recipe // cilantro bean tuna spread

growing up, it was always tuna sandwiches on sunday afternoons. my family and i would arrive home from church, and open that can up of tuna, mixed in a little mayo, cut up some celery, and presto lunch was served. i remember my sister laurel getting so frustrated at my parents, "tuna, again?!" she was always sensitive to scents and hated that weekly smell of tuna.

though i can't say i was a fun of tuna back in the day, i have really grown to like it and found that the canned (or no-canned) goodness has lots of great meal potential aside from the classic mayo-tuna sandwich. i remember the first time i saw a tuna spread and thought, you can actually eat that stuff with out being on a sandwich?! yes heather, yes you can. anyway! i have slowly been incorporating tuna back into my diet and have to say why was i hesitant for so long. tuna is actually pretty dang good for you. obviously, it is fish so it naturally contained anti-inflammatory and antioxidants. it is a cheap source of protein and all around flavorful. i have been playing with how to get it into my diet more, when i created this recipe late one night. i had been staring at this little can of tuna thinking, what am i ever going to do with this. then it hit me. i was trying to do some meal prep for the next day, knowing that i would be going straight from work to school with no time to stop at home for dinner. while trying to figure what to do with this tuna, i thought, why don't i make a modified,better tuna sandwich! i dont really know what to call this recipe so i am going to simply call it a spread. i ate it as a salad but it would pair nicely as a lettuce warp or onto of some crackers!

cilantro bean tuna spread

1 can olive-oil packed tuna

1/2 can cannelloni beans, drained

1/4 cup plain yogurt

1/4 cup cilantro

1/2 onion, diced

1/2 apple, diced
1/2 tsp capers, drained

2 stalks celery, diced

juice from 1 lemon

salt

pepper

mix tuna, beans and yogurt into a medium sized bowl, add cilantro, onion, apple, celery, lemon, salt and pepper. mix well.  enjoy as a lunch, appetizer, or side at dinner!