I am a sucker for egg rolls, you can buy those thick doughy egg roll wrappers at your local supermarket, usually found in the produce section, to wrap your own at home. I’m not knocking them because I’ve used them tons of times to make some delicious egg rolls. BUT if you want to make the real deal egg rolls (or spring rolls) you need to use a thin wrapper. These are found in the freezer section of your local Asian Market.

If you live in, around, or near Omaha you MUST go check out Asian Market (on N 76 ST between Dodge and Cass). Most of the ethnic groceries stores in town are small and crammed with lots of food with labels you can’t read. Well Asian Market is your small ethnic grocery store on STEROIDS. It is HUGE! Here is a link to Omaha World Herald article written about the store.

We visited the store on Sunday and boy were they busy. It was slightly overwhelming and over stimulating. There was so much stuff I’ve never seen. Such brightly colored labels and words I couldn’t read. I honestly didn’t know where to look. I’m excited to go back and give it another look-see. They have a full service meat counter, a giant lobster tank, a nice size produce section with fruits and vegetables you don’t typically find at regular grocery stores, and the longest wall of noodles I have ever seen. Who know there were so many different types of noodles? I didn’t check prices, but if you’re looking to buy rice in bulk you have many options at this store.

I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw this spiny fruit in the produce section. I thought I would have to leave the country or at least Nebraska to see this spiny monster. Do you know what it is? It is a durian fruit. It is just about the only thing that I’ve seen Andrew Zimmerman (from Bizarre Foods) get squeamish about. I’m actually very curious how it tastes. Any Omaha people want to try a durian?

The recipe I basically used for the egg rolls was from Steamy Kitchen (a former Nebraska girl!) These are her mother’s FAMOUS egg rolls. With a name like that how can you pass them up? I used thinly sliced chicken in my egg rolls and halved the recipe, I didn’t need 50 egg rolls laying around. Don’t be intimidated by the length of the directions. These really aren’t impossible to make.

Chicken Spring Rolls
ever so slightly adapted from Steamy Kitchen’s Mother’s Famous Chinese Egg Rolls

Tips for successful egg rolls: Keep the egg roll wrappers under a damp cloth when you aren’t using them. Also make sure you drain the liquid from the filling. Soggy egg rolls are not good! Don’t over stuff these bad boys! You only need a tablespoon or so of filling. Make sure you tuck in the sides and roll them tightly. 

50 Spring/Egg Roll Wrappers (about 2 packages), defrosted unopened at room temperature for 45 minutes or in the refrigerator overnight
1 tablespoon cornstarch (or flour) mixed with ¼ cup of cool water
Oil, for frying
FOR THE GROUND PORK (I used thinly sliced chicken breasts)
1 pound ground pork (2-3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, sliced thinly)
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon sugar
freshly ground black pepper
FOR THE VEGETABLES
2 to 3 cloves garlic, very finely minced
½ head of cabbage (about 11 ounces) (I used Nappa cabbage)
3 carrots, shredded
1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
10 fresh shiitake mushrooms (or dried black mushrooms soaked overnight), stems discarded (left out the mushrooms since I’m allergic)
3 scallions, sliced 
1 tablespoon cooking oil (canola, vegetable, peanut)
1 tablespoon Chinese rice wine
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1/4 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sesame oil
Freshly ground black pepper

The easiest way to thinly slice the chicken breasts is to run them through your food processor with the slicing blade while they are still semi frozen. If you don’t have a food processor do your best with a super sharp knife while they are still semi frozen to slice them thinly.

Combine all your ingredients together for the pork or chicken and let marinate for 10 minutes. While the meat is doing its thing, thinly slice your cabbage with a knife or your food processor.

Heat your wok over high heat, swirl around your cooking oil to coat the pan. Stir fry your meat (in batches if necessary) until no longer pink for 3-4 minutes. Turn heat down to medium-high and either remove the meat or push to the side. Add a tiny bit more cooking oil, add garlic, cabbage, carrots, ginger, mushrooms, and scallions. Stir fry for 1-2 minutes or until the veggies are soft. Add the rice wine, soy sauce, sesame oil, sugar and black pepper. Remember to add in the meat if you took it out. Tossing to coat everything, stir fry for another minute.

