If I’m ordering non-fat tuna fish salad on whole wheat bread, I’m clearly making a good choice right? Or, am I falling head first into the dark abyss of damage-control marketing? These days there’s veggie tuna, low-fat tuna, something I came across called big apple tuna, california tuna, light tuna… all made with mayo. How am I supposed to know which one is actually the healthy one if they all got mayo in them? Am I to believe that since ‘light’ is displayed on that little card in front of some tuna fish that looks like it was made at the turn of the century then it is in fact good for me? Since I’m wary of big corporations (the master-minds behind all ‘healthy’ marketing) and their ethics, my initial thought is to ignore the non-fat mayo, low-fat mayo, whatever isn’t ‘in’ we’re clearly staying away from it, mayo marketing trends and ordering the tuna that’s actually good for me. But what does that look like? You will be hard-pressed to find that in any deli. You’ll have to go back generations before ‘processed’ become a word used to describe food, and life was simple. This is where my best friend’s nana comes in. (When this woman cooked, you ate, and you ate well!)
Nana made this dressing and no matter what she put it over, it was delicious. It’s simple, tasty and good for you. I use it on plain salads, tuna salads, and even as a dressing for carrots and other veggies. You can even substitute the onion powder for a different spice if that isn’t your thing. The point is that simple and easy dressings can be made at home and used as a substitute for so-called healthy, light, fat-free mayo’s. (Who’s calling it ‘healthy’ anyway? The corporate guys?)
Nana’s Tuna Salad
1 can tuna
2 tbsp apple cider vinegar (add more if you’re a vinegar lover since there are ZERO calories in vinegar)
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp onion powder (that’s an estimate, I just make sure to get a good coating on the tuna)
dash of salt
Plus I’ll add some chopped red onion and a sliced up pickle… which may sound odd, but it tastes really good.
This dressing can be used on literally anything and it’s so much better than any kind of mayo, be it low-fat, fat-free, extra hearty or whatever else they have come up with. And the best part is you know each ingredient that went into it and there is no added junk. Remarkable. (And skip the whole wheat bread and instead scoop it up with rice crackers. I mean think about it, Wonder Bread has come out with a whole wheat bread that’s just as soft and mushy as the original. You really think your body is going to get any nutrients out of that? C’mon now.)
