Crunchy Egg and Tuna Salad

I love always having some version of this ready to eat in my 'fridge. Sometimes it's just tuna, but when I have a lot of eggs, I'll often add those as well.

My body seems to respond well to a blast of tuna protein. When I was working at our local Police Department, I'd often not eat until noon or thereabouts. Sometimes I'd intentionally not bring lunch and instead walk to the Subway a couple blocks away. On the days when I'd get a tuna sub I'd always feel so good for hours afterward. I love those (rare) strong signals our body gives when we find something that works well.

I used all these ingredients shown for this salad except for the cheese and tomato. It didn't really need the extra calories in the cheese, nor the water in the tomato. That was better on the side.

2 cans EVOO packed tuna - don't drain
1/2 lg. yellow onion
2 ribs of celery

2 hard boiled eggs
2 mini peppers

2 dill pickles
a little sweet pickle relish
2T brown grainy mustard
black + cayenne pepper
Lowry's Garlic Salt
1/2c± mayonnaise

Mix everything in a big glass bowl.

I had this with the gluten-free corn muffins I posted recently. I also served it over tossed salad. It would also be good in a tortilla wrap. . .Lin

Crunchy Tuna Salad

Whenever possible, I buy tuna packed in Extra Virgin Olive Oil. Then I use it, without draining, for a healthier version of tuna salad. This minimizes the amount of mayo you need to hold everything together.

Use 2 cans with all the chopped vegetables and drained, diced water chestnuts shown in this photo.

Use about 2T each of a good, seedy, brown mustard and mayonnaise. This EVOO might take a little getting used to, but it really is a healthier way to make tuna salad.

If you like the combination of tuna and eggs, add a couple chopped hard boiled eggs for an added protein boost.

This went great with those corn muffins I made the other day. . .Mmmm! . . Lin

Crunchy Tuna-Egg Salad ➕ Maple-Pepper Lemonade

This was the perfect breakfast!

I once saw a Chiropractor who often said a big steamy mug of lemon water with pepper was cleansing, anti-inflammatory and a wonderful way to start each day. I've added a bit of honey over the years, then I discovered Maple syrup dissolves so much better, even in cold water, so my take on this healthy, cleansing drink is at the bottom of this post.

This photo is pretty self-explanatory. Since I don't usually measure, I'm not giving exact amounts.

5-6 celery stalks

4-5 mini dill pickles

1 extra large green onion

Chop all these into a medium glass bowl then add a big dollop of mayonnaise, about 1/2T Dijon, a splash of good vinaigrette and a good shake of red and mixed seasonings.

Chop the eggs and tuna and gently mix with the rest of the ingredients in the bowl.

2 pasture raised eggs

1 can of tuna - drained

I had a big scoop of this on a piece of really good, toasted, sourdough bread. A chopped campari tomato and part of a skinny English cucumber. This mug of hot lemonade really brought it all together!

Into a big glass picture, pour about 3/4" of pure Maple syrup. Add twice that amount of pure lemon juice. I buy this amazing stuff in a 2-bottle pack at Costco and now, since discovering it, get nervous when I'm down to that last bottle! I love this!

Next, fill the pitcher half way with cold water, sprinkle in a pinch of black pepper, and about 4 pinches or shakes of cayenne pepper. Stir well, fill the pitcher, stir again. Pour some into a mug, heat and drink. . .every drop! Then refill and drink some more.

If you'd rather have this iced, just be sure to stir well before pouring over crushed or cubes. . .Lin 

Crunchy Tuna-Egg Salad

I woke really hungry this morning. 
This is unusual for me because I often don't eat anything at all until 2 or 3 in the afternoon. Since I'm still tying to stay strong with a 16-8 or 18-6 intermittent fasting schedule, I know the earlier we eat, the more efficiently our bodies process whatever food we put in them. So. . .today seems like a good day to initiate a time shift! It'll require much discipline though, since once I start eating...my body's like a crazed food disposal system...I'm sure anyone near me can hear it growling: Give Me MORE! But, hey, it's Monday, and I'm up for the challenge!

