Last Updated on June 29, 2022 by Rebecca Huff
Take boring tuna salad to the next level! Since I eat gluten-free, sometimes it's hard to watch other people eat sandwiches. That's why I decided to make some un-sandwich lunches that would make the sandwich-eaters jealous!
Enter best ever tuna salad!
When I lived in Savannah, Georgia a friend of mine made tuna sandwiches by mixing the mayo, tuna, and lettuce all in one bowl before adding to the bread. That technique stuck with me. It's definitely easier than having everything slide off the lettuce when it's left whole-leaf. However, without the bread, I felt tuna salad needed some bells and whistles.
So I tweaked my tuna salad to include some very nutritious upgrades. You could totally leave out the capers if you don't have them, but I can't recommend them highly enough for flavor and nutrition.
Capers are one of the highest plant sources of flavonoid compounds rutin (or rutoside) and quercetin. Capers, in fact, are the largest sources of rutin. Also, Capers are a very rich source of quercetin. Both of these compounds work as powerful antioxidants. Research studies suggest that quercetin has anti-bacterial, anti-carcinogenic, analgesic, and anti-inflammatory properties. rutin strengthen capillaries and inhibits platelet clump formation in the blood vessels. Both these actions of rutin help in smooth circulation of blood in the capillaries. It has found application in some in trial treatments for hemorrhoids, and varicose veins. It also found to reduce LDL-cholesterol levels in obese individuals.
You can also leave out the avocado if you prefer, but again, that would be to reduce the amazingness and the health benefits of this delicious fruit. Did you know that avocado contains more potassium than a banana? Avocados and avocado oil are high in monounsaturated oleic acid, a heart-healthy fatty acid. On top of all this goodness (and this is just the tip of the avocado tree) they are a good source of soluble fiber.
On a side note, I buy the tuna, capers, avocado oil mayo, avocado, and onions all at Costco! I prefer to get my greens and tomatoes at a Farmer's Market!
This is a recipe you will want to keep coming back to and with only 1 net carb, why not? Enjoy!
Avocados and avocado oil are high in monounsaturated oleic acid, a “heart-healthy” fatty acid that is believed to be one of the main reasons for the health benefits of olive oil.
| Nutrition Facts | |
|---|---|
| Servings 2.0 | |
| Amount Per Serving | |
| calories 411 | |
| % Daily Value * | |
| Total Fat 31 g | 47 % |
| Saturated Fat 2 g | 8 % |
| Monounsaturated Fat 7 g | |
| Polyunsaturated Fat 1 g | |
| Trans Fat 0 g | |
| Cholesterol 38 mg | 13 % |
| Sodium 289 mg | 12 % |
| Potassium 609 mg | 17 % |
| Total Carbohydrate 8 g | 3 % |
| Dietary Fiber 7 g | 26 % |
| Sugars 3 g | |
| Protein 14 g | 28 % |
| Vitamin A | 41 % |
| Vitamin C | 20 % |
| Calcium | 4 % |
| Iron | 10 % |
| * The Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet, so your values may change depending on your calorie needs. The values here may not be 100% accurate because the recipes have not been professionally evaluated nor have they been evaluated by the U.S. FDA. |
Best Ever Tuna Salad
Ingredients
- 1 can tuna
- 1 medium tomato diced
- 2 cups butter leaf lettuce more or less (or any lettuce that you have)
- 1/4 large or 1 small sweet onion
- 1 tablespoon capers
- 3 tablespoons avocado oil mayo or whatever mayo you like!
- 1 avocado diced
- salt to taste
- pepper to taste
Instructions
- Open tuna and put in bowl separating with a fork.
- Add mayo, stir.
- Add the rest of the ingredients except avocado, stirring well to coat mayo, etc.
- Add avocado last.
- Mix all ingredients in a bowl.
- Eat right out of the bowl, or if you aren't avoiding carbs put it between two slices dark bread like Rye or Pumpernickel.
Clean your home the natural, safe, toxin-free way!
Any suggestions for a decent mayo that is widely available?
We really like the Follow Your Heart Vegenaise brand, even though we are not Vegans we like the taste of the Grapeseed oil version best (it has a purple lid). After that, I’d say we like Sir Kensingtons.
http://followyourheart.com/products/grapeseed-oil-3/#product-top
http://www.sirkensingtons.com/
I think you can type in your zipcode to find near you.
Hope that helps, sorry my reply is late, we took the summer off 🙂
All the best,
Rebecca