Tuna Casserole

We started this week off right - in terms of food. As I mentioned in my last post, I'm quite disappointed about how our diets have evolved as we've become busier and busier. In an effort to take a step back to eating fresher and healthier, we sat down and made a list last night so we wouldn't short change ourselves this week. On the menu:

Pork Shoulder Roast (in the crock pot)
Potato Corn Chowder
Tofu and Vegetable Stir Fry

...and...

Tuna Casserole

We made the casserole tonight. I know it doesn't sound like much, but we didn't take any short cuts (well, hardly any short cuts). For example, most modern day tuna casseroles call for cream of mushroom soup. You just sort of throw everything together and put it in the oven. We made our own creamy concoction for our casserole. We did use pre-made egg noddles. At some point, I'd like to make egg noodles from scratch. All in good time. The casserole turned out to be very, very good. We made it better by adding celery and carrots. Check it out, if you're so inclined.

• Nonstick vegetable oil spray
• 1/4 cup dry white wine
• 4 teaspoons cornstarch
• 1/3 cup all purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups low-fat (1%) milk
• 1 cup canned low-salt chicken broth
• 2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dried
• 2 tablespoons Neufchâtel cheese (reduced-fat cream cheese)
• 1 6-ounce can solid white tuna packed in water, undrained
• 1 6-ounce can chunk light tuna packed in water, undrained
• 1 cup frozen petite peas, unthawed

• 8 ounces farfalle (bow-tie) pasta

• 1/2 cup crushed baked potato chips (about 1 ounce)

Preheat oven to 400°F. Spray 8 x 8 x 2-inch glass baking dish with vegetable oil spray. Whisk wine and cornstarch in small bowl to blend. Whisk flour in heavy medium saucepan to remove any lumps. Gradually add milk to flour, whisking until smooth. Add broth and thyme and whisk over medium heat until liquid thickens and boils, about 4 minutes. Add cornstarch mixture and whisk until liquid boils and is smooth, about 1 minute. Remove from heat. Add Neufch‰tel cheese and whisk until melted. Stir in both cans of tuna with their liquid and frozen peas. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
It needs a little extra salt than you'd expect, but otherwise, it's downright tasty. Benny had three helpings, which is always the sign of a quality dish. We're on our way. Oh, yes. I'm also thinking about starting to make some cheese. I may need to slow down a little on that account. Happy tuna!