Boost the Nutrients {and have larger portions}… or, Pimp Your Tuna

When I was younger, I wasn’t a fan of foods like tuna sandwiches or egg salad. I was repulsed by the combination of smooth and crunchy textures. Nuts in cookies? Gag me. (Actually, I still don’t really prefer that combination). Macaroni salad with crunchy onions or celery? …It made me crazy (I was also more dramatic when I was younger).

My most recent technique in the kitchen is to pimp out my heavier foods with lighter foods (I get to eat more without stuffing myself silly). It sounds pretty obvious and once you do it, it becomes an essential way to prep food and make it more delicious too!

Note: I no longer avoid smooth and crunchy (or smooth and lumpy—I also used to gag when I accidentally ate yogurt that had chunks of fruit in it).

Truth: In my house, I didn’t come up with this. Joe did. He’s just smart like that.

Pimp Your Tuna (or use chickpeas instead)

Dice: onion, celery, spinach, sprouts (make these super tiny), tomatoes (remove seeds).

Mix with canned tuna (my preference is the wild caught, packed in spring water, BPA-free can).

Add: dill weed and black pepper.
Add: Vegenaise and mix with a fork.

Optional: Add diced hot peppers (Joe does this. I usually forget).

I’m not providing measurements because I never measure these ingredients. You’ll know when it’s right, and it seems like everyone has their own preference about mayo saturation (Joe and I keep it a little on the dry side).
The end product looks like this:

There's something in my brain that makes me think I'm eating an entire bowl full of tuna...when I'm really eating about one-third tuna and two-thirds add-ins.

Here's a batch Joe made---neither of us measure anything, but it always turns out essentially the same.

Or, if you add turmeric and curry powder (like I did on Thursday), it looks more like this:

: Same recipe as above, with slightly more vegenaise, and a dash of turmeric and curry. Served with brown rice seaweed crackers and Mary’s Gone Crackers (Black Pepper flavor). I had approximately 20 taste testers for this—two thumbs up from everyone (even the guy who is “not too big on tuna”).

So….tuna is pretty ugly. But it can be delicious in moderation (if you’re into the seafood thang).

Let me show you a teaser from today’s spin-off on the Pimp Your Tuna concept…

: Hint #1: Umami. You will not guess the secret ingredient in this (well, Gina from Candid RD might!). This was so good it deserves its own post 🙂

Do you have any tips for tricking yourself into thinking you’re eating larger portions than you really are?

Any guesses about the secret ingredient above (yes, that’s avocado…spinach, tomato, onion, lemon juice….and?)?

Today was a great day for me—I hope it was for you too!

Boost the Nutrients {and have larger portions}… or, Pimp Your Tuna

108 thoughts on “Boost the Nutrients {and have larger portions}… or, Pimp Your Tuna”

Leave a Comment