Tuna and Cannellini Bean Salad

A few friends and I have a fun tradition of getting season tickets to a local theater company.  This is my third year participating.

The first performance we have seen was last night.  We saw Romeo and Juliet.  The staging was fun.  It may have been set in the 70s.  Mercurio, Romeo's friend who dies fighting Juliet's cousin, wore a sparkly silver suit for part of the play and seemed as though he could have been high.

I have alway enjoyed going to plays, and this tradition has given me something to look forward to.  It has also exposed me to play I wouldn't normally attend because we go to all of the company's performances.

I have recently been trying to eat healthier.  I'm eating more vegetables and fewer sweet baked goods for breakfast.  I'm also trying to eat fewer carbohydrates.  I'm not eliminating them completely, but I'm trying to replace them every once in a while with beans.

This salad recipe is my attempt to eat something healthier but still flavorful and appetizing.  I found the recipe online at Good Housekeeping.  They recommend using dried parsley but I used fresh basil instead.

The ingredients are 1 large lemon, 2 cans cannelloni beans, 1 2-ounce jar sliced pimientos, 3 tablespoons olive oil, 1/2 cup fresh basil, 1/2 teaspoon salt, ground pepper, and 1 can tuna in oil.

I grated 1 teaspoon of the lemon peel and then squeezed out 3 tablespoons of its juice.  Lemons receive rough treatment.

I rinsed and drained the beans and added them to the lemon juice and peel.

I added the jar of sliced pimientos and the tune.

I added some finely sliced basil, olive oil, salt, and pepper.

I stirred the salad together.

This was a hearty, nourishing, and flavorful dish.  

The salad was fresh and bright.

The beans were creamy and the tuna was flakey and tender.

 It was appetizing and delicious.  It was a great pack lunch because it can be eaten cold or room temperature.  It was simple yet yummy.