Eat, Read, and Be Mommy

I’m not much for New Year’s resolutions, but I am trying to beat back the snacking monster that a couple of (brief) vacations (not to mention the holidays) have unleashed.  I am therefore looking to make meals I particularly enjoy (instead of, say, snacks or treats I particularly enjoy); this is why I am so belatedly delighted with the lemons my friend found for me at an insanely good price.  One of the things I make with lemons–when I make the time to do the chopping–is Mel’s White Bean and Tuna Salad, which has one of my very favorite flavor profiles AND just happens to be healthy!

The best part is, tuna doesn’t have to be your thing.  I eat it, but I don’t necessarily love it.  What I do love, however, is the combination of lemon zest, fresh lemon juice, and parsley (as well as green onion, to add to the flavor party).  I’ll eat pretty much ANYTHING with that flavor profile; the best part is, the beans and tuna are all lean protein (and fiber, for the beans), and so it’s light and fresh and filling and delightful.

I have made a couple of changes, mind you.  Raw onions are not so much my thing, so I use green onions rather than red to make the onion flavor considerably more mild.  Lemon, on the other hand, really IS my thing, so I use two lemons instead of one.  (It’s really hard to make anything that I would consider too lemony.)  And finally, I prefer to use small white beans rather than Great Northern, although Great Northern are fine.  Mel talks about scooping the salad with crackers, as well as a variety of other ways to eat it; me, I just dig in with a spoon.  Either way, it’s delicious, and I love it, and it fills me with joy to know that it’s sitting in my fridge right now!