Southern Sushi? Tuna Roses? Snack idea!

Sometimes I just do weird stuff in the kitchen. Sometimes, like today, it turned out very well. When it turns out pretty...even better.


I made a batch of my Big Pimpin' Tuna Salad. When I opened up the fridge to pull out the English Muffins I found a bag of collard greens. I decided to combine the two. It was fantastic.


I'm calling them Southern Sushi or Tuna Roses. Which do you think?

Tuna rapped in a collard green leaf. It looks a little rose like.

Rinse off your collard green. They grow in sandy soil and sand is a perfectly good way to ruin you day. 

Take your collard leaf and spread on a cutting board. These are organic collards that I picked up from the farmer's market If you go to Whole Foods or a store with lots of variety you should look for a smaller collard leaf. The smaller the leaf the more tender the veins. They were starting to look a little tired so I'm thrilled I was able to find a purpose for them that didn't require hours of cooking.

Use your sharp knife to cut the leaf off the stalk. 

 Take a scoop of tuna salad and plop it on the strip of half collard.

 Don't get crazy with the tuna or you'll just end up with it all in your lap.

Wrap the tuna and pull the cut side of the collard leaf half a little tighter to make a cone as you wrap it. (Think of a sushi hand roll.)

Repeat until you run out of tuna or collards. Each collard half makes a one or two bite tuna roll with the size collard I bought. There were a few big leaves that looked a little more like a tuna snow cone. 

Tuna snow cone. Still very tasty. 

This was a big leaf. I like the smaller
ones for these wraps.

The raw edge makes it look like a little rose. (You can also try wrapping your collard into a wide cone and stuffing it.)

Because the stalk is removed they aren't tough or stringy. The collard actually adds a really nice crunch and crispness. 


Even if you don't like cooked collard greens, I think you'll enjoy this. They aren't pungent, the flavor is mild and it's sturdy like a cabbage leaf to hold all the goods. The Big Pinmpin' Tuna Salad has a nice kick to it and it works well with the flavor of the collard wrap.


The cone shape makes it great for tuna salad. 

Yum!

Tot Fondue

I try to eat healthy but sometimes I just need to cannonball right off the deep end into some comfort food. Back when I was a housewife in training wheels my friend Aimee told me she always kept Velveeta and Rotel in the pantry for when there were unexpected guest. Sure enough, the queso recipe is right on the inside cover of the Velveeta. Just mix it with Rotel and nuke it. Her advice has saved me when friends stopped over or when the hubs was looking for serious snacking while studying in law school. 


One of our favorite restaurants in Atlanta is The Vortex. They have this wonderful concoction called Tot Fondue. It's essentially tater tots and queso dip. Man, is it good. This is my take on the recipe. It's not as good as The Vortex but I had some supplies on hand to give it a shot. I was pretty happy with it. My version is spicier and the pepper on the tots makes it extra good.


This takes about 25 minutes from pantry to table and it's a great TV snack or a fun twist on a side dish. It's also easy to make multiple batches if you're looking for a warm finger food for entertaining.


Any leftover dip is good with tortilla chips...duh!

Tot Fondue! As good for a hangover as Waffle House. Ole, ya'll!

Tot Fondue


1 can of Original Rotel 
1 16oz package of Velveeta
1 bag of Tater Tots
1/4 tsp. Salt
1/2 tsp. Finely Ground Black Pepper

Step 1: Preheat your oven and pour tots onto a baking sheet. Cook as directed but add an extra minute or two at the end to get them good and crispy. You'll be eating these with your fingers and the extra few minutes gets them crunchy enough to stand up to dipping.












While your tots are in the oven...

Step 2: Open the can and pour all of the contents into a blender or food processor. Pulse it a 5-7 times to break up the chunks of tomato and peppers. Do it until there are no big chunks but don't go nuts with the puree. If you don't do this step the chunks are too big and won't stick to your tots. Aim for teeny bits of tomato and peppers, not liquefied.







Step 3: Cut your Velveeta into chunks and put those chunks into a microwaveable bowl.








Step 4: Pour your Rotel right over the top of the cheese


Step 5: Pop it in the microwave for 3 minutes. Stir, then nuke for another minute or two until there are no chunky cheese bits left and the cheese is melty and the Rotel is evenly mixed throughout. (The heating instructions for the basic queso are in the Velveeta box for reference. Handy!)


Step 6: When the tots are done, remove from the oven and sprinkle with a little bit of salt (the Queso portion will have enough so don't over do it.) Then sprinkle about 1/2 tsp of ground pepper over the tots. Toss them to distribute the salt and pepper.

I hate fighting big dishes in my fridge.
I transfer things into my little ramekins
for easy storage and reheating. 

Pour your queso into a little ramekin and serve along side your tots. 

Ole, ya'll.

Tips: 

• Once my queso is done I pour it into smaller ramekins so we easily reheat it and store the extra without using a big dish. Just warm up a dish for more tots or chips.

• Not all brands have the same size tots. If you have multiple options, go for the bigger tot. The bigger tots give you more surface area for holding the dip. If not, the small works just fine.

• Remember to add a few minutes on to the tot cooking time. You want them crunchy enough to hold up to dipping in queso which is crunchier than what's needed for dipping in ketchup. It's a scientifically proven fact. Really!

• Here's the recipe for the Velveeta and Rotel "Famous Queso Dip"

• I prefer the Original Rotel for this recipe. The Hot is just too strong on the tots.

• Don't wander too far once you hit the 3 minute mark. Trust me. 

Oops!