Healthy Tuna Salad (mayo free)

I consider myself a vegetarian, but I do, on occasion, eat fish.  When I do, this is my favorite way to prepare it.  My kids love tuna and so does my husband so I’ve had a lot of practice getting this recipe just right.  This recipe also works well with hard-boiled eggs.

Using avocado instead of mayo is a genius way to cut the amount of fat and calories in half plus it’s the “healthy” kind of fat!  And my little trick is to add pickle juice to the mashed avocado.  The pickle juice adds the vinegar, salt, and some bonus garlic flavor all in one easy step and it very closely mimics the flavor of mayo.  If you are new to substituting avocado for mayo, you can always start with half and half until you get used to the flavor.  I have spent years slowly weening my kids off the bad stuff (mayo, processed sugars, refined grains and oils) and slowly adding more and more of the healthy stuff (avocado, whole grains, vegetable purees).  Now they don’t even notice the difference.

This is super simple! First, finely dice 1 stalk of celery.  You can substitute cucumber or sweet pepper but don’t omit the crunch of some sort of fresh veggie.  It really makes it, in my opinion.

Drain the can of tuna and put it in a small bowl along with the celery, 1/2 a ripe avocado, 1 tsp. of dijon mustard, 1 Tbsp pickle juice, and 1 Tbsp. sweet relish.  Strictly speaking, relish isn’t exactly a whole food because of all the sugar added, but the sweetness it adds makes the tuna salad taste so good that I can’t give it up. You can substitute 1 tsp. of honey and get similar results, if you’d prefer.  Mash with a fork until the avocado is smooth and the large chunks of tuna have been broken up.  Taste, and add another tablespoon of pickle juice if necessary.  I like mine with 2 tablespoons.

Serve on your favorite crackers, topped with an extra slice of avocado and enjoy, guilt-free!

If you like this recipe, please let me know in the comments below.  And please share any great ways that you’ve found to substitute avocado for mayo.

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Healthy Tuna Salad (mayo free)

A healthier version of your standard tuna salad made by substituting mashed avocado and pickle juice for mayo.

Servings

people

Ingredients

• 1 can wild alaskan tuna drained
• 1 stalk celery finely diced
• 1/2 avocado
• 1 tsp. dijon mustard
• 1-2 Tbsp. pickle juice
• 1 Tbsp. sweet relish (Could substitute 1 tsp. honey)

Servings people Ingredients 1 can wild alaskan tuna drained 1 stalk celery finely diced 1/2 avocado 1 tsp. dijon mustard 1-2 Tbsp. pickle juice 1 Tbsp. sweet relish (Could substitute 1 tsp. honey)

Instructions

1. Place all the ingredients in a small bowl and mash with a fork until the avocado is smooth and the tuna is broken into small pieces. Serve with crackers and extra avocado slices on top.

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