Fast and Easy Dinners: Egg-Stuffed Sweet Potato and Mayo-less Tuna Salad

Sometimes, all I really want is a fast and easy dinner.  Nothing fancy, just fast and filling.  And like anyone else, when I’m looking for a short cut, I get creative.  OK, I get online for ideas first, but those are most certainly more guidelines than anything else.  So what do I do when I’m too lazy for anything elaborate? (Believe me, I’m good at making things look elaborate that aren’t.)  I come up with these: a classic made with a healthy twist, and a meatless meal that’s great any time of the day.

I can’t remember where I read it, but I somewhere read that tuna salad is possible without mayo.  Now, when I read it, I thought, “No way.”

But the tip intrigued me, so I knew I had to try it.  What I did was this: I drained a can of cannellini beans, dumped them in a food processor, and pulsed them into a tomato paste-like consistency.  They get really creamy after a few jolts, and it holds everything together.  The best part is, you can make it and let it sit in your fridge, and you aren’t going to get that mayo-water sitting in the bottom of your tupperware.  It stays firm and together.  Now, I know there’s an ongoing argument over which tuna to use.  Tuna packed in water is a bit healthier, while tuna packed in oil has more flavor.  Use what you want, I’m just telling you how I did it.

Mayo-less Tuna Salad

• 2 cans of tuna in water, drained
• 1 can cannellini beans, drained
• 1 stalk celery, diced
• 1/2 onion, diced
• 1/2 tsp. dill
• 1/2 tsp. chili powder
• 1 tsp basil
• salt and pepper to taste

Dump beans into a food processor, pulse until smooth.  Scrape it into a medium sized bowl.  Add the rest of the ingredients and stir to combine.

The next meal I made was a bit more creative. I read about something like it online, and then I made adjustments to my pantry and tastes.  It really reminds me of a fried egg over hash, only crossed with a twice-baked potato.  That probably doesn’t make a lick of sense, but once you read the recipe, you’ll get what I mean.

Egg-stuffed Southwest Sweet Potato

• 2 sweet potatoes
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 Cup whole kernel corn
• 1/2 Cup black beans, rinsed
• 1 Chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, minced
• 1 tsp. Adobo sauce
• 1/2 tsp . cumin

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Pierce sweet potatoes multiple times with a fork.  Wrap in damp paper towels and microwave for 8-10 minutes, until cooked.  Remove from microwave and let cool.

While they cool, in a small bowl, combine the corn, beans, chipotle, adobo sauce, and cumin.

When cooled, lay horizontally, and cut off the top.  Scoop out about half of the middle, set that filling aside.  Fill the hole about half way with the bean and corn mixture. Place them into a shallow baking dish, then crack an egg into  the hole, filling the hole.  Bake for 20 minutes, or to desired doneness.  If you like really runny eggs, and you have some time to kill, check every five minutes until the whites are cooked through.

Tip of the Week:  The easiest way to peel an onion is this: Cut it in half vertically from top to root, then grab the outermost layer from the top and pull back, fully down to the root.  Then cut off the root.