Recipe: Tuna Casserole

I may not have taken any pictures of this delicious meal, but i felt this particular draft worth posting. I'd been very 'good' all week long - eating small dinners with low carbs, eating the 'right' number of calories throughout the day, and limiting my wine consumption to nearly socially tolerable amounts. I felt i owed myself a Friday night meal of delicious. This is what i came up with.

Tuna Casserole
(portions are approximate - Serves two generously, 3 with smaller portions)

• 2 cans tuna in water, drained
• 1/2 pint raw milk
• 2 slices cheddar, diced (about 2 ounces probably)
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 onion, diced
• Some garlic
• Generous sprinkle hot smoked paprika
• Pinch oregano - dried
• Pinch turmeric - dried
• 1 diced jalapeno
• Frozen peas - 1/2 to 1 cupish
• Whole wheat shells pasta
• Splash white wine
• Salt / pepper
• Sprinkle chilly powder
• 3 egg yolks
• Seasoned bread crumbs
• 2 pieces of bread sprayed with olive oil spray, sprinkled in salt and herbs, set on top of the toaster oven while it pre heated for the casserole

Oven at 350.
2 saucepans:
In one, bring water to boil and cook the pasta according to directions. Drain.
Meanwhile put all the herbs and onions in the other saucepan with a splash of white wine. Simmer the onions until they begin to soften, don't let it dry out. Add milk. My milk separated a little from the acidic wine. This did not bother me. Simmer the milk with the herbs until the pasta is ready - try not to let it boil or reduce overly much.
In the casserole, place the chopped jalapeno and peas. When the pasta is ready, put it in the casserole and mix the veggies into it. Add the tuna and mix. You may want to add some seasoning directly to the pasta. Add the 3 egg yolks to the milk sauce and stir very well. Whisk it up! Don't let the yolks cook, per say. The yolks will thicken the sauce and make the whole casserole super decadent. You could probably use a lot more milk than i did - it's all i had. My casserole was not soupy - so go ahead and add more milk if you care to.  Remove the bay leaves and pour the milk sauce over noodles and mix well. Sprinkle cheese on top, mix in a little, then top with the bread crumbs.

Bake until it's bubbly and the bread is browning to your liking. About 20 or so minutes. I like how some of the noodles show and get crispy on the sides. The yolks really did make teh whole casserole rich - like butter would, but with protein maximized.  This made for a super delicious way to end the week - and though it was a bit heavy and carb loaded, there was still plenty of protein for my growing muscles and brain cells.