Tasty tuna melt

Tasty tuna melt
Print Recipe
This is a lovely store cupboard recipe. We have all ingredients for this recipe in our home any day of the week. If you like tuna as much as I do, it makes for great comfort food. I love the contrast between the luke warm tuna salad and the piping hot melting cheese.
Servings Prep Time
4 people 20 minutes
Cook Time
5 minutes
Servings Prep Time
4 people 20 minutes
Cook Time
5 minutes
Tasty tuna melt
Print Recipe
This is a lovely store cupboard recipe. We have all ingredients for this recipe in our home any day of the week. If you like tuna as much as I do, it makes for great comfort food. I love the contrast between the luke warm tuna salad and the piping hot melting cheese.
Servings Prep Time
4 people 20 minutes
Cook Time
5 minutes
Servings Prep Time
4 people 20 minutes
Cook Time
5 minutes
Ingredients
Tuna salad
Tuna melt
Servings: people
Instructions
  1. Preheat your oven grill. If your oven does not have a grill setting, heat to the highest temperature.
  2. Mix the ingredients for the tuna salad well.
  3. Add olive oil or mayonaise to make your salad more creamy if needed.
  4. Spread the tuna salad on the toasted bread.
  5. Sprinkle with cheese.
  6. Grill for about 5 minutes. Monitor carefully, you don't want the cheese to melt and brown slightly.
  7. Sprinkle with your favorite hot sauce.
Recipe Notes

If you serve these with a salad, they make a great dinner.

Share this Recipe

Home made hummus dip

Humus3This is our families new favorite dip: hummus. We like dunking into hummus with chunks of home made pita breads or freshly sliced veg such as paprika or cauliflower.

Hummus is surprisingly easy to make. All you need is a good blender. Every ingredient you put in is healthy, making it a guilt free dip full of nutrients. Hummus should be nice and smooth.

Dress up your hummus with lots of garnishes, as this is a feast for both your eyes and your taste buds. A large plate of hummus is great as a starter while you get the barbecue going, or when you are serving multiple dips like aioli and tzaziki.

humus1

Homemade hummuschickpeas

  • 220 gr tinned or boiled chickpeas (rinsed and drained)
  • 70 ml olive oil
  • 1 tbsp peanut butter (non chunky)
  • juice of half a lemon
  • 1 garlic clove
  • 1 tbsp good spicy paprika
  • To garnish:
    • drizzle of olive oil
    • juice of half a lemon
    • a few chickpeas
    • chopped flat leaf parsley
    • a dash of paprika
  1. Blend your hummus ingredients to a smooth dip, it should not contain chunks and be soothingly smooth.
  2. Add salt and pepper to taste. If your hummus needs freshening up, add lemon juice.
  3. You can keep this hummus in a jar or container in your fridge for a number of days.
  4. To serve, spread the dip out over a large serving dish and garnish generously.

Cheese scones

I have been having a lot of trouble posting this recipe, every time I want to fotograph these fluffy delights, they seem to disappear. I am glad to post this recipe just before Easter brunch. Because it would be perfect for this occasion!

They also make a great side dish with a salad or a soup (like Dutch pea soup).CHScones2

Cheese scones (for 8 scones)

  • Dry ingredients:
    • 225 gr flour
    • 75 gr cornmeal
    • 1 tsp salt
    • 150 gr grated cheese
    • 1 tsp turmeric
    • 1 tsp baking powder
  • Wet ingredients:
    • 55 ml oil
    • 240 ml milk
    • Optional: friend onions
  • For finishing:
    • coffee milk or 1 egg
    • rock salt

CheeseSconesBWS

  1. Combine and mix your dry ingredients.
  2. Pour in your wet ingredients and stir until well combined.
  3. Form into a round flat disc of about 1.5 cm thick, wrap in cling film.
  4. Let this dough rest in your fridge for 20 minutes to 24 hours.
    Resting your dough will ensure a good fluffy end result!
  5. Preheat your oven to 220 degrees C.
  6. Cut your disc into 8 triangles with a sharp knife.
  7. Brush your scones with coffee creamer and sprinkle them with salt.
  8. Back them in your oven for 15 minutes.

These scones are best when eaten the same day, to prepare in advance, just make your dough one day ahead. You find my scone recipe here.

Homemade burgers

Nothing beats a good home made burger. You can pick the best meat and spice it just the way you like it. The same goes for all the other components, when you make burgers at home, get the best ingredients your money can buy. Burgers are actually a very honest recipe, where all the individual ingredients should shine.