Remove filling to a jelly roll pan, spreading out the filling so it can quickly cool. Elevate one end of the jelly roll pan so the liquid can drain from the filling. Cool for 15 minutes.

Dab off any excess juices or oil from the mixture and get ready to wrap.

Spread a heaping 1 tablespoon of filling near the bottom corner of the wrapper.

Lift the corner up over the filling and begin to roll. KEEP IT TIGHT!

Fold in the sides and keep rolling to the point. Remembering to KEEP IT TIGHT! Once you reach the top, dip your fingers in the cornstarch/water slurry and “glue” the corner down to seal the egg roll.

At this point you may place the egg rolls in a single layer on a jelly roll pan and freeze for later. Or you can fry them up right away (my vote!).

To fry, fill your wok with about 2 inches of frying oil. Using a thermometer heat the oil to 350 degrees F. Fry in batches, turning occasionally, frying until golden brown 1 1/2 – 2 minutes. Drain of wire rack and allow to cool slightly before sinking your teeth in.

You may fry from frozen, frying for about 4 minutes, or until golden brown. Make sure you allow the oil to come back up to 350 degree F before adding more egg rolls.

What do you order from your favorite Chinese restaurant? I usually order Lo-Mein, but I pretty much like it all  

Recently we went to a friend’s house for a barbecue (I am a huge fan of summertime barbecues). Wonderful food was served including watermelon salsa. I had never had watermelon salsa before and after the first taste, I knew I had to replicate it at home. To some the idea of sweet fruit combined with spicy jalapenos may not sound like a winning combination. Let me stop to remind you that the tomato is actually a fruit so went you are enjoying your favorite salsa you technically are enjoying “fruit” salsa. Right? My Dad and my Grandpa (who I wouldn’t classify as adventurous eaters) tried the salsa and liked it. I think they both said something to the effect of “It is different. Different but good.” as they each scooped up another chip full. If that still doesn’t convince you, I encourage you to follow the advice of my four year old, “Try it. You will like it.”

The watermelon provides a sweet coolness to an otherwise regular tomato salsa. Please make this for your Fourth of July get together or next family barbecue. This is a refreshing snack to enjoy while you are waiting for the coals to heat up, while you are sitting around chit-chatting with friends and family, and/or while you are enjoying a frosty beverage.

Have a happy and safe holiday!

WATERMELON SALSA
inspired by a friend

2 c ripe seedless watermelon, chopped
2 medium tomatoes, chopped
1/2 large red onion, minced
2 jalapenos, minced –remove seeds and membrane if you don’t want it too spicy
handful of cilantro, chopped coarsely
1 lime juiced
season with salt & pepper as needed

Combine all ingredients in serving dish. Stir together. Season accordingly.

Feel free to add more of any ingredient according to your taste preferences. Serve with tortilla chips. Enjoy!

OTHER SALSAS:
Fresh Salsa from Jamie’s Recipes
Fresh Fruit Salsa from Guilty Kitchen
Blueberry Salsa from Kitchen Parade
Peach and Peppadew Salsa from Pinch My Salt
Mango Salsa from The Arugula Files

Forgive me, I haven’t practice Spanish since college, I am a little rusty. What I hope I said is: Happy Cinco de Mayo! I love to celebrate the cultural heritage of Mexico, especially if it is to include Mexican food.

I have posted some of my favorite Mexican recipes time and time again. At 6 months old my uncle was feeding me chips and salsa. Once I got my first taste I couldn’t stop. This is the first salsa recipe I’ve done and truthfully it is more of a method than a recipe. It is easy to make mild or super spicy, in small or large batches, whatever your fiesta requires.

This year I planted a garden which includes tomatoes, jalapenos, and cilantro so I can make garden fresh salsa. I can hardly wait!

SALSA

*This is for a small-medium batch of more spicy than mild salsa

4-6 Roma tomatoes
3-4 jalapenos (*I left in the seeds for added heat)
1/2 white onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
handful of cilantro (no stems)
juice of 1/2 a lime
pinch of salt
tomato juice (enough to make it as liquidy as you want)

Chop tomatoes, peppers, and onions in to small pieces. I like to throw everything into my food processor add garlic and pulse until desired consistency. Add cilantro, lime juice, salt, and tomato juice. Give it a couple more pulses to mix it up. Taste and season accordingly.  ENJOY!

