Tia Ayda’s Tuna Pasta
I lost someone close to me this past weekend. My tia Ayda (aunt for those who don’t speak Spanish), passed away. I was close to her, and she cared for me like I was her own. I wish I could have seen her in person again before she passed away, but she was in Colombia where my parents are from. The last time I saw her was over Facebook Messenger. She was so happy to see me and my daughters. I will forever miss that smile.
I once stayed with her when I went to Colombia, and she cooked me a pasta dish that I named “Tuna Pasta”. It was such a simple dish, but it was tasty and whenever I make it I am reminded of her.
I have been looking for ways to honour her since my family and I are not able to attend a funeral or a memorial. I decided to do so with food. I have always loved food and cooking. One of my dreams is to one day write a cookbook.
There I said it. It is out in the universe now.
I think my tia would have encouraged me to pursue my dream because she was such a strong woman and didn’t let anyone hold her back. With that being said, I am going to start sharing recipes on my blog because it brings me joy and my tia always wanted my sister and I to be happy.
This first recipe is a twist on my tia’s original recipe. As some of you may know, I am currently on an elimination diet to help with some very stubborn eczema on my hands and face. It has gotten better, and I am not in the reintroduction phase yet, which is what I like to call the “fun phase”. That’s when I reintroduce the foods I took out of my diet one at a time and see which food causes a reaction.
This recipe is a twist on the original because I currently can’t eat that version. The original is made with mayonnaise and I can’t eat eggs. I can’t use vegan mayo because it is often made with soy and I can’t have soy either. My version of the recipe uses avocado and olive oil as the base of the sauce. I will share the recipe in its original form when I am able to make it and taste it for testing purposes.
Tuna Pasta is something you can make quickly and very cheaply. It is also one of those recipes that you don’t really need measurements. You just add the ingredients in the amounts you want. It’s all about your personal preferences. I have added measurements just so you have somewhere to start.
In honour of my late and very special tia Ayda I present to you my first ever. recipe blog post.j
Recipe Notes:
-I used rice pasta because I am currently not eating gluten. You can use any pasta here. The original was made with regular pasta from wheat. It was also made with spaghetti originally, but I personally like rotini.
-It is best served warm but you can eat it as a cold pasta dish too. This works best with regular wheat pasta because the rice pasta hardens after it’s been in the fridge. I don’t mind reheating it for leftovers though if that’s the case.
-If you want to try the original version, you can just take out the spinach and replace all the wet ingredients, including the avocado, with a mayonnaise of your choosing. Use as much or as little mayo as you want, depending on your preference for the taste and consistency of the sauce. As mentioned above, I will make the original again and share the right amounts in another blog post.
That’s it. I have shared my first recipe in my blog. It isn’t a masterpiece of a meal, but it is easy, simple, nutritious, and made with love. I look forward to sharing more recipes with you.
