Saturday, September 20, 2014

Tuna Salad-Stuffed Tomatoes with Arugula

I've always loved and enjoyed fresh salads and lately I have gotten bored with the simple 'hum-drum' salad with just cucumbers, tomatoes, and sliced or chopped onions (which I love all kinds, but mostly the red onions.) As for the dressing, just a simple extra virgin olive oil, and white balsamic vinegar.
Sometimes I just run out of ideas what type of salads I should make, and I simply grab one of my cooking magazines...especially my newest subscription; Eating Well, which I share with my daughter among our other great cooking magazines the she and I subscribe to. The best kind of inspirations you get are of course...the ones with photos, and also knowing you don't have to run out to purchase so many ingredients just for that recipe.
Here in the U.S. we tend to eat lunch 'on the run'...sometime just grabbing some 'takeout' fast food,
if you happen to eat at home; maybe leftover stuff from the night before...or if you happen to be in 'luck'...a friend might take you out to a nice restaurant or eatery place not too expensive. You can of course split the bill! Well, I don't seem to fit any of these categories, because most of the time I skip lunch (not good)...eating breakfast too late, and I would be 'starving' by dinner time, which is so unhealthy!
The only ingredient that I had to buy was the baby Arugula...also known as Roquette, or Rocket. I like to buy it in the small plastic bags, already sealed and the leaves are perfect, and tender...just love the peppery taste when you take a bite, it almost burns your tongue; but mixed with other ingredients, it blends so well!

Tomatoes, stuffed with tuna salad is a classic elegant lunch dish...now, there's a healthier twist to it, just leaving out the mayo, and adding oil and vinegar, salt and pepper. I must tell you, this was such an amazing light and enjoyable lunch for 2, or 4 people. Did not even require bread or rolls!

Hope you are all having a beautiful weekend, with most of you starting your Fall Season...oh, how I miss the beautiful fall colors of yellow, orange, red, brown, and burgundy leaves adorning the trees...only to be falling so quickly.

Before you know it, Halloween is around the corner! xo

Tuna Salad-Stuffed Tomatoes with Arugula

July/August 2014           

The tuna in this great-looking stuffed tomato recipe isn’t your typical mayo-based affair. The sherry vinaigrette does double duty: it adds fresh flavor to the tuna filling and also dresses the baby arugula and white bean salad.

My modifications are in red

Ingredients   

  • 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 3 tablespoons sherry vinegar I used white balsamic vinegar...you can use your favorite
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
  • 4 large tomatoes  I used 2 large beefsteak tomatoes (for 2)
  • 2 5-ounce cans chunk light tuna in olive oil, drained I used 1 can of same tuna
  • 1/3 cup chopped celery
  • 1/4 cup finely chopped red onion
  • 1/4 cup chopped Kalamata olives
  • I also added 1 Tbsp of rinsed small capers
  • 1 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 1 15-ounce can great northern beans, rinsed Navy Beans are almost the same; I used 1/2 the amount.
  • 8 cups baby arugula  4 cups
  • You can cut down on the ingredients, or just 'eyeball' it...use your own judgement
 Preparation
  1. Whisk oil, vinegar, salt and pepper in a medium bowl. Transfer 3 tablespoons of the dressing to a large bowl and set aside.
  2. Slice enough off the top of each tomato to remove the core (1/2 to 1 inch). Chop enough of the tops to equal 1/2 cup and add to the medium bowl. Scoop out the tomato pulp using a teaspoon or melon baller. (Discard the pulp or save for another use.)
  3. Add tuna, celery, onion, olives and thyme to the medium bowl; gently toss to combine. Fill the hollowed tomatoes with the tuna mixture.
  4. Add beans and arugula to the dressing in the large bowl and toss to combine. Divide the salad among 4 plates and top each with a stuffed tomato.

Nutrition

Per serving: 353 calories; 18 g fat (2 g sat, 11 g mono); 7 mg cholesterol; 30 g carbohydrates; 0 g added sugars; 9 g total sugars; 20 g protein; 11 g fiber; 476 mg sodium; 878 mg potassium.
Nutrition Bonus: Vitamin C (70% daily value), Vitamin A (63% dv), Potassium (25% dv), Folate (21% dv), Magnesium (16% dv), Vitamin B12 (15% dv)
 

   

 

 

25 comments:

Patty Magyar said...

