Rainy Memorial Day.....

So it rained practically all day yesterday on Memorial Day in Nashville. I had illusions of grandeur in completing my garden: planting my beans and making the bean tee-pees for them to grow on, creating the stepping stone walkway through my garden and firing up the grill and making SOMETHING charred and delicious! God seemed to have other plans and so I shifted gears and completed a lot of indoor tasks.

I was also forced to look through my fridge and pantry to NOT grill something. I had just gone to the Farmer's Market so I had some fresh veggies (I have a lot of green things coming up in the garden but nothing I could pick yet other than greens) and figured I'd try something fresh and substantial.

I sifted through some ideas online and adapted and created something delicious! It's super simple, tremendously tasty and lowfat and full of fiber! Now that the healthy chat is out of the way, here's what I made:

Tuna and Green Bean Salad

• 1 1/2 pounds slender green beans, trimmed, halved crosswise
  
• 3 teaspoons salt, plus more to taste
• 1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves
• 9 ounces canned Italian tuna packed
  in oil, drained
  
• 2 large red potatoes, diced
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 8 ounces cherry tomatoes, halved

Cook the green beans in a large pot of boiling water until crisp-tender, stirring occasionally, about 4 minutes. Using a mesh strainer, transfer the green beans to a large bowl of ice water to cool completely. Drain the green beans and pat dry with a towel. Add 2 teaspoons of salt to the same cooking liquid and bring the liquid to a simmer. Add the potatoes to the simmering liquid and cook until they are just tender but still hold their shape, about 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer the potatoes to the ice water to cool completely. Drain the potatoes and pat dry with a towel.

In a small bowl, whisk the lemon juice, garlic, oil, oregano, 1 teaspoon salt and 3/4 teaspoon pepper. Place the tomatoes, basil and parsley in a large serving bowl. Add the tuna and toss gently to combine. Add the green beans and potatoes and gently combine. Pour the dressing over the salad and toss to coat.

As always, this is a VERY adaptable recipe and could be manipulated in many ways. No lemons? Try limes or red wine vinegar..... Have lots of fresh lima beans? Use them instead of green beans..... Substitute roasted cubed sweet potatoes instead of the red potatoes..... Like more potatoes? Use more than called for in the recipe..... Have canned salmon? Use that instead of tuna.....

You can make this your own. It's a method of creating a salad with these basic ingredients and then stretching from there. And this salad, with some crusty bread and a nice glass of pinot grigio created a beautiful main course for me. You could use this as a starter, a salad course, a light lunch, an accompaniment to grilled meats or vegetables or for whatever you need. It seems to me that eating outdoors on the picnic table, this would be great with a tall pilsner glass of beer that contains a shot of Rose's Sweetened Lime Juice (what the British call a lager and lime) and both would be citrusy and refreshing!

Until next time, ciao!