For me, going way back to my stressful days working as the Department Secretary for a small city Police Department in Wisconsin, I've found tuna salad to be a surprising comfort food. When my energy was low, or I could feel the grey cloud of anxiety or depression approaching; like the leading edge of a low pressure storm front; I'd take a break - walk down to Subway - and buy a tuna sandwich. With lots of added onions, olives, tomatoes, a big drizzle of EVOO, and sometimes cheese. I swear it worked like a charm, every single time, to restore sanity, balance and calm. Their tuna salad was really good and I was told by a couple employees that it was nothing more than tuna and mayonnaise! Since I'm not a minimalist in regard to food prep, that's a hard concept for me.

This time I stopped to taste it after combining tuna, eggs, mustard and mayo. Yes! It was good! But, I kept thinking how much 'better' it would be with sweet pickle, dill pickle, green onion, yellow bell pepper and of course celery - lots of celery. And I was right, it's great. But, as I said, it was also really good at the first taste test! So, feel free to add as much or little, of all these accoutrements, or even others, as you like. Chopped Kalamata olives are good too. Use this as a guide, rather than an exact how-to-type recipe.

In a bowl, chop together, crosscutting with 2 steak knives :

2 hard boiled eggs

2 5oz. UN-drained cans of tuna in EVOO

1T+ spicy brown mustard

1/2 - 2/3c EVOO mayonnaise

Try it now and stop if the flavors are what you like, or you're short on time and want to keep this simple. Proceed if you want something crunchier with other flavors. Chop and add:

1/4c yellow bell pepper

1 celery heart + greens

4-6 green onions

1/3c sweet pickle

1/3c dill pickle

This was great as breakfast at 8:00 this morning with a side of seasoned grape tomatoes, avocado and tiny sweet potato-corn crackers. Mmmm. Happy Monday Everyone! . .Lin

Tomatillo Tuna Salad

Combine the following in a medium glass bowl:

1 lg. can tuna - drained
1 chopped mini pepper
3 stalks chopped celery
2/3c chopped sweet onion
2/3c chopped sweet pickles
1/2c chopped kalamata olives
3T± tomatilla salsa
1/2c± mayonnaise

Use just enough mayonnaise to hold everything together. This is great in a lettuce wrap with avocado, a corn tortilla melt with some shredded taco cheese, or like here, in tomato shells.

To sort of quote Will Rogers. . .I can still say. . .

'I never met a tuna salad I didn't like'. .😉. .Lin

Kalamata Tuna Salad...In Many Forms

I had no plan to blog this when I put it together. I just knew I was really hungry, and I didn't pay a lot of attention to amounts. So, think of this more as a recipe idea than an actual scientific formula. I realized how versatile something like this could be, so in the end, I decided to share it here.

1 12oz. can of drained tuna
1/2c sliced kalamata olives
1/2 med. chopped Vidalia onion 
1c chopped celery heart + tops
mayonnaise, a little garlic aioli mustard, a splash of white balsamic vinegar

The two halves were more than enough for breakfast, and I cut the leftovers into tiny sandwich bites, for lunch later on.

Hey. . .we all have to eat!
Have fun with the creative process! . .Lin

Tuna and Egg Salad

•  3 hard boiled eggs
• 1 5oz can tuna - drained
• a little celery, green onion, radish and orange pepper - chopped
• pickle relish: dill / sweet or a little of each
• mayonnaise and vinaigrette dressing
• salt & pepper

Chop the eggs and mix with the tuna in a sm.-med. glass bowl. Add the chopped vegetables in whatever proportion you like. Mix with just enough mayo and vinegar or vinaigrette dressing to hold it all together. Add a little salt and pepper to bring out all the flavors. I love this anytime of the day. Today I had it with avocado and cucumber. . .for breakfast! . . . Lin

Tuna Salad

1 8oz. can tuna - drained

¼-½c finely chopped onion

¼c finely chopped pickles

¼c capers

mayonnaise

Combine ingredients in a medium bowl.  I always use sweet and dill pickles which gives tuna salad more diverse flavor.  Use just enough mayonnaise to hold everything together.  If you want this to be more of a salad, add some chopped radish, celery, golden raisins, frozen peas, chopped sweet peppers, red olives, pasta.  Be Bold - Be Creative! . . . Lin