That lunch is beautiful...and one of my faves...Den loves tuna salad with Dijon Mustard...it's really very good! When I get down there we will go to lunch! Lol!

Angie Schneider said...

This is DEFINITELY my kind of salad for lunch. Awesome flavours and so good for you too.

Priya Suresh said...

My kind of salad as well, who can resist to this stuffed tomatoes that too with tuna salad..loving it.

Joyful said...

The salad looks delicious!

~ Nee ~ said...

Oooh la la , this is a must have salad , my tomatoes are plentiful , what adelightful lunch . Thanks for sharing ~~Nee~~ ;- D
PS: I'm pinning

Veronica's Kitchen said...

Love to have this salad for lunch, it got everything I like in it!

Illéskrisz Konyhája said...

Nagyon guszta a saláta, pont úgy reprodukáltad, ahogy a képen van. Néha nem ár elrugaszkodni a jól megszokott ízektől, mert ilyenkor egy étel új értelmet nyer. Nagyon jó lenne megkóstolni...

mangiabella said...

yum. so fresh and satisfying. Love it! Hope you're having a wonderful weekend!

Hankka said...

Nagyon guszta lett, olyan kívánatos! :) És nem mellesleg egészséges is! :)

Katalin said...

De guszta lett! Nagyon ínycsiklandó :-) Finom lehetett, a salátákat mi is nagyon szeretjük, sokféleképpen lehet variálni az ízeket.
A tiéd szebb, mint az újságban :-)

Ola said...

it's tomatoe time now here so I am always glad to see new inspirations!

Elisabeth Foodandthrift said...

Patty, I'm looking forward to that lunch...hope to see you soon!

Kathy said...

This is my kind of lunch, Elisabeth! It looks perfectly delicious and healthy too. Thanks for sharing a mouthwatering alternative to a tuna sandwich!

Zoe said...

Hi Elisabeth,

Totally agree that in these days, some of the busy us have to eat lunch or dinner while doing other things... Multitasking? hmmm...

I'm sure that this grab-and-salad will give us good stamina and energy for continuous multitasking :D

Zoe

Ivy Sew said...

Hi Elisabeth, this salad is very healthy and packed with nutrients. What more??? I love tuna with tomatoes. Thumbs up!!! Give me an idea to have this salad for sandwich too! Thanks for sharing such a healthy recipe and warmest regards :)

Daiana Molineris said...

Ciao Eli!!!:-))
How are you??
This tuna salad is wonderful and delicious really!!!
Complimenti,tanti baci felice giornata cara

Daiana

Liz Berg said...

I love everything about this salad...the arugula, the tuna...down to your addition of capers! Such a gorgeous presentation, too. xo

Dawn Yucuis said...

This looks delicious. Perfect for lunch. Great pictures, Elisabeth. Your blog is looking great.

~~louise~~ said...

Hi Elisabeth!!!
We enjoyed so many stuffed tomatoes when we were picking them fresh from the garden! Tuna was one of our favorites!

When we were kids my mother never put mayo in tuna fish she always made it with just oil. I had forgotten that Elisabeth:)

Thanks so much for sharing, your salad looks delectably fresh:)

dentistvschef said...

Damn delicious and healthy tuna salad!!!
great plated and photographed too!!!

lena said...

i can relate myself to that skipping lunch habit and that often happens during weekends where i tend to wake up a little later, lazing here and there and by the time when all things done, it's lunch time :D
Though i'm not very familiar with the kind of beans you hv there, i love the rest of the ingredients in the salad..!

Phong Hong said...

Hi Elisabeth! I've got to try this salad! It looks very beautiful and I bet it is delicious too. It is such a fulfilling, hearty and healthy meal!

mia xara said...

Hi Elisabeth, this is a very appealing lunch, so flavorful and full of color, as well as taste!!! Hope you had a good summer, XOXO

Elisabeth Foodandthrift said...

Thank you everyone for your kind comments; it means so much to me to hear from you, and letting me know a few lines about you...and I do appreciate each and every sweet and caring comment! xoxo

Elisabeth Foodandthrift said...

Hi Xara, it's been such a long time since I didn't hear from you. Thank you for visiting and commenting...and yes, I did have a great summer; this is S. Florida where the summer stays around for at least 6 months or longer! xo