Countdown to Universal has begun! In two weeks The Boy and I will be headed on a much anticipated trip to Florida. We will be spending a full week traversing the many Universal parks and embracing the kid-like wonderment inside. This trip was my present to him for his 30th birthday back in January, so needless to say, the buildup has been torture. It will be his first time on a plane as well as our first real vacation together as a couple. We are very excited.
When I initially purchased this non refundable trip (hotel, airfare and all access passes) I was gainfully employed and looking for a suitably awesome gift for a milestone birthday. Now as the date approaches we find ourselves in a bit of a financial pickle, which adds a level of stress to our vacation plans. Since everything else is already paid for, our main expenses will solely be food. Luck would have it I had been squirrelling away some cash over the last few months so we will be attempting to spend a week at Universal on a $600 cash budget.
I am well aware that nothing is cheap at theme parks. Add to this my dietary restrictions and there is a recipe for nervous making feelings. However, I am determined that we will stick as close to our budget as possible, while getting our necessary nutrients and have fun as well. I am already plotting out all the possible cheap places to eat as well as closest grocery stores to our hotel.
Wish us luck!!
G.
Saturday, May 25, 2013
Wednesday, May 15, 2013
G Eats: Tuna Salad Rolls
We've had some confused weather around here lately. Last week everyone was out in full force donning summer clothing, only to be rudely interrupted by hail on the weekend. We were left to frantically pull out our freshly packed away cold weather wear. My beach volleyball team toughed it out in icy sands, then I awoke the next morning to a beautiful warm sunny day. Although Mother Nature can't quite make up her mind there is one constant here in my humble abode: even the slightest rise in temperature outside turns my apartment into a stuffy hot box.
Naturally when it gets hot inside I try to keep the stove/oven use to a minimum. We eat a lot of snack plates around here in the summer months. In a bid to keep our food interesting, even if I'm not cooking it, I've started experimenting with using sheets of nori to make cold rolls.
The other night I was left on my own for dinner and feeling rather lazy. I decided to whip up a batch of paleo mayo and have some tuna salad. *A note on mayo {paleo or otherwise}: if you are not making your own mayo, you should be! Fresh homemade mayo tastes sooooo much better than any of the store bought crap. Also with the use of a regular or immersion blender it's easy to toss together a batch. I strongly believe that my salads requiring a mayo dressing greatly benefit from a homemade approach.*
Now, let me say, there's nothing fancy about my standard tuna salad. It's just canned tuna, mayo, celery, onions, salt, pepper, dill and paprika. Sometimes I add a little more heat to it if I'm in the mood for spice, but I like the simplicity of it. Initially I had planned on just eating it with a fork right out of the bowl leaning against the counter like the classy girl I am. Then I figured I'd toss it on some lettuce and perhaps sit down. But the nori beckoned to me from the cupboard and it whispered tuna salad rolls.
Tuna Salad Rolls
For the tuna salad:
1 Can flaked tuna in water; drained
2-3 Tbsp Mayo {hopefully homemade}
1 Celery stalk; diced
1-2 Green onions; diced {use just the white part here and reserve the green tops for the rolls}
1-2 tsp fresh or dried dill {or to taste}
1-2 pinches of paprika
Salt & Pepper to taste
Mix all ingredients in a bowl until evenly combined. Adjust seasonings to taste. Set aside in fridge.
For the rolls:
1-2 Sheets of nori {the number of sheets you use will depend on how thick you want your rolls}
1/3 Cucumber; seeded and cut into matchsticks
1-2 Green onion tops; sliced lengthwise
1/2 Carrot; cut into matchsticks {or you can use a carrot slaw mix like I did to save time}
1/2-1 Cup shredded lettuce
Tuna Salad
Lay out a sheet of nori on a cutting board. Sprinkle it with a little bit of water to make it pliant. I just wet my finger tips and flicked the water onto the sheet so it was slightly damp but not so wet that it would tear once I started to roll.
Start by laying down some of the tuna salad. I leave about an inch and a half of the nori sheet closest to me empty so I have room to start to roll from. Layer your vegetable matchsticks on top followed by the lettuce. Now you should have a mound of filling ready to be rolled up. The amount of filling you put in will not only determine how large your rolls will be but it will affect how easy it is to roll the nori. I'm not an expert at rolling nori so I just went with the good old trial and error method for this.
