Pineapple Mint Tuna Salad

I don't know what came over me with this one.  I've never heard of tuna and pineapple being eaten together before.  But the other day, I found myself in the midst of round three of tweaking a recipe for piña colada muffins (the recipe is coming later this week!) and had some crushed pineapple left over.  Not wanting to let it go to waste, I started rummaging around my pantry for what I could combine it with for a simple lunch.  A can of tuna caught my eye and the wheels started to turn.  Then my copy of Culinary Artistry came out and I turned to the entry on flavor pairings for pineapple.  Mint and lime?  Check and check.  I drained the tuna and added the pineapple.  Added a teaspoon or two of vegan mayonnaise.  Tore off a few leaves of mint and sprinkled them in.  Drizzled in few squirts of lime juice.  Salted and peppered to taste.  And....done!  You couldn't really ask for a simpler, no-fuss meal than this.   I ate mine with the only thing I had in the house that was crunchy, some of Trader Joe's Flax Seed Corn Chips (which are delicious, by the way).  This made a very satisfying lunch, and the flavor was really quite good.  A lovely, citrus-y departure from your average tuna salad!

Pineapple Mint Tuna Salad

1 can tuna, drained
1/3 cup crushed pineapple, drained (can add a little juice for flavor if desired)
2 tsp. vegan mayonnaise (or regular mayonnaise)
1 stalk celery, chopped finely
3 - 4 leaves mint, in very small pieces
1 - 2 tsp. lime juice (to taste)
Salt and pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients and mix well.  Adjust seasonings to your own taste.  Serve with crackers or corn chips.

Gluten-free Thin Mints

Ok, if you miss Samoas, I know you miss Thin Mints.  Who can resist a sleeve of Thin Mints straight from the freezer?  (Did she say a whole sleeve?  Um, yes....easily.) 

These are...amazing.  They are everything you remember about Thin Mints: crispy when straight from the freezer, the perfect blend of mint and chocolate, and really, really addictive.  Despite possibly seeming complicated to make (because of what we imagine to be the mysterious veil of secrets shrouding Girl Scout Cookies), they're actually kind of a breeze.  They're really no harder to make than any other cookie.  And there will be no judgment from me if they are all gone within hours of being made - I promise. 

Gluten-free Thin Mints (Adapted from this recipe from Seattle Weekly)
Makes 4 dozen cookies

1 stick (1/2 cup) Fleishmann's Unsalted Margarine
1 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
1/2 tsp. mint extract
1/2 cup sorghum flour
1/2 cup tapioca starch
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 cup pure cocoa powder
1 - 2 tbsp. sweet rice flour for dusting (or regular rice flour)

For chocolate coating:
1 cup Trader Joe's Dark Chocolate Mint UFOs OR 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips + 1/4 tsp. mint extract
1 tbsp. Earth Balance Buttery Spread

This dough will chill in the fridge for a few hours, so don't preheat the oven yet!

Cream the margarine and sugar together with an electric mixer.  Add the egg and beat well.  Add the mint extract and continue to beat. 

In a separate bowl, measure out the flours and whisk together with the salt and cocoa powder.  Add little by little to the butter-sugar-egg mixture, beating with the electric mixer until very well-mixed.  Refrigerate the dough for at least an hour, longer if possible.

When you're ready to make them, preheat the oven to 350 F.  Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and put your 1 - 2 tbsp. sweet rice flour into a small bowl.  Scoop out the cookie dough by teaspoonful and roll into a ball with your hands.  Place about 2 inches apart on the baking sheets.  Dip a wide, flat spoon into the sweet rice flour to coat it and then use the spoon to flatten each little ball of dough into a rough circle.  Bake for 12 minutes (or until ever-so-slightly puffed up and set) and then remove.  Leave on the hot baking sheet for 2 minutes and then remove to a wire rack to cool.

In a small sauce pan or double boiler, place the chocolate and buttery spread.  Melt them together over very low heat, stirring constantly to avoid burning.  When they are melted, remove from heat.  Dip each of the cooled cookies into the chocolate mixture and coat completely with chocolate (you may need more chocolate than this depending on how well-coated you make them).  Remove from pan with two forks, using one to hold up the cookie and the other to scrape of any excess chocolate.  Place on waxed paper and place in the refrigerator or freezer to cool completely. 

I personally like to keep Thin Mints in the freezer, but you can store these in the fridge as well. 

