Tuna Salad forever has my heart.

I come back to this recipe again and again. I place it on a salad with avocado and veggies like carrots and radishes. I roll it into a whole wheat wrap with dried cranberries and romaine lettuce. I use it on sandwiches with my favorite healthy bread, butter lettuce and avocado or I make it a tuna melt with my favorite cheese.

Curious what my favorite healthy breads are? Check out my healthy carbohydrate guide.

Curious what dairy I prefer for cheese? Check out my healthy food swap guide.

The possibilities are endless and it is so easy to make. It is my lazy go to for lunch when it’s been one of those busy days and I don’t want to spend more than three minutes in the kitchen.

Here’s how you can make the magic happen.

Ingredients:
1 can of your favorite tuna*
3-4 spoonfuls of your favorite dairy-free yogurt**
1/2 TBSP. lemon or lime juice
1/2 TSP. red wine vinegar or ACV
1/2 TSP. dried parsley
salt and pepper to taste

Method:
Combine all the above ingredients in a bowl. Use a fork to break up the tuna. Stir to combine.

Prepare to meet your new favorite tuna salad recipe. Your tastebuds will thank you!

*I like Wild Planet Foods and Safe Catch brands. Note that most cans of tuna claim 2 serving sizes. Remember that a serving size doesn’t dictate your hunger. Personally, I am usually hungry for the whole can and like to stack my sandwich high, but on some days I don’t finish the whole sandwich and that is ok too.

**I like Forager Project cashewgurt, it has a mild flavor that doesn’t overwhelm like almond or coconut yogurt.

One of my favorite things to do on a Sunday in the winter is to put on some good jams and make soup to relax with on the couch afterward and watch a good movie.  Slow Sundays at their finest. This soup was so ridiculously easy to make, I am definitely throwing it into my list of go-to recipes. Tis the season for baked goods and spiked beverages and was craving all the nutrient replenishment today. To make it easy on digestion I skipped any grains and went straight for the sweet potatoes for starch nutrient rich lentils for protein and some grass-fed butter (or olive oil) for healthy fats.  Kale, carrots and celery were added for vegetables and turmeric for anti-inflammatory goodness. 

If you haven't felt it yet, the holidays are most certainly in the air. We have been a bit confused in San Francisco as of late, with the California sun bringing warm temperatures above 60 degrees well into December. I am definitely not complaining but there is something nice about bundling up and going for evening strolls to look at all the lights.  Last night was actually our first Christmas party we had been to this year (hello homemade apple cider and chocolate crinkle cookies) and tonight we are rolling to a Scandinavian Christmas dinner at Plaj Restaurant with a group of friends to get festive.  I still cannot believe that Christmas is a week away. This girl is usually deep into soup making by now. Thankfully it has cooled a bit to the 50s and I am stocking up on broth and diving into my favorite cookbooks for recipes.  

This recipe is adapted from Sprouted Kitchen's Everyday Lentil Soup with a few tweaks of my own. I took the garlic and onions out as my stomach no me gusta, switched up some spices and added more liquid so that it was more of a soup than a stew. I also played around with some toppings that I though paired nicely with this bowl of goodness (you guessed it, my favorite sheep's milk yogurt). Here is the recipe so that you can play around with my version and enjoy it this week before diving into your family holiday traditions. 

INGREDIENTS:
4 cups chicken or veggie broth (I used Bonafide Provisions Chicken Broth)
2 cups filtered water
2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
2 medium carrots, peeled
1 medium white sweet potato, peeled
2 stalks of celery
1/4 teaspoon each of garlic powder, dried oregano, dried parsley and dried thyme (1 tsp. Italian herbs)
1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes, to taste
1/2 cup green lentils
1/2 cup red lentils
1/2 tsp. turmeric
2 Tbsp. unsalted garss-fed butter (I used Kerrygold) or olive oil for vegan
3 cups roughly chopped curly kale