Grab the end closest to you and pull it up over your fillings. You want to tuck it over as your begin to roll and really focus on keeping it tight so your salad stays nicely secure in the nori package. Roll all the way up to the end and make sure it adheres so your roll stays together. Repeat with remaining ingredients.
Once all your rolls are made you can then cut them into your desired size. You can keep them longer like the size of a spring roll or cut them more bite sized like sushi. I suggest you use a very sharp knife that you clean off after every cut or two or it'll become harder to cut through your rolls.
Plate and enjoy!
Note: Feel free to play around with the tuna salad flavourings. This is just a basic recipe so you can add whatever spices or ingredients you want to make it more exciting. If you're not a mayo person use a mashed up avocado instead. Hate tuna? Chicken salad would work as well. You could also just lay down the mashed up avocado and put the remaining ingredients on top for a vegetarian friendly roll. The sky's the limit!
G.
Naturally when it gets hot inside I try to keep the stove/oven use to a minimum. We eat a lot of snack plates around here in the summer months. In a bid to keep our food interesting, even if I'm not cooking it, I've started experimenting with using sheets of nori to make cold rolls.
The other night I was left on my own for dinner and feeling rather lazy. I decided to whip up a batch of paleo mayo and have some tuna salad. *A note on mayo {paleo or otherwise}: if you are not making your own mayo, you should be! Fresh homemade mayo tastes sooooo much better than any of the store bought crap. Also with the use of a regular or immersion blender it's easy to toss together a batch. I strongly believe that my salads requiring a mayo dressing greatly benefit from a homemade approach.*
Now, let me say, there's nothing fancy about my standard tuna salad. It's just canned tuna, mayo, celery, onions, salt, pepper, dill and paprika. Sometimes I add a little more heat to it if I'm in the mood for spice, but I like the simplicity of it. Initially I had planned on just eating it with a fork right out of the bowl leaning against the counter like the classy girl I am. Then I figured I'd toss it on some lettuce and perhaps sit down. But the nori beckoned to me from the cupboard and it whispered tuna salad rolls.
Tuna Salad Rolls
For the tuna salad:
1 Can flaked tuna in water; drained
2-3 Tbsp Mayo {hopefully homemade}
1 Celery stalk; diced
1-2 Green onions; diced {use just the white part here and reserve the green tops for the rolls}
1-2 tsp fresh or dried dill {or to taste}
1-2 pinches of paprika
Salt & Pepper to taste
Mix all ingredients in a bowl until evenly combined. Adjust seasonings to taste. Set aside in fridge.
For the rolls:
1-2 Sheets of nori {the number of sheets you use will depend on how thick you want your rolls}
1/3 Cucumber; seeded and cut into matchsticks
1-2 Green onion tops; sliced lengthwise
1/2 Carrot; cut into matchsticks {or you can use a carrot slaw mix like I did to save time}
1/2-1 Cup shredded lettuce
Tuna Salad
Lay out a sheet of nori on a cutting board. Sprinkle it with a little bit of water to make it pliant. I just wet my finger tips and flicked the water onto the sheet so it was slightly damp but not so wet that it would tear once I started to roll.
Start by laying down some of the tuna salad. I leave about an inch and a half of the nori sheet closest to me empty so I have room to start to roll from. Layer your vegetable matchsticks on top followed by the lettuce. Now you should have a mound of filling ready to be rolled up. The amount of filling you put in will not only determine how large your rolls will be but it will affect how easy it is to roll the nori. I'm not an expert at rolling nori so I just went with the good old trial and error method for this.
Grab the end closest to you and pull it up over your fillings. You want to tuck it over as your begin to roll and really focus on keeping it tight so your salad stays nicely secure in the nori package. Roll all the way up to the end and make sure it adheres so your roll stays together. Repeat with remaining ingredients.
Once all your rolls are made you can then cut them into your desired size. You can keep them longer like the size of a spring roll or cut them more bite sized like sushi. I suggest you use a very sharp knife that you clean off after every cut or two or it'll become harder to cut through your rolls.
Plate and enjoy!
Note: Feel free to play around with the tuna salad flavourings. This is just a basic recipe so you can add whatever spices or ingredients you want to make it more exciting. If you're not a mayo person use a mashed up avocado instead. Hate tuna? Chicken salad would work as well. You could also just lay down the mashed up avocado and put the remaining ingredients on top for a vegetarian friendly roll. The sky's the limit!
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