Serve as a dip with tortilla chips and top your tacos or fajitas with it. If you have any leftover it is delicious spooned over scrambled eggs the next morning. Yum!

*If you want a less spicy salsa use fewer jalapenos or remove the seeds and membrane since that is where the heat is.

MORE CINCO DE MAYO RECIPES:

Margarita Cake from Recipe Girl
Grilled Chicken Fajitas from Annie’s Eats
Chunky Guacamole from The Cooking Photographer
Black Bean Guacamole Omelette from Closet Cooking

Many of you may have plans to attend or host a New Year’s Eve party or a New Year’s Day brunch. Here are some recipes from my archives that may inspire you. I hope you all have a happy and healthy 2010. Thank you for reading, I enjoy your comments and feedback so keep it coming.

See you in twenty-ten!

Jamie

NEW YEAR’S EVE IDEAS:

Boneless Chicken Wings

Olive Penguins

Date and Cheddar Cheeseball

Homemade Irish Cream

NEW YEAR’S DAY BRUNCH IDEAS:

The Best Cinnamon Rolls Ever

Gluten Free Sticky Rolls

Marbled Chocolate Banana Cake

Breakfast Cups

Egg Bake or Breakfast Casserole

Many months ago I found these adorable penguins when I was gawking at foodgawker. It was love at first sight. I couldn’t wait until my next party so I could make them.  Luckily for me my penguin loving daughter was having a birthday party. These appetizers were a hit, and they sent the cute factor through the roof.

All you need is two different sized pitted olives (I used jumbo and small), soften cream cheese, whole carrots, and toothpicks. With a little time and effort you too can have an appetizer that will be a real ice breaker at your next party. Sorry for the cheesy pun, I couldn’t resist.

OLIVE PENGUIN APPETIZERS
as seen at Once Upon a Plate
Jumbo pitted olives
small pitted olives
soften cream cheese
whole carrots
toothpicks

Drain the juice from your olives. Peel the carrots and slice into coins. Take the jumbo olive and cut out a small wedge. Fill with cream cheese. Cut a small triangle out of the carrot coin. The triangle now becomes the penguin’s beak. Insert the large end of the triangle into the opening of the small olive. Place the small olive on top of the jumbo olive, secure with a toothpick. Place carrot coin on the bottom of the jumbo olive, pushing the toothpick far enough in so it pierces the carrot. Line up the penguins on a platter for an adorable penguin army. Enjoy!

One thing that I love about this house is that it is double the space of our previous apartment. Which means we actually have space to entertain, and I love entertaining. A couple weeks ago we had our first of hopefully many cocktail parties. Alex mixed up drinks popular in the 1960s and I made a bunch (too many) appetizers for our guests to enjoy.

One of the appetizers I made was Swedish Meatballs. These particular kind of meatballs are typically served in a creamy brown sauce. You could eat Swedish meatballs as a main course served with mashed potatoes, but they make the perfect appetizer served on a toothpick.

SWEDISH MEATBALLS
from Alton Brown, Good Eats with my own method
2 slices fresh white bread
1/4 cup milk
3 tablespoons clarified butter, divided
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
A pinch plus 1 teaspoon kosher salt
3/4 pound ground chuck (I used 1 pound)
3/4 pound ground pork (I used 1 pound)
2 large egg yolks
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
3 cups beef broth
1/4 cup heavy cream

My method: Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

Alton’s method (which I followed here): Tear the bread into pieces and place in a small mixing bowl along with the milk. Set aside.

In a 12-inch straight sided saute pan over medium heat, melt 1 tablespoon of the butter. Add the onion and a pinch of salt and sweat until the onions are soft. Remove from the heat and set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the bread and milk mixture, ground chuck, pork, egg yolks, 1 teaspoon of kosher salt, black pepper, allspice, nutmeg, and onions. Beat on medium speed for 1 to 2 minutes.

My method: Scoop up about 2T of the meat mixture. Roll into a ball (should be about the size of a ping-pong ball). Place the meatballs into a 9×13 baking pan. Bake for 10 minutes, turn meatballs, bake another 10 minutes. In order to make the gravy I added some of the drippings from the baking dish into my preheated (medium heat) cast iron skillet. I followed the rest of Alton’s directions for making the gravy.

