Tuna nuggets

We're eating cheap lately. No meat, no frills. But I had a couple cans of tuna in the cupboard, some salad, I found a bag of limes on sale and I splurged on a small tin of coconut milk, so I decided to make tuna nuggets. It's a big hit with the kids too, and it's pretty delicious.

Can of tuna, one lime, some garlic powder, bread crumbs, and coconut milk. Crumble bread in a bowl, stir in tuna and add lime juice and coconut milk to make a thick paste. Add some flour to make it stick together better and some salt and garlic powder to taste. Heat oil in a frying pan (not much - you want to fry the nuggets not have them swim...) make nuggets with a spoon and fry until brown all over. Flip over once with a spatula.You can make them small or large and flat, like potato pancakes.

Put on paper towels to dry and serve hot or warm. Delicious with salad. The best sauce with them is a tomato, diced, mixed with more lime juice to make a quick salsa.

Nettle Soup

I used to avoid nettles. They grew in profusion around the farm, choked the paths to the stream and made picking black raspberries perilous. Their sting raised red rashes on my arms and legs, and left white, itchy blisters on my hands when I accidentally brushed against them. But now I adore them. Every spring, as soon as they start to sprout along the hedgerows, I'm out with shears and gloves, snipping off the tender tops to make nettle soup.

Recipe:
A large bowlful of nettle tops, thoroughly rinsed. 1 or 2 potatoes - peeled and cubed. 1 onion, diced. A spoonful of butter. A quart or so of chicken bouillon.

Soften the nettles and onions in the butter over medium heat. Add potatoes and bouillon and cook until the potatoes are soft. Mix in a blender. Taste and add salt and pepper as needed. Serve hot or cold. You can add a dollop of cream to the soup if you want it a bit richer.

Nettle soup and fresh bread is one of our favorite meals in the springtime.