Pea Mint Tapenade

I know - peas.  Gross, right?  Peas are the vegetables that get shuffled unenthusiastically around the plate.  They're the ones we hide behind the other food until dinner is over.  They're not only physically difficult to pin down, squirming and rolling away from utensils, but I feel like peas are often a vegetable of obligation.  I myself have a bag of them in my freezer that prompt a slight wave of guilt every time I catch a glimpse of them.  I feel like I should have them, but I don't know why.  Why do we hate peas, anyway?  Is it the faded green color?  The taste?  The texture?  The associations we have with being forced to eat them as children?  Whatever the reason, peas have gotten a bad rap in our minds, rating up there with brussel sprouts in their ability to repel us. 

So who knew they'd be so freaking delicious as a tapenade?  The texture of this is so creamy that you'll think for a minute that some sort of fat or cream has been added.  But - it hasn't.  The peas run the show, settling into perfect smoothness when pureed.  The flavor is delightful, but not overpowering, and it is wonderful spread over crispy garlic crostinis hot from the oven.  You could even serve it as a dip for gluten-free crackers.  The perfect appetizer, it's simple to make and will impress your guests with the unexpected harmony of peas and mint. 

Pea Mint Tapenade
Makes enough for about 24 crostini, or about 2 cups

2 1/2 cups peas, cooked and drained
5 - 7 tbsp. chopped fresh mint (to taste)
1 tbsp. lemon juice
Salt and pepper to taste


Place all ingredients in a food processor or blender and puree until smooth.  Adjust seasonings and mint to your own taste.  Serve with gluten-free garlic crostinis or gluten-free crackers.

*Note: This does not keep very well, even overnight, so it is best to make it as close to serving time as possible for maximum freshness and flavor.

Chewy Mint Chocolate Cookies

Do you ever miss Thin Mints?

I do.  They were my favorite kind of Girl Scout Cookie (aside from a maple cream one they sold for only one year before yanking it off the market for some inexplicable reason).  The combination of the chocolate and mint - dangerously addictive, and completely delicious.

Well, it's just as hard to stop eating these.  I overbaked the first tray I put in and was extra careful not to repeat that mistake with the rest, standing like a hawk by the oven to pull them out after exactly 9 minutes.  The results?  Chewy, chocolatey, minty, coconuty goodness. (But don't worry - if you hate coconut, you can leave it out and they will still taste awesome.  I tested it out for you.)

I got the idea from the Gluten Free Goddess and tweaked the recipe from her site (which you can find here) based on the ingredients I had on hand.  I also halved her recipe, fearful of the implications of a full batch of chocolate cookies alone with me in my apartment. 

And those fears were justified.  The gooey chocolate chips and chewy coconut are a wonderful combination, and the mint makes them festive somehow.  They'd be perfect for a holiday party!

Try them for yourself and see if anyone you serve these to complains about their being gluten-free.  Dare them to. 

Chewy Mint Chocolate Cookies

1/3 cup Spectrum organic shortening
½ cup packed brown sugar
¼   cup white sugar
1 tbsp. agave nectar
1 egg
7 - 9 tbsp. mint chocolate Silk soy milk (or any other non-dairy chocolate milk)
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 -1 ½ tsp. peppermint extract (according to your own taste)
1 ¼  cup of your favorite gluten-free flour blend (I used Montina, but others would work, too)
½  tsp. xanthan gum

¾ tsp. baking powder
½  tsp. baking soda
¼   tsp. salt
¼   cup plus 1 tbsp. cocoa powder
½  cup chocolate chips
½  - 1 cup shredded coconut (optional, but recommended!)

Preheat the oven to 350 F.

Combine the shortening, sugars, and agave nectar and mix well.  Add the egg, 7 tbsp. of the mint chocolate soy milk, and the vanilla and peppermint extracts. 

In a separate bowl, combine the gluten-free flour, xanthan gum, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cocoa powder.  Add to the liquid mixture, stirring well.  Stir in the chocolate chips and coconut, if desired.  If the batter is too dry, add more mint chocolate soymilk by the tablespoonful until the batter is smooth and stiff.

Drop by tablespoon-ful onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper or sprayed with cooking spray.  Bake for 8 - 12 minutes, or just until they are barely cooked all the way through.  I baked mine for about 9 minutes.  Do not overbake!  They may not look completely done when you pull them out of the oven.  Allow to rest for 2 - 3 minutes on the hot cookie sheet, then remove to a cooling rack or plate.