Another advantage with making burgers at home is that it is good family fun. I like to make a platter with all possible toppings and sauces, and everyone builds their own favorite burger.

For all you busy parents out there: you can make your patties in a day in advance and keep them in your fridge. You can even prepare all the veg, and store these in an air tight container or a ziplock bag. When you want to eat your burgers all you still need to do is fry the patties.

Burger

Burgers ( for 4 burgers)

  • Patties:
    • 500 gr. minced beef
    • 1 tsp HP sauce
    • Salt & pepper to taste
    • 1 tbsp oregano
    • Optional: 1 tsp of paprika
  • 4 burger buns
  • Slices of good cheese, cheddar or dutch cheese will do
  • Ketchup and mustard to taste
  • Onion, sliced in rings
  • Tomatoslices
  • Crunchy salad leaves
  1. Combine the pattie ingredients in a bowl and mix gently with your hands. As this is beef, I recommend tasting to test if your have seasoned it properly.
  2. Devide the mixture into 4 portions and mould these into burger patties. They should be less than 1 cm thick and match the size of your buns.
  3. Now you can let your burgers rest in the fridge for 15 minutes to 24 hours. I like to coat my patties with a thin layer of oil to prevent them sticking to the plate. I cover the plate with cling film.
  4. When your table is set and your side dishes are ready, fry your burgers in a pan or griddle on high heat. Thanks to the layer of oil, you don’t have to add oil to your pan.
  5. You can test how well done your burger is by pressing it in the centre, when it is more firm, it’s more cooked. I recommend experimenting a little here and find out what your favorite cooking time is.

We like having oven baked chips with our burgers.

Need a good vegetarian alternative? My beetroot burgers taste just as good on a burger bun.

Breadsticks

This iBreadstick3s the perfect thing for dinner parties. It makes a great side dish with starters like soup or salad. It is also a great way to finish pastry leftovers.

I like to serve bread sticks in a pretty glass, which makes them a decorative item as well.

You could also serve these tasty sticks with a good dip.

To make the bread sticks, simply brush strips of puff pastry with egg, then sprinkle with pepper, salt and any toppings you like, such as grated cheese, seeds and spices such as paprika, thyme or rosemary.

BreadStick1

Read more soup recipes or salad inspiration.

Chicken fingers

ChicknChipsIn our family, we love making our own fast food. Our favorites include hamburgers and chicken fingers. This is an easy way to make the most tender chicken breast you will ever taste!

Chicken fingers (2-3 portions)

  • 2 chicken breasts, cut into 1 inch wide, long strips
  • Chicken marinade
    • 1,5 cups of buttermilk (or watered down yoghurt)
    • 1 tsp sweet paprika
    • 1 tsp oregano
    • salt & pepper to taste
    • 1 garlic clove, crushed
  •  Crust:
    • 200 grams bread crumbs
    • 1 tsp sweet paprika
    • 1 tsp oregano
    • 1 tbsp sea salt
    • 1 tsp pepper
  • 200 ml of sunflower oil for shallow frying
  • Dip:
    • 1 cup of sweet chili sauce
    • handful of koriander, finely chopped

ChickenFingers

  1. Cut your chicken, and mix with the marinade ingredients. Marinade the chicken for 30 minutes to 24 hours in the fridge.
  2. Combine ingredients for the crust.
  3. Prepare your chicken fingers:
    • Shake each finger off.
    • Place in your crust mix, you will find the buttermilk acts as the perfect glue for the crust.
  4. Warm up your oil. Preheat your oven to 220 degrees C (the perfect temperature for making chips in your oven!).
  5. In small batches, fry your chicken fingers, turn the chicken fingers after they have brown on one side. Take your fish fingers out of the oil, in a dish in the oven.
  6. Combine the ingredients for the dip.

Read more chicken inspiration, and the recipe for chips.

Winter omelet

We love having curly kale in the winter. This healthy veg is full of flavor and nutrients. The other day I had some leftovers, which inspired me to create a tasty lunch. This omelet tastes great warm or cold. Making it an easy treat to bring for your worklunch as well.Omelet2

When I finished cooking this dish, I was worried that this healthy creation would have no flavor. However, the strong flavors of the kale, artishoke and feta come together beautifully. It is also very filling, making it easier for me to stick to my new years resolutions. My colleagues had a taste, and insisted I share the recipe, luckily it is surprisingly easy!

