I finally feel that Spring has arrived! The days are getting longer and I am loving every additional minute of natural light and sunshine.

A few days, I ran home from work for a quick meal and was able to whip up this open faced white-bean tuna melt in about 10 minutes…plus I had 15 minutes to actually sit down and eat while soaking in fresh air on our front porch. I don’t remember the last time I sat down to eat lunch and it was a nice change of pace 🙂

This easy salad was not pre-meditated but I will be making it again soon. All I knew is that I wanted tuna salad yet celery and carrots were no where to be found. Instead, I had 1/2 cup of cooked white beans and several radishes in the fridge so into the mixing bowl they went! The cooked beans extended the mayo a smidge and complimented the tuna while the radishes added crunch and freshness. I tossed in hemp seeds because I was feeling adventurous and added fresh lemon juice for flavor and brightness.

I ate many large spoonfuls of this tuna salad by itself and halfway through decided I wanted a sandwich. Some days I can be indecisive 🙂 Either way it was delicious!

White Bean-Tuna Salad

Ingredients

1 6-oz can of no-salt-added tuna, drained (I used wild caught sustainable)
3-4 radishes, stems trimmed and diced
1/2 cup cooked white beans
1 tsp dijon mustard
2 Tbsp Vegenaise, mayo or greek yogurt (or a combo) I used all Vegenaise since I love the flavor – more or less to taste
1 Tbsp hemp seeds, optional (1 1/2 Tbsp sunflower seeds, walnuts or almonds would also be delicious)
2-3 Tbsp radish greens, washed and chopped (optional for color – a handful of arugula would be great in this!)
squeeze of fresh lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste

For Sandwich Melt Option:
1 slice of gluten free bread for every 1/3 to 1/2 cup of tuna salad (I used frozen French Meadow’s honey multigrain)
1 slice of swiss cheese (I used Jarslburg) or provolone

Directions

1. To prepare the salad, combine the beans, mustard, mayo/yogurt and lemon juice in a small mixing bowl. Slightly mash a few beans if you want a creamier texture, completely optional.
2. Add in remaining salad ingredients (tuna, radishes, greens, hemp seeds) and season with salt and freshly ground pepper. Add in additional lemon, mustard or mayo to taste to your liking.*
For Melt:
3. Toast bread lightly if needed (mine was frozen) and remove from oven. Set toaster oven to broil while you assemble the sandwich. Place one slice of cheese on the bread and mound 1/3 to 1/2 cup of tuna salad on top. Place under the broiler for a few minutes until cheese begins to melt. Remove and enjoy immediately!

Recipe Note: After making the melt, I realized I should have put the cheese on top of the tuna salad…it’s up to you which way you prefer it!

*If you are staying away from grains or looking for low-carb options, omit the bread and the cheese and enjoy this tuna salad over a bed of lettuce or alongside veggie sticks.

**If using all greek yogurt, a bit more mustard and lemon juice may need to be added for added flavor