/4 tsp. cumin
  • 1 c. grated Mexican blend cheese
  • 1 c. half and half
  • additional cheese, avocado, tortilla strips, etc. for serving

Instructions

  • Place chicken breasts in the bottom of a large slow cooker. Add garlic, chicken broth, cream-style corn, frozen corn, black beans, chilies, chili powder, paprika, and cumin and stir to combine.
  • Cook on low for 5-6 hours or on high 3-4 hours.
  • Remove chicken and shred, then return to the slow cooker. Add shredded cheese and half and half, stir, and re-cover. Heat an additional 15 minutes or until hot. Serve immediately.

Notes

Adapted from Chelsea's Messy Apron.

Peach Green Smoothie

Posted on by Sarah

Happy New Year! I hope this holiday season has been treating you well. Get anything cool for Christmas? My husband got me a Nutribullet–aka mega blender extraordinaire. My previous blender was, shall we say, lacking in power. By which I mean it was a hunk of garbage that took 15 minutes just to make a smoothie. And since I love smoothies as an easy afternoon snack that packs in nutrients from fruits and veggies, I’ve been wanting a more capable blender for quite some time.

So far, the Nutribullet delivers! (Even though I gave my husband a hard time about buying me something so pricey and nice.)

The blender comes with a smoothie-cup attachment that screws directly onto the base, which of course is super convenient. I decided to try it out with this refreshing peach green smoothie!

I’m not usually one for green smoothies, but with holiday indulgences edging out my veggie consumption the last week or so, something green sounded like it would hit the spot. To get my eight-year-old daughter to try it with me, I told her it contained a secret ingredient that she had to guess. Once she saw the grassy green color of the smoothie, she had some pretty good guesses, like cucumber and mint–but she certainly didn’t taste the true reason for the lovely green: spinach!

Even I couldn’t tell this smooth concoction contained leafy greens.

Instead of tasting bitter or savory, this smoothie was pure refreshment. (My daughter even said she wants me to make it again.) The peach, honey, and banana shone through for an afternoon pick-me-up that made me wonder why I don’t pop spinach into more smoothies. With its fiber, calcium, and vitamins C and K, it’s a great way to get some extra nutrients around the holidays or any time. If you can’t even taste it, might as well toss it in!

And now that I have the Nutribullet, anyone want an old blender?

Print Recipe

Green Peach Smoothie

This fruity green smoothie is so refreshing! Despite its green color, peach flavor shines through with a sweetness that covers the spinach hidden inside.
Prep Time5 mins
Total Time5 mins
Servings: 2

Ingredients

  • 1 frozen banana
  • 1 1/2 c. frozen sliced peaches
  • 2 c. fresh spinach
  • 1 Tbsp. honey
  • 3/4 c. unsweetened almond milk
  • 3/4 c. plain Greek yogurt

Instructions

  • Blend all ingredients until smooth. Serve immediately.

Notes

A Love Letter to Food original recipe.