what I had for brekki: Mexican-inspired tuna wonton wraps and taco cups.

Last night, I found myself salivating over a handful of taco/nacho/enchilada recipes. Yes, I had a Mexican thing going around my head. I was daydreaming about their meaty/beefy goodness for a good eight hours – the whole time I was at work.

I always knew thinking about food 24/7 would do me no good. Um, wait.. No. It is actually good for me. I get to experiment a lot in the kitchen without having to eat everything. (Yeah, I have minions who can do that for me LOL). Anyway, thinking/reading/browsing the web about food can be a little too much at times. Too much that all I wanted to do last night was stop working and get started with making myself some tacos, nachos, or whatever you wanna call it. I noticed that these things actually contain almost the same ingredients, it just differs with how it’s served. Use taco shells or tortilla wraps and you have yourself a taco. Use nacho chips and you have nachos.

My only dilemma was I didn’t actually have the right stuff. I didn’t have ground beef, no refried beans, no nacho chips or taco shells.. I only had cans and cans of tuna, wonton/dumpling wrappers, some spices, and a very big appetite. So, what’s a poor girl to do?

Experiment!

I tried to come up with my own “taco” concoction inspired by a few recipes and a blog post from my friend Res.

The moment I got home, I started working my magic in the kitchen. And the result?



Mexican-inspired tuna taco cups! :)

Here’s the drill:

3 tbsp canola oil
1 can tuna flakes in oil
2 medium Italian Garlic sausages, cubed
1 medium white onion
1/2 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp ground cumin
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
2 pcs bird's eye chili, roughly chopped (optional)
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 tbsp honey mustard
2-3 tbsp cream cheese, softened
2 medium tomatoes, seeded and cubed
1/2 cup grated Cheddar/Mozzarella cheese
wonton/dumpling wrappers

The stuff you need.

Prepare tuna and sausages. Mix in a bowl. Set aside.

Tuna and chopped sausages.

Chop onions and tomatoes, place in separate bowls. Set aside.

Onions and tomatoes.

Preheat oven to 350F. Grease muffin pan and place 2 pieces of wonton wrapper to create a "taco cup."

Heat oil in pan. Sauté onions until soft. Add in tuna and sausages. Season with paprika, cumin, Worcestershire sauce, salt, and pepper. Add in chili, if using.  Stir for about a minute. Remove from heat and set aside.



In a bowl, mix honey mustard and cream cheese until combined. Add in sautéed tuna and sausage mixture. Mix until combined.

Spoon tuna-sausage filling into muffin pan and top with a few tomatoes, and finally grated cheese. Repeat until all cups are filled.

Ready to bake!

I also made wontons out of the filling. Instead of making a “cup,” I just spooned the filling directly to a piece of wonton wrapper, topped with tomatoes, cheese, and another piece of wrapper and haphazardly wrapped the whole thing. Hehe.

Bake at 350F for 20-25 minutes or until wonton wrappers are crisp and golden brown and cheese has melted.

Serve immediately.

My own tuna wonton wrap and taco cup.

Notes:

• It's high time that I invest in good cheeses. I just used processed cheese, not even the quick-melt kind. So, my cheese didn't really melt. Argh.
• And next time I make this, I'll make damn sure that I use all-meat! I can't wait. :)