Tuesday, October 16, 2012

Avacado Tuna Pockets

One really cool thing about being an adult is that you get to pick out your own lunch.  After about the first 2 months of doing this, one of the really annoying things about being an adult is get to pick out your own lunch.  The ultimate hangup has to be making it every day; it's hard enough to wake up to make it into work at 8... 8:30.... 9.... 9:30.........

School Lunches in a Snap -- Are You Fast? -- © Exactostock/SuperStock
That kid so does not appreciate that sandwich.
<http://areyoufast.msn.com/articles/school-lunches-in-a-snap/251228235#fbid=vIbmafk2MfX>


So my grownup sophisticated strategy is to make everything on Sunday and then to keep eating that for the entire week.  So yes it violates the whole "get sick after 2 days" rule; however there is nothing sweeter than dumping preconfigured meals into the lunchbox each morning.

Other times, you're going to have to make lunch during the middle of the week regardless
<http://homebuilding.thefuntimesguide.com/2006/06/longaberger_co.php>

One nice thing is getting to put a spin on classics because we can now employ "grow-up" foodstuffs because our taste buds have "evolved" (aka: have dwindled away) to appreciate a wider range of culinary delights.  These remix a sauce from a Weight Watchers recipe to add a southwestern kick to ordinary tuna.  Also, sandwiches sound so elementary school; the pocket is the new cool kid who has the option to be served cold or warmed.  And bonus! No crusts.

Ingredients
1 can tuna
1/2 avocado, mashed
2 tbsp sour cream
1-2 tbsp diced tomatoes (based on taste
1 tsp lemon juice
dash salt
1 roll crescent roll dough

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Mix all ingredients except the crescent roll dough together in a bowl until well combined.  If it seems a bit runny, add more avocado.

This is definitely not part of the plating process
Separate out the dough into triangles and roll out to about it's minimum thickness.  Patch holes in the dough by pinching around the holes and roll together.  Arrange on the baking sheet.  It's ok if they're hanging over the edge or "don't fit" right now as they are not yet in pocket form.  Before arranging on the baking sheet, you can also put down parchment paper.  That helps with sticking.

Letting it all hang out is another story
Spoon a portion (roughly 1/8) of the mixture into the large triangle section of each of the pieces of dough 

More or less evenly distributed.
Now it's time to tuck your tuna away in pockets.  There are a couple different techniques for forming perfect pockets.  one of the easiest ways to form a pocket is to gather all the corners together and pinch along the edges so you end up with something of a point in the center of the pocket.

Don't let it leak!
I found the mixture to be a bit runny so it was a bit harder to keep everything contained.  Pinch along the short edges of the pocket first and then one side of the longer one letting the longer, skinnier wrap around the other edge.  Sometimes it's easier to pinch one of the longer sides to be the same length as the shorter side and then let the extra dough from the skinny tip point drape down the side of the pocket.

Anyway to hold in the goodness works
In the above picture you can see starting from the top clockwise the fold-down technique, the "fold over the log edge like a blanket" techique, and the traditional pinch at the top technique.  Finish all the pocked making and flatten slightly to evenly spread the mixture through the pocket.

Baking is indiscriminate much like placing the pockets
Place in the oven for 10-15 minutes until there is some browning on the outer crust of the pocket.  They take longer to cook than the normal crescent rolls, with browning being an indication that you will not have dough as part of the ingredients.

This is a good level of browning.
And plate up and enjoy your more sophisticated lunch!  Jello is still perfectly acceptable for dessert.

Pictured: sandwich, string cheese, and carrot sticks.
Sidebar: I didn't realized the pictures were so blurry, sorry guys!  I promise better ones for the next pocket tutorial or the next time I make these.  Yeesh, phone cameras.
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