Alton’s method: Using a scale, weigh meatballs into 1-ounce portions and place on a sheet pan. Using your hands, shape the meatballs into rounds.

Heat the remaining butter in the saute pan over medium-low heat, or in an electric skillet set to 250 degrees F. Add the meatballs and saute until golden brown on all sides, about 7 to 10 minutes.

Remove the meatballs to an ovenproof dish using a slotted spoon and place in the warmed oven.

Once all of the meatballs are cooked, decrease the heat to low and add the flour to the pan or skillet. Whisk until lightly browned, approximately 1 to 2 minutes. Gradually add the beef stock and whisk until sauce begins to thicken. Add the cream and continue to cook until the gravy reaches the desired consistency. Remove the meatballs from the oven, cover with the gravy and serve.

Enjoy as a tasty dinner with mashed potatoes or rice, or as a fun appetizer!

I love entertaining. Cooking for my family and cooking for others make me happy. I can’t sing, I can’t draw, but I sure can whip up a mean dinner. I like cooking because it is one “creative” thing that I do well. When Alex suggest we throw a little party I was incredibly excited, and the menu planning began immediately. Even though a handful of our guests were unable to attend, I still made too much food. Which meant that I haven’t had to cook much this week (I made vegetable cheese soup with the leftover relish tray and cheese platter). We ate the leftover appetizers for both lunch and dinner on Sunday.

For some reason I did not take any photos of the table full of food or any during the party. Instead I spent my time hovering, making sure we weren’t going to run out of crackers or carrots. Which was silly because we had plenty of both.  I do have a few photos of some of the food I made and over the next few days I will share those recipes with you.

Our house was built in 1962 and the 1960s became our inspiration for some of the food and drinks we served. Alex poured Tom Collins, vodka gimlets, and White Russians and I made a cheeseball, Swedish meatballs, and fondue (just to name a few). I wasn’t around in the 1960s so I did a little googling and found out that a cheeseball was a common appetizer served during that era.

CHEESEBALL
8 oz cream cheese, softened (I used fat free cream cheese)
8 oz block sharp cheddar cheese, room temperature
1 c dates, pitted and chopped up
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 c chopped walnuts

It is VERY important your cheeses are soft in order for them to combine. Throw everything besides the walnuts into the food processor. Turn it on, and let it spin until the cheeses and dates have combined.

Scrape cheese out on to some Saran wrap. Using the Saran wrap, press the cheese together to form a ball. Place Saran wrapped cheeseball into a bowl and refrigerate until hardened (I did my overnight).

Place chopped walnuts in a round cake pan or shallow dish. Take the cheeseball out of the fridge and remove the Saran wrap. Roll cheeseball in the walnuts until the outside is covered. Serve with crackers or thinly sliced baguette. ENJOY!

Chicken wings are one of my favorite happy hour appetizers. Once I turned 21, I frequented one of the favorite sports bars in Cedar Falls that had cheap beer and cheap wings during happy hour.  Beer and wings would be my meal. I love the combination of the hot wing sauce, the cool bleu cheese (PLEASE NO RANCH!), and crisp celery; it is finger-lickin’ good. When I was pregnant with Sasha I constantly craved anything labeled “buffalo chicken”, I would still indulge myself knowing that later I would have massive heartburn.

Chicken wings are good but a lot of work and gnawing around bones isn’t ideal for small children; hence the boneless version seen here. I used boneless skinless chicken breasts, which I sliced into about 1 inch strips and cut the strips into about 1 inch chucks.

BONELESS CHICKEN “WINGS”
3 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1 inch chunks
1 egg white
couple splashes of milk
a dash or two of Tabasco
2 c seasoned flour
oil for frying
favorite hot wing sauce
favorite BBQ sauce
2 T honey

SEASONED FLOUR
*use amounts according to your flavor preferences
salt
pepper
garlic powder
onion powder
cayenne pepper

Heat oil in a dutch oven to 375 degrees F. Mix in a shallow dish egg white, Tabasco and milk. Put flour into a zip top plastic storage bag. Coat chicken in egg mixture, then toss in the bag with flour. Shake until chicken is thoroughly coated.  Fry in small batches until chicken is golden brown, a couple minutes on each side.  Toss half of chicken in wing sauce and the other half with the honey and BBQ sauce. Serve with a good bleu cheese dip. ENJOY!

