Meals in Minutes from Casa de Cuisine: Island Coconut Cream Tuna

There is no law which states fast food must be deadly. There is no law which states fast food must contain chemicals and poisons. There is no law which states fast food must be high in calories. The fact of the matter is, the origial fast food was known as "bistro" food, food made quick and healthy. It wasn't until the fast food dens of death (the chains) where the term fast food became the equal to slow suicide. In todays hectic lifestyle it is rather hard to take a lot of time to make a decent dinner. With this new series, we'll be sharing with you some incredible meals you can make in a matter of minutes which will be tasty, natural and pretty damn good for you! If you want to see how-to slideshows for any dish in this series, just checkout the Facebook page for ChefLarryEdwards (yes, all one word).

Comfort foods. We all have our favorites. When I was a kid growing up in San Francisco and my mother didn't feel like cooking, she would open a can of cream of mushroom soup and plop that gunk into a pot with a can of tuna and make creamed tuna which she would serve over some kind of pasta. It was edible... barely!

So what happens when you take a comfort food and decide to make it something more special? Well, you get Island Coconut Cream Tuna! A very simple and quick dish which can still conjur up a memory or two, yet taste brand spanking new. The idea is the same as the comfort food, but the taste is a world apart.

When you buy canned tuna, don't be cheap. Remember this stuff is going into your body. You want a can of tuna which only contain tuna! It can be packed in either oil or water. As far as coconut milk in concerned, the only ingredient listed should be... coconut milk! Keep it real and keep it natural.

Ingredients needed to make Island Coconut Cream Tuna (serves 2):

• 1 can tuna, packed in either water or oil
• 1 cup coconut milk
• 1 tsp. dried marjoram, crumbled
• 1 tsp. celery seeds
• 1/2 pound Brussels sprouts, core removed and shredded
• 1 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese
• pasta of your choice

Steps:

1. Strain the tuna from the can (which means squeeze the liquid from the tuna).
2. Into a medium pot over medium heat, add the coconut milk, marjoram, celery seeds and tuna and bring to a simmer.
3. Add the Brussels sprouts and cook 5 minutes (do not let it boil).
4. Add the Parmesan cheese and stir just until the cheese melts.
5. Spoon over some pasta and enjoy.

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