Tuna Roll-Ups (works for hot dogs, too)

I found I still had these held back in 'edit' form-- it's time to set 'em free!  I have no idea as to where I first saw a recipe for these, but I started making these tuna roll-ups in the early 1970's (they're good re-heated, too).

For those who don't like tuna,... wrap hot dogs,... or pre-cooked breakfast sausage!*

You can make the 'dough wrappers' from scratch with the recipe below, OR buy a tube of the "Big & Flaky Crescent Rolls" and be done in a flash!

To make simple 'wrappers' from scratch, sift together: 

• 2 cups flour
• 3 teaspoons baking powder (I like to use aluminum-free version)
• 1 teaspoon salt

Put in a small bowl, and lightly blend: 

• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 2/3 cup milk

Now, pour liquid into flour mixture, all at once.  Stir with a fork just until mixture cleans sides of bowl and rounds up into a ball.  Smooth by gently kneading dough for only about 10 times without additional flour. 

Place the dough between 2 sheets of waxed (or Saran) paper about 12" square.   Using little pressure, roll out until dough reaches edges of paper.  Peel off top paper.  Cut dough into 9 squares (or less squares if you want a larger roll-up).*

Combine the following and put a rounded tablespoonful on each of the squares.

• 1 of 5-oz can of tuna, drained well, and flaked.
• 1/2 cup finely minced celery
• 1 egg,  beaten

Roll up each square like you would a jelly roll, or triangles as in crescent roll.   Place sealed-side-down on parchment paper or foil lined cookie sheet. 

Bake for 10-15 minutes in preheated 400-degree oven.  Serve with hot 'reduced fat' version of cream of mushroom OR cream of celery OR cream of chicken soup that has been thinned with 1/2 cup low-fat milk (see my 'personal opinion' about soups, below).  Garnish tuna roll ups with flaked parsley; serve the hot dog roll ups with ketchup/mustard.   Serves 6.

*Natural casing wieners do not work as well with this recipe IF their casing is on the 'tough side'. 

** Instead of rolling the dough to 1/4" thick and into the 12" square and cutting the dough into squares, you can roll it into a rectangle, cut it into triangles and end up with dough shapes that are 'crescent roll' style as in the photos above.  Place a bit of filling on the big end of a triangle and roll towards the small tip-- OR, like I wrote above, you could just use a can of the 'Big Flaky' Crescent Rolls and be done in a flash.  (The 'Big Flaky' are sized 50% larger than regular 'tubed' crescent rolls.)

Note about store-bought canned and condensed cream soups:  I love the convenience of them, but I do not like that they come with a good dose of MSG and a higher sodium content than necessary.  So,.. since I started making my own white sauce for scalloped potatoes so many years ago, I've often made a decent substitute for the condensed soups by combining a ratio of 3 tablespoons melted butter with 3 tablespoons flour, and adding 1 cup milk and seasonings,  followed by lowering the heat to nothing higher than Med. and letting it boil lightly for a minimum of two minutes while stirring constantly (this is to let the flour 'cook').  That takes some close ATTENTION because of its thickness (I don't know why, but I find it easier to manage when I double/triple the batch).

For a cream of chicken flavor, I've used 1/2 milk and 1/2 homemade chicken broth (frozen ahead for things like this)-- sometimes, I add a itty bitty bit of poultry seasoning to it; for the cream of mushroom flavor, I've made the thick white sauce as above and added some finely diced cooked/sauteed mushrooms, etc.  After all,... my mother (and maybe yours, too?) made all kinds of great tasting things without the 'cream soups in a can'.   

To make a gluten-free cream of mushroom soup, this link might be helpful:
http://www.glutenfreecookingschool.com/archives/how-to-make-gluten-free-cream-of-mushroom-soup/