Football fan are not words I would use to describe myself.  However, I can never turn down an excuse to make cute food for a party; I love entertaining guests.  I do know which teams are playing in the Superbowl this year, only because my nephew Andrew is a HUGE Steelers fan (I will root for them for Andrew) and because my sister told me the Arizona Cardinals is the other team (I never knew Arizona had a NFL team).  If forced to watch football, I would rather watch college games, the two teams I root for are (of course) my alma mater, GO PANTHERS and the best team in the state of Iowa, GO HAWKS! I haven’t lived in Nebraska long enough to bleed BIG RED.

If you are going to be huddled around the TV watching the big game, you will want easy to eat food. These sliders are perfect, they require only your God-given utensils. These are also easily personalized to your personal flavor preferences.

SUPERBOWL SLIDERS
Yield 8 mini burgers

1 lb ground beef
garlic powder
onion powder
black pepper
salt
cooked bacon
sharp cheddar
8 dinner roll sized buns

Preheat grill pan or skillet over medium heat. Line a large cookie sheet (I used 11×15) with parchment paper or waxed paper. Place ground beef on paper, cover with another sheet of the paper. Using a rolling pin, roll your beef into a large, thin rectangle (about the size of the cookie sheet).  Season your rolled out ground beef with garlic powder, onion powder, pepper and salt. Add a little or a lot. Now take the long sides of the beef and fold it to the middle of the rectangle (you want your seasonings encased in the middle of the ground beef). Place paper over the folded beef and give a light roll to seal it up, you do not want to enlarge your rectangle any more. Take a pizza cutter and slice the ground beef down the middle (so you have two long skinny pieces). Divide these into quarters to equal eight small square burgers. Grill or cook over medium heat until done, turning only once.

Butter buns and toast on grill pan for a minute or so. Top buns with your burgers, bacon and cheddar. Add onion, lettuce, tomato, and any other condiments. ENJOY!

My inspiration for this meal came after we took a trip to the library and I checked out several cookbooks; one was this beautiful book entitled “Home Baking: The Artful Mix of Flour and Tradition Around the World“. As I flipped through the book (several times) I saw a recipe for Silk Road Non; after reading it over and over I thought I could at least give it a try. What fun it would be to make handmade non (also spelled nan or naan), and a whole middle eastern meal to accompany it. I did a little research and completed my menu with muhammara and shish tawook.

Everything turned out so beautifully, in this case my hard work really paid off.  Alex was presently surprised with a delicious meal when he came home from work, and he requested it becomes part of the meal rotation. So shake up your recipe collection and try something naan-traditional!If you need inspiration, head to your local library. Many libraries are stocked with recipe books from around the world.

Silk Road Non
Makes 12 round breads
From: Home Baking

2 tsp active dry yeast
3 c warm water
7 to 9 c AP Flour (or 2 c whole wheat flour, plus 4-6 c AP flour)
1 T salt, plus extra for sprinkling
1/4 c rendered lamb fat melted, (or 4 T unsalted butter, melted)

In a large bowl, dissolve the yeast in the water. Add 3 cups of the flour (if using whole wheat flour, add it and 1 c AP), a cup at a time, stirring well until a smooth batter forms, then stir for another minute, always stirring in the same direction. If you have the time, cover your bowl with plastic wtap and let stand for 30 minutes, or as long as 3 hours, if more convenient.

Sprinkle on 1 T salt and stir in. Add 3 T of the lamb fat or butter and fold in. Continue to add the flour, a cup at a time, stirring and folding it in until dough becomes too stiff to stir.

Turn the dough out onto a well-floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, 8-10 minutes.

Place the dough in a clean blow, cover with plastic wrap, and let rise until at least doubled in volume, about 2 hours. (For more flavor, set in a cool place to rise for 8 hours, or overnight.)

