Okay, so I’m not really a food blogger. I’m just a person who occasionally blogs about food. But sometimes I have caught myself thinking how amazing eating at certain food bloggers’ homes must be. Triple layer chocolate cake for dessert every day! Homemade pasta! Brisket smoked for days!
However, the truth seems to be quite different. I think most food bloggers are probably more like chefs. Given the choice between some amazing delicacy of their own creation, executed to perfection by a mass of kitchen helpers or a peanut butter sandwich, most seem to choose the peanut butter sandwich. There’s one food blogger I greatly enjoy, who seems to subsist predominantly on mashed avocado on toast, if her Instagram feed is any clue.
I’m guessing it has something to do with the constant proximity to and handling of food. I know that sometimes after I’ve baked something elaborate, I am not in the slightest bit curious about what it tastes like. The last thing I want is more chocolate in my face, which may seem weird if you’ve never spent five hours on a cake.
I’ve posted some pretty fantastic and elaborate recipes myself, but left to my own devices (which I generally am at lunch), I will usually make some variation of this.
I make this salad about once a week in the summer and then eat it once or sometimes twice a day until it’s gone. Luckily it’s also fairly healthy, in a Mediterranean Diet kind of way. It has tons of protein and a smattering of healthy fats and also a bunch of veggies.
I first came across the recipe via Pinterest on TidyMom.net. She calls it Cannellini Tuna Salad. I call it White Bean and Tuna Salad, mostly because I generally use whatever white beans I have on hand. I never really make this the same every time, but I did make some more or less permanent modifications to her recipe so here’s my version.
White Bean and Tuna Salad adapted from TidyMom.net
- 1 (16 ounce) can cannellini or other white beans, drained and rinsed (I prefer Goya Beans, which generally seem to have less added sugar and salt than other brands)
- 1 (12 ounce) can tuna in water, drained (I won’t eat any tuna except Trader Joe’s)
- 8-10 green olives, roughly chopped (garlic stuffed are my favorite)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon fresh dill, chopped (or other herb as long as it’s fresh–I’ve also used thyme, basil and mint or a combination thereof)
- juice of 1/2 lemon
- 1 teaspoon white wine vinegar
- kosher salt and cracked pepper, to taste
- handful of cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
- handful of fresh spinach, sliced into thin strips