2 Tbsp. chopped parsley, for garnish
1/2 grated manchego cheese or 2 scoops sheep milk yogurt (can be made vegan using a dairy-free yogurt)
Jilz Crackerz for soup dipping

METHOD:
Heat the olive oil in a dutch oven until warm.  Add in the celery, carrots and sweet potato, sauté for 5 minutes.  Add in all the spices except for the turmeric. Give another stir or two.  Add in the lentils, the broth and water and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cover to cook for 25 to 30 minutes until the lentils cook down.  Remove from heat and pulse half of the soup in a blender.  Pour back into the rest of the soup in the dutch oven. Stir in the kale, the butter or oil and the turmeric until the kale wilts and the butter melts. Add more water if needed to thin out. Divide into bowl and serve with grated cheese or yogurt topping with parsley for garnish.  ENJOY!

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If any of you follow me on Instagram, you know I love me some tuna salad. My usual go to is tuna mixed with yogurt, capers, parsley and salt and pepper over a bed of romaine lettuce with avocado and these crackers for lunch.  But what about tuna for dinner? Tonight it was time for me to diversify. I came up with this warm, lemony and perfect pasta dish.  I call this the "super quick came home from work late and don't feel like cooking" dish. 

THE SKINNY ON TUNA
I am so thankful for amazing brands like Wild Planet Foods and Safe Catch Foods  that follow the sustainable seafood program. About 10 years ago, canned tuna used to be frowned upon for it's high mercury content and unsafe fishing  practices, but now you can enjoy tuna without the health or environmental worries. Tuna is not only an amazing source of protein but also a convenient addition to a nutritious lunch or dinner

DON'T FEAR GLUTEN
I have to admit that it's been a while since I have eaten pasta with GLUTEN. My on and off struggle with candida keeps me away but when I can enjoy it I get the good stuff like this brand that I used to make this dish.  The only ingredients are flour and water. Just what it should be.  And not enriched flour, but whole durum wheat flour made here locally in the Bay Area.  If you don't have candida, celiac disease or a wheat allergy or intolerance then please EAT GOOD GLUTEN. We get our energy and proper brain function from glucose, and when we eat gluten in it's whole form (not processed white flour) with the fiber and wheat germ intact, this is converted to glucose for energy without elevated blood sugar levels. So again, EAT GLUTEN. 

LEMON ZEST IS THE BEST
But seriously, the ingredient that makes this dish is the lemon zest. I recently moved and lost my zester in the process.  Only recently getting one back into my kitchen.  Made me remember how much of a game changer lemon zest is. I love to use it in pasta dishes, grain dishes, baked goods and with tuna dishes. Yasssssss.

AND, THE RECIPE
Ok, let's get into the goods.  This dish took a whole 15 minutes to whip up. Perfect for those nights you come home tired from work and don't want to think about cooking or going to the grocery store.  Everything in this recipe was made from pantry staples and what I had on hand. 

INGREDIENTS:
8oz. pasta of choice (I used Baia Pasta or your favorite gluten-free pasta)

5oz. canned tuna (I like Wild Planet Foods or Safe Catch)

1 tablespoon capers

Zest and juice of 1/2 lemon

3 tablespoons olive oil 

1 garlic clove, chopped

1/2 cup cooked + chopped broccoli raab (or regular broccoli)

1/8 cup chopped parsley 

A pinch of crushed red pepper

Salt + pepper

METHOD:
Cool pasta according to package instructions. While pasta cooks chop garlic, chop cooked broccoli, chop parsley and zest lemon. Drain pasta and reserve 1/2 cup of water. Use the same pan, sauté garlic in 1 tablespoon olive oil with tuna for 4-5 minutes. Add cooked broccoli, crushed red pepper and capers stir for 30 second. Add reserved pasta water and bring to a boil, add cooked pasta. Stir until liquid is reduced and coats pasta. Remove from heat. Stir in parsley, lemon zest and juice, remaining olive oil, salt and pepper. Serve in two bowl and enjoy!!

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