Crusted Tuna with Soy Ginger Sauce and Vinegar Rice

Another great thing about changing the way I eat has been discovering foods I've never cooked before.

Though I've often thought Ahi tuna looked amazing while watching the Food Network, for some reason I felt too intimidated to make it.

But when I saw the following recipes in a magazine called Cuisine Light, I knew I wanted to try it - not only for the tuna, but for the ground pepper and coriander in the spice rub.

I wondered what on earth it would all be like together and decided to take a chance.

After all, it's only cooking.

So that's what I did - and to spectacular results because this dinner was better than I could have ever imagined. The tuna was light, and moist, and flavourful, and the sauce - to die for!

I was also impressed by how well the vinegar rice paired with this. The avocado and mango provided the perfect balance for the spices in the tuna and cooled it off somewhat on the palette.

As an added bonus, the meal was also very quick and easy to prepare - crucial for a weeknight.

A nice crisp chardonnay goes well with this dinner or even a beautiful red. I opted for my current favourite - a cabernet sauvignon called Stormy Bay that comes from South Africa. Not only is this wine at a fabulous price point, I find it to be absolutely delicious.

One of the secrets to happiness, I believe, is in finding balance because life has ways of throwing curve balls throughout the day.

That's why my mornings and evenings are sacred and why I try not to think about work or any of the stressors of the day once I have clocked out.

Mornings are for drinking coffee, stretching, preparing a good breakfast, showering, taking time to get ready for the day ahead, and writing - both in my blog, and my novel - a project I plan to have completed and ready sometime in September.

And evenings are long walks or a run with the dog before dinner, cooking with my husband, enjoying our meal with a nice glass of wine, a little TV, a good book, meditation, and sleep in a warm, comfortable bed.

Balance.

It's not always there, but when I make a conscious effort to remember my own "wheel of life" giving equal time to the physical, emotional, intellectual, and spiritual everything just feels better.

I hope you enjoy to today's recipe - and if you're inspired to add a little more balance to your own life, so much the better - at the end of the day, it's all about supporting one another toward each of our own higher purposes.

At least, that's what Oprah says.

And I'm sticking to it ;)

Happy Wednesday all!

Crusted Tuna with Soy Ginger Sauce
317 calories
For printable recipe click here

For the Tuna

• 2 Tbsp coriander seeds
• 2 Tbsp black peppercorns
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 4 tuna fillets (5 oz each)
• 2 Tbsp olive oil

For the Sauce

• 2 Tbsp minced fresh ginger
• 2 Tbsp butter
• 1/4 cup dry white wine
• 3 Tbsp low sodium soy sauce
• 1 Tbsp chile garlic sauce
• 1 Tbsp molasses
• 1 Tbsp brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp dijon mustard

Finish with:
1/3 cup scallions, thinly sliced
1 T fresh lime juice

Preheat grill to medium high.

Pulse coriander and peppercorns in a coffee grinder until coarsely ground. Transfer to a bowl and add salt. Set aside.

Brush both sides of tuna with olive oil, then press seasonings onto both sides. Grill fish covered 2 minutes on each side, remove and let rest 5 minutes. You may need to adjust cooking time based on thickness.

Saute ginger in butter in a small skillet over medium heat until soft, 1 minute. Deglaze with wine, simmer until reduced by half, then stir in soy sauce, chile garlic sauce, molasses, sugar and dry mustard. Simmer 2 - 3 minutes.

Drizzle sauce over tuna, then finish with scallions and lime juice. Serve with vinegar rice (recipe to follow) and steamed green beans with a little sauce drizzled over as well.

Vinegar Rice
123 Calories

Ingredients

• 1 cup dry basmati or jasmine rice
• 1/4 cup rice vinegar
• 1/2 cup diced avocado
• 1/2 cup diced mango or mandarin orange

Directions

1. Prepare rice according to package directions
2. Stir in vinegar , and top with avocado and mango

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Author:

Lyndsay Wells is a professional trainer, writer, and program developer with a passion for food and cooking. She is an award winning recipe developer, and a website ambassador for Kraft Foods Canada. Lyndsay believes cooking should be approachable and easy and has great tips and ideas for putting together sophisticated looking dishes that cooks of all levels can accomplish.

Visit her daily on her blog, The Kitchen Witch or on her YouTube Channel, CHARMED With The Kitchen Witch.