Happy Valentine’s Day! Whether dining with a date or friends tonight, or waiting until the weekend (like me), it’s nice to have something memorable on special occasions. Last night we had this dinner at our house with our children, since I knew we’d be busy tonight as a family — it literally takes about 10 minutes!
Our kids love sushi, so I knew they’d like the ahi tuna steak. (Me? I didn’t even know what sushi was at their ages and wasn’t brave enough to try it until my late twenties, but I LOVE IT!). This is one of my very favorite meals, start to finish.
I used the Tuna Steak recipe from my Best Body Cookbook & Menu Plan, but I modified the meal just a little (you can download and magnify the image below if you need it larger). This time I sliced the tuna steaks into thick 1/2-inch strips and used quinoa as my starch/grain to mix into the salad. So here’s how to set things up to make this dinner happen in a flash!
- Cook quinoa according to package instructions (1 cup quinoa to 2 cups water or broth).
- While it cooks, wash your strawberries and set a paper towel under and on top of them on a cookie sheet. They need to be good and dry, so set them aside to further air-dry.
- Slice tuna steaks into 1/2-inch thick strips and dip them into 2 Tablespoons of the dressing that comes with the bagged asian salad to marinate (or use Ken’s Light Asian Sesame dressing for this quick marinade).
- Make the Chocolate Covered Strawberries according to the instructions you’ll find below. Once complete, place the strawberries in the refrigerator on a baking sheet until after dinner.
- Heat a large iron skillet to medium-high heat and set the strips of tuna piece by piece on the hot skillet in rows. Immediately after you finish placing them, go back to the first piece and turn each over. By the time you’ve finished turning them over, the initially placed strips will be “done.” (I use quotes because they don’t look quite “done” but they are perfect when they are just seared! They will not be tasty if you overcook them.) Follow the recipe instructions below to complete your meal.
- Toss 1/4 to 1/2 cup of quinoa with the salad and then place the tuna over your salad. Tada! Quarter plate of lean protein – check! Quarter plate of starch/grain – check!
Half a plate of veggies – check!
Little bit of fat (coming from the dressing and the chocolate) – check!
And a few strawberries for an antioxidant and fiber-rich dessert!
A perfectly satisfying Valentine’s dinner!
Chocolate Covered Strawberries
Ingredients
- 1 pint fresh strawberries
- 3/4 cup chocolate chips (I use Kroger’s Private Selection 62% Dark chocolate chunks – they are dairy free)
Instructions
- Wash strawberries and pat them dry with a paper towel. Set aside on a paper-towel lined baking sheet or cutting board, and cover with another paper towel.
- Place the chocolate chips In a completely dry microwave safe Pyrex-type bowl (3/4 cup covers about 15 strawberries).
- Microwave 60 seconds. Remove and stir well.
- Continue to microwave in intervals of 30 seconds until smooth. Do not overheat.
- Gently dip the strawberries into the chocolate. Let the excess chocolate run off before setting on the parchment-lined baking sheet (or foil).
- Chill for a few minutes in the refrigerator, uncovered so the chocolate can set.
Tada! Beautiful and guilt-free!
Image above shared by my dietitian colleague Jennifer Pullman of Nourished Simply.
