Tuna Ice Lollies for Cats

Animals have been suffering in the heatwave we've had recently - I've seen several reminders on Facebook not to walk dogs during the hottest part of the day. My cat spent several days moving from one spot in the living room to another, seeking out the coolest bit of floor, so when I saw this idea on the internet (on Facebook again actually) I decided to give it a go.

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Tuna ice lollies for cats - whatever will they think of next?! To make these, you simply mix the liquid from a tin of tuna in spring water (rather than brine which is too salty), with a little tap water, and freeze them in ice lolly makers.

To get the lollies out, stand the mould in a bowl of boiling water for a few seconds.

Unfortunately my cat didn't seem particularly interested but I have seen videos on the internet of cats licking these so apparently they do work at least with some animals!

Spiralized Courgette and Carrot with Tuna and Lemon

This is a simple dinner I threw together after work one evening. Using a spiralizer really transforms vegetables - I don't even like courgette normally and certainly wouldn't eat a plateful of it but this meal tasted delicious and was really healthy.

I began by spiralizing a courgette and a carrot, and frying them in a pan with a little water until the vegetables had softened. I opened a tin of tuna - which I ended up sharing with the cat - and stirred it in along with some lemon juice, oil and dill. Toss the whole thing together in the pan to warm through and serve.

Tuna Melt Bagel

When I'm at a loss for what to have for lunch and don't want to cook, but don't just want a sandwich,  this is my go-to lunch: a tuna melt bagel. It only needs three or four ingredients and a quick 15 minute blast in the oven.

Preheat the oven to 175C. To serve one, take a bagel and slice in half. Mix a tin of tuna with some salad cream or mayonnaise to taste, and spread on one half of the bagel. Spread cream cheese on the other side - I usually use two Laughing Cow light triangles but you could use any kind.

Sandwich the bagel together and wrap in foil. Place in the pre-heated oven for 15 mins.

Carefully unwrap, and enjoy. You probably need to eat this with a knife and fork rather than with your fingers - the cheese melts nicely (I think using the cheese spread is less overpowering than grated Cheddar) and the bagel softens but crisps a little on top. It's really good!

Tuna Burgers

I got the idea for this from a recipe book cunningly titled "The Burger". It includes grated courgettes which I don't like, and is served with a mango salsa, which I couldn't be bothered with, so this is just a plain tuna burger. It's easy to make and is a nice chance from a beefburger. It is also a different way to use up leftover mashed potatoes.

 Put a tuna steak in a food processor and chop.

Add some chopped spring onion, a little chopped red chilli if desired, and some leftover mashed potatoes.

Finally add 1 tbsp of mango chutney and pulse until blended.

Turn the machine off, then remove the mixture from the food processor and shape into a patty.

Fry in some Fry Light and serve either in a bun or naked, with French fries or some veg.

Jamie Oliver's Swedish Style Fishcakes

I was planning my week's meals  and wondering if I could find something Swedish-inspired for the Bloggers Around the World challenge. I was given Jamie Oliver's 30 Minute Meals a while ago as a gift and hadn't made all that much from it, so I was pleased to come across a recipe for Swedish style fishcakes, as I love fish and fishcakes. I did have to substitute fresh tuna for tinned tuna though, as I was shopping for this recipe on the way home from work and my little local supermarket didn't have any fresh tuna. I also only realised when I got home that I didn't have any bread to make breadcrumbs, so had to use dried golden breadcrumbs out of a packet.

To serve two, you need:

2 slices stale or crusty bread, or 4 tbsp golden breadcrumbs

1 salmon fillet, skin off and de-boned if necessary

1 haddock fillet, skin off and de-boned

1 tuna steak or half a tin of tuna

1 lemon

small bunch fresh parsley or dill

1 clove garlic

If making breadcrumbs from scratch, whizz the bread in a food processor until you have crumbs.

Place the salmon, haddock and tuna in a food processor with the grated zest of the lemon and the parsley or dill. Pulse until combined.

Transfer the mixture to a bowl, season and shape into patties

Place the breadcrumbs in a bowl and press both sides of the fishcake into the breadcrumbs

Heat some oil in a frying pan and add a clove of crushed garlic. Fry the fishcakes on both sides until browned.

I enjoyed these, though to be honest I would have preferred to eat the piece of salmon as it comes. The fishcake tasted of haddock and tuna and I think the taste of the salmon was lost a little. They made a nice change though!

I'm sending this to Bloggers Around the World, hosted by Chris at Cooking Around the World, as the country this month (until the 13th anyway when it changes) is Sweden.