Avocado Tuna Salad + Weekly Menu

Back in August, my family and I drove an hour south of Chicago to Joliet, Illinois. My mom had purchased a “NASCAR Racing Experience” for my dad, a lover of all things cars. Unfortunately, on that day back in August, we were rained out and received a rain check for his “experience”.

Fast forward to yesterday, and we were there for his rain check race “experience”. The date has been on my calendar for months. Having grown up at race tracks on account of my dad’s hobby of racing vintage stock cars, race tracks tend to feel like home.

While this particular race track excelled in sanitary restrooms, they offered no food for sale. Whaaa?

We waited. And waited for his turn to race.

We went to the driver’s safely meeting. Listened to the man repeat himself at least three times. No burnouts, got it. Check your 2-way radios, got it. Don’t release your 5-point safety harness, got it. It started to rain for a moment and I got nervous. Rain check #2? Please NO.

We returned to the track only to sit around and wait, and wait some more. Finally, my brother and I went to a nearby, extremely sketchy gas station to get something to eat and drink. Desperate times call for desperate measures.

Wouldn’t you know my dad was the LAST person to race for the day? His scheduled race time was 10am. He got into the car at 1:28pm. Yes, I looked at my watch phone. He raced the track 5 times, topped out at 132 miles per hour, and we walked back to the car with him saying, “I’m hooked.” Oh fabulous.

In the nearly 5 hours we were at the track, we had a lot of FAMILY BONDING time. We talked about everything from school to jobs to vacations, and everything and anything in between. We even talked about avocado tuna salad because my mom has been on the prowl for a light mayo or mayo-free tuna salad to help use up the “15 cans” (this number is still to be confirmed – a hot topic in my parents’ home) of tuna my dad has been stock piling in the basement ever since the Y2K scare well over a decade ago.

I proudly informed her that I found a winning recipe for her — this one. She reported to me she had found one, too, but was yet to try it. And then, she threw me a print out of a recipe. This recipe…and I laughed. Other than few small modifications, this recipe was worthy of 2 thumbs up in my book. Loved it and its simplicity.

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 Avocado Tuna Salad from Tablespoon

1 large avocado, pitted
juice of 1/2 lemon
1 Tbsp light mayonnaise
1 (7 oz) can tuna
1/3 cup red onion, minced
1/3 cup carrot, shredded
2 celery stalks, minced
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 tsp salt1/8 tsp pepper

Directions:

Remove the avocado from the skin and mash in a medium bowl using the back of a fork. Add lemon juice and mayonnaise; stir well. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well.

This salad is best served immediately, but can be refrigerated until ready to serve. Lay plastic wrap directly on the surface of the tuna salad to store and prevent oxidation (browning).

Yield: 3 servings (~ 3/4 cup each)

Nutrition Information (per serving): 194 calories; 12 g. fat; 31 mg. cholesterol; 500 mg. sodium; 13.0 g. carbohydrate; 7.0 g. fiber; 13.3 g. protein; 2. g. sugar

Result: If you can get over the somewhat off-putting look of this tuna salad, it truly is delicious. Avocado is such a champion ingredient when looking for that creamy, rich flavor and texture, while swapping out bad fats for good fats, while increasing fiber and nutrition in the recipe. This tuna salad took 10-15 minutes to prep and mix together and I served it with a handful of crackers and an ice cold beer. That, to me, is a perfect summer meal!

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Weekly Menu: May 12th – May 16th

• Sunday: Roasted Tomatillo and Black Bean Tacos
• Monday: work late…leftovers
• Tuesday: Tofu in Spicy Peanut Sauce
• Wednesday: Chipotle Chicken Taco Salad
• Thursday: I can’t decide…but something with pasta, I believe

Happy Mother’s Day to all the moms…especially mine! 😀

Making brunch and heading home…a busy week — Hospital Week — is upon me!

Be well,