Place rack in upper third of oven and place a large baking stone or unglazed quarry tiles, if you have them, (or baking sheet) on it. Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Cut it in half and set one half aside, covered. Cut the remaining dough into 6 equal pieces. Shape each into a ball and then flatten with the floured palm of your hand. With a rolling pin, begin rolling it out into thin rounds about 8 inches in diameter. The dough may resist stretching, so work with 2 rounds at once to give the gluten in the dough time to stretch and relax. Roll out 1 round as far as it will easily go, then work on a second before coming back to the first to roll it out a little more.  As you complete each round, set aside on a lightly floured surface, covered with a towel or with plastic wrap. Let rest for 15 minutes before baking.

To shape the breads for baking, warm the remaining 1 T lamb fat or butter until very liquid and place by your work surface, together with a pastry brush and salt. Lightly dust a peel with flour. Place a dough round on the peel, then stamp or prick with center of the round thoroughly and vigorously with a fork, leaving a 1 inch rim. Brush lightly all over with lamb fat or butter, then sprinkle the center with a generous pinch of salt. Transfer to the baking stone, placing it to one side to leave room for another bread. Prepare the next bread, and slide into the over beside the first.

Bake for 5 1/2 – 7 minutes, until well flecked with gold. Place on a rack to cool for 5 minutes or so, then wrap in a cotton cloth to keep warm.

As this post is already incredibly long I will just include links to the other recipes. Mahammara is a red pepper and walnut dip. It is delicious with naan. Mahammara link is here. Also I recommend you roast your own red peppers; I couldn’t believe how easy it was, click here for a how to roast your own peppers tutorial.

Shish Tawook is a marinated and grilled chicken. It is so easy to make and tastes wonderful with muhammara. I used a combination of recipes. The original recipes can be found here and here.

Shish Tawook

1/2 c Plain yogurt (I used sour cream)
1/4 c white vinegar
1/2 c fresh lemon juice
2 T ketchup
2 T yellow mustard
1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
2 teaspoons paprika
1 1/2 teaspoons ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon curry powder
2-3 lbs. boneless/skinless chicken breasts (cut into strips)

In a medium bowl, stir together all ingredients. Stir in chicken pieces, coating all sides with marinade. Cover bowl, and refrigerate overnight. Skewer chicken onto kabobs, grill until cook through.

Roasted garlic. So easy. So simple. So delicious! The first time I enjoyed roasted garlic was when my husband and I were dining in Omaha’s Old Market. We ordered an antipasto appetizer off the menu at Vivace, which came with an assortment of cheeses, salty Italian meats, crusty bread and roasted garlic. Neither one of us had had roasted garlic before, and we were in love after the first bite.

Don’t live near Omaha? That’s all right, you can enjoy roasted garlic in your home, without a lot of fuss. All you need is a couple heads of garlic, and olive oil. Cut the tops off the garlic, drizzle olive oil over the garlic, wrap up in tin foil and roast in a hot oven (400-425 degrees F) for 45-60 minutes. What comes out of the oven is the most delicious way to enjoy garlic. Squeeze out the golden brown cloves, mash into a paste, and enjoy. I love roasted garlic smeared on a piece of crust bread. Yum! Yum! Yum!

Last night for supper I wanted a high protein, low calorie meal. Immediately I thought of tuna, tuna is a lean protein packed with omega-3 fatty acid (which is great for breastfeeding moms). Alex doesn’t care for tuna; actually he doesn’t like it at all, so I knew this tuna sandwich would be all mine. I was going to make my traditional tuna salad which consists of canned tuna and a little mayonnaise, but when I opened the fridge last night I saw the jar of pesto sitting there staring at me. I’ve never had tuna and pesto together but thought it sounded not too bad. Well I was right, it was better than not too bad, it was frickin’ awesome.

I served my tuna on Quaker White Cheddar Rice Cakes. This makes a nice low calorie snack or meal. I tried to take some pictures of this deliciousness, but the pictures did not do justice to the amazing flavor or this sandwich.

Check out my recipe for Pesto Meatballs if you need any other ideas for integrating pesto into your meals.

OPEN-FACED MEDITERRANEAN TUNA RICE CAKE SANDWICHES
1 can lite chuck tuna packed in water, drained
2 T Classico Basil Pesto
1/2 T lite Mayo
2 Quaker White Cheddar Rice Cakes

Combine tuna, pesto and mayo. Divide between two rice cakes. Eat as an open-faced sandwich. Eat both yourself or share with a friend. Enjoy!

Calories for one open-faced sandwich: 186.5