[Delish Ways to Veg up...] Tuna Salad!

While stuffing my face yesterday I realized something -- I have an entire arsenal of recipes that have never been posted.  I guess I figured simple dishes like sandwiches, wraps, salads, and such were boring and didn't merit their own post.  But what they could use, is a little attention here and there =)  I usually sneak them into my WIAWs but I've decided to whip up a few posts on how I take a simple ho-hum dish and amp up the nutrition density.  I gave up counting calories when they started to take over my life a few years ago... so instead I count veggies!  

The glory of this is that there is no right and wrong -- you can count the volume/amount of veggies added to a dish or count the variety of colorful produce makes it into your meal. Regardless, it's a positive and healthy way to approach a meal, right?  Win-win!  Every week or so I'll toss up a [Veg Up!] post and count veggies instead of calories!  Taking your typical diet and vegging it up takes a little practice, but once the habit is formed, your body will thank you in a bazillion different ways!  Shiny hair, strong nails, glowing skin, a happy heart, and even a little sparkle in your eyes or a skip in your step.  So join me, and challenge yourself to add extra veg to your favorite dishes!

Let's kick things off with the lunch that inspired this post: 

Veggie Tuna Salad

What's in it?

5oz chunk light tuna canned in water, drained
[Bonus! chunk light tuna is lower in mercury than albacore]

a pinch of garlic powder

a pinch of dried minced onion or onion powder

a dollop of mayo or greek yogurt [start with just a little and only add more if you need it!]

1 tsp [or more!] of your favorite mustard [I heart plain yellow]

S+P to taste

Veggies Added toss in as many veggies as you do tuna -- or more!

shredded carrots

shredded radish

finely chopped or shredded celery
finely chopped white or red onion
chopped kosher dill pickles [relish works too!]

Sandwich Time!

To make into a super flavorful sandwich that rivals your local deli, combine all ingredients, spread onto fluffy rye bread with a little mustard, arugula [or crisp romaine!] and dig. in!  Tuna and rye are a match made in heaven so hunt down some whole grain rye instead of the typical white bread.  If you have 'em, onion and tomato are also di-vine piled on top of this sandwich.  Use what you have and, as always, have fun with it!  A colorful lunch is a satisfying lunch =)

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You may be tempted to whine "But Jennnnnn, adding extra crap to something as simple as a tuna salad sandwich takes so much extra work.  All that chopping and slicing..."

But to that, I have two things to say:

1. Shut your beautiful mouth & 

2. I have a solution!

Veg up a week's worth of eats by prepping raw veggies just once over the weekend. You can do this with a trusty chef's knife and cutting board or break out your food processor.  The last batch I whipped up in my cheap-o food processor included finely diced/shredded celery, carrots, and radish.  A handful went into a mini-batch of veggie cream cheese and  I simply chopped up 1/4 a giant dill pickle and added it to another handful of shredded veggies for a practically effortless tuna salad.  Now I have just enough leftover to toss on top of a big fat salad.  See?  Ridiculously easy meals for just a few minutes of work!  

Get your gluten-free on or simply save calories by piling this veggie filled tuna salad atop a bed of greens.  If you're feelling feisty or just working with minimal ingredients scoop it up with a chunk of lettuce or even tortilla chips!  You can even go full on mexican with a vegged up Fiesta Tuna Salad w/ avocado.  It's kind of a big deal around here.  It has many leather-bound books and an apartment that smells of rich mahogany...  It's the Ron Burgundy of tuna salad spin-offs.

So add some extra OOMPH to your tuna salad with veggies.  

Don't rely on gobs of fat for flavor -- let the veggies do all the work!

and while you're at it - try this healthy tuna salad stuffed into cucumber cups!

Do you veg up your tuna salad?  If not, you totally will now... right? =)