Winter omelet (2 – 3 portions)

  • 150 grams of finely sliced curly kale (could be replaced with cavolo nero or spinach)
  • 200 grams of (tinned) artishoke hearts, in wedges
  • 100 grams of feta
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 tbsp soft curd cheese, known as “kwark” in Holland
  • 1 tbsp of oil for frying

Omelet1

  1. Blanch your kale for one minute in boiling water.
  2. Drain and cool your kale.
  3. Mix the kale, eggs and soft curd cheese and season to taste.
  4. Heat a frying pan and add your oil. Get your pan as hot as possible.
  5. Add your mix and lower the heat right away.
  6. Spead the artishoke pieces over your omelet and push them in gently.
  7. Crumble your feta over your omelet and push in gently as well.
  8. Cover and fry on a low heat until your egg has set.

Enjoy your omelet with a salad and a glass of white wine!

Read all my recipes here!

Winter sprout quiche

I love eating Brussel sprouts and now I am happy to tell you about a new way to enjoy this winter vegetable, in a quiche. The bitterness of the sprouts is such a great combination with the egg and the cheese! The whole family polished their plates the day I cooked this quiche.Spruitenquiche2

Sprout quiche

  • 1 recipe of short crust pastry or a ready made puff pastry
  • 200 gram of boiled sprouts
  • 1 onion, finely sliced and gently fried till tender
  • 100 gram of small bacon cubes or a handfull of pine nuts for vegetarians
  • 150 gram of grated cheese (cheddar or young Gouda)
  • 3 eggs
  • 150 ml of cream
  1. Pre-bake your quiche base for 10 to 20 minutes until just cooked at 210 degrees C.
  2. Spread your ingredients on your pizza base and fill your pie with a mix of eggs and cream.
  3. Bake at 220 degrees C for 20 degrees or until golden.

spruitquiche1

For more quiche inspiration, look at my asparagus quiche or spinach quiche. This quiche taste great with a simple tasty salad. For more sprout inspiration, look at the sprout cappuccino.

Simple pizza alternative

FlammKuchen2If you love pizza, you will love this recipe! You use the same recipe for the base, but the topping is completely different. This German dish is popular with my son and his daddy. We may have stumbled on a new family favorite (after pizza that is).

This dish makes a great dinner if served with a tasty salad but it also makes a great party snack or a simple lunch.

Flamm kuchen (3 medium pizzas)

  • 1 recipe of pizza dough
  •  Sauce, mix:
    • 250 gram Quark (or ricotta if you can’t buy this ingredient)
    • 100 gram creme fraiche
    • Pinch of nutmeg
    • Salt and pepper
  • 200 gram bacon in thin strips
  • 1 onion finely sliced
  • Optional: a few handfuls of grated cheese

  1. Warm the oven up to 240 degrees C.
  2. Roll out your pizza dough and prick holes in the bottom with a fork. (this prevents it from rising to high in the center)
  3. Spread a generous amount of sauce on the dough.
  4. Sprinkle the bacon, onion (and cheese) on top.
  5. Bake in the oven for 15 minutes.

For a vegetarian option you could top your flamm kuchen with blue cheese, union and artichokes. Look up our favorite pizza recipes here.

Mmmm monster cookies

The other day I felt a strong craving for some decadent American style chocolate chip cookies. After dome experimenting I found a recipe that works for us.

I made the dough a day in advance and I pulled the dough out when my pre-schooler seemed bored. We had great fun slicing the cookies and watching the oven do all the work.

cookiemonster

After this we enjoyed these satisfyingly chewy cookies with a tall glass of milk, yum!

I turned this recipe into a lovely coloring project. You can download MonsterCookieColoring here.

ColoringS

Monster cookies (8 to 10 cookies)

  • 250 gram selfraising flour
  • 200 gram light brown sugar
  • 100 gram butter
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tablespoon of milk
  • 250 gram chocolate chips
  1. Mix the sugar, butter and salt well.
  2. Stir in the eggs and milk.
  3. Combine with the flour and chocolate chips.
  4. Form a roll of about 5 cm in diameter. Wrap the roll in cling film and rest for 30 minutes to 3 days.
  5. Slice your cookies and place them well spaced apart on a baking tray.
  6. Bake at 190 degrees C for 10 minutes or until golden.

Enjoy your baking and coloring project!

mmmonstercookies