Another Finley photobomb! (And yes, he did get a wee nibble of tuna from Momma Ames haha!)

The original plan for this recipe was to crust the tuna in sesame seeds but I only had about a tablespoon of seeds in the pantry and then completely forgot to pick up more. So, I did a little reading and discovered that fried cashews are used in a myriad of Asian dishes and so the gears switch from sesame to cashew. I actually ended up liking the cashew crust better anyway. Also, I like a lot of wasabi so please add a little powder at a time to the sweet potato and then taste before adding more.

Oh and this dinner may look fancy, but really it took me less than 45 minutes to prepare.

Seared Cashew Crusted Tuna

Ingredients: 

2 fresh Tuna Steaks (procured mine from ShopRite)

1/4 cup raw Cashews

1/2 tsp Toasted Sesame Oil

1/2 dried Arbol de Chile, optional

1/2 tsp Black Sesame Seeds

1 tbsp Grapeseed Oil, divided

Salt and Pepper to taste

Method: 

In a small cast iron skillet over med flame, heat 1/2 tsp of Sesame oil until shimmering. Add in the dried chile, if using, and the cashews. Fry the cashews until just golden, about 2 – 4 minutes. Immediately remove the cashews from the skillet and rest on paper towels to absorb any excess oil. Set aside and allow cashews to cool completely. (try not to snack on them!) Once the cashews have cooled, add them to a food processor and plus until a breadcrumb like texture is reached. Stir in the black sesame seeds. Set aside.

On a cutting board or in a casserole dish, evenly coat each steak with about 1/4 tsp of Grapeseed oil. Salt and pepper each side of the steak and then gently press on an even coating of the cashew mixture. Set aside.

In a nonstick pan, heat the remaining Grapeseed oil over med flame until shimmering. Sear the tuna steaks 1 minute per side for rare, or until desired doneness is reached. Allow the steaks to rest about 5 minutes before slicing. Serve with you favorite sides and garnish with lime wedges.

Wasabi Sweet Potato Mash

Ingredients: 

1 Sweet Potato, peeled and quartered

1 tsp Low-Sodium Soy Sauce, optional

1 Black Garlic clove, optional

1 tsp Wasabi powder

2 tbsp Cashew Milk

2 tabs Butter

Salt and Pepper to taste

Method: 

Add the chopped sweet potato to a pot and cover with water. Add to the pot the soy sauce and black garlic. Bring the water to a boil over med high flame and boil the potato until very tender, about 15 – 20 minutes.

Once tender, drain the water off the potatoes in a colander then add the sweet potato back to the pot, including the black garlic clove, if desired. To the potatoes add the butter, wasabi powder, a splash or two of cashew milk, and salt and pepper. Mash the sweet potato with an avocado masher until very smooth. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed. Serve immediately.

Sesame Peanut Slaw

Ingredients: 

1 bag Veggie Mix of choice (I used Mann’s Power Blend Superfood)

1 cup Snow Peas, trimmed

1 tsp Black Sesame Seeds

1/4 cup Peanut Sauce (of choice), adding more or less as desired

Method: 

In a container with a lid, mix all ingredients together. Taste and adjust seasonings as desired. Chill in the fridge at least 30 minutes before serving. Garnish with lime wedges.