Lunch: Fresh and Fast

Sometimes I make something quite by accident and then love it so much that I keep making it again and again because I can’t believe how lucky I was to stumble on something so yummy.

This is that most recent thing. I was staring into the fridge, uninspired when I was possessed by an urge to make zucchini noodles. This is not something I do often, but one moment later, I found myself with a julienne slicer in one hand and a bowl of zoodles in the other. I topped them with some lemon zest, juice, salt and pepper, which was a good start, but not enough quite on it’s own. That’s when I remembered a snazzy looking jar of tuna that I had found in Costco, so I topped my noodles with that and a bit of the packing oil.

The end result was so much better than I would have imagined given the humble collection of ingredients and in the five days since I have made it another 4 times. The only tweak I made is to garnish with some parsley.

Tuna is a bit of a deviation from my usual preference for all plants, but it is a good one to have on hand for moments like this when lentils really wouldn’t have the same impact. Approximately 90% of the calories in canned tuna are protein, making it an excellent choice for energy levels, muscle repair and satiety. Plus it’s naturally low in fat, nutrient dense, good source of B vitamins, iron and omega3s.

And, did I mention that this was quick to put together? Less than 3 minutes - video below the recipe card for proof!

Yield: 2

Author: Pea Lawson

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Zoodles and Tuna Salad

This might be the perfect last minute lunch idea - light, low sat.fat protein content and ingredients that you can count on one hand and probably already have in your kitchen!

And it only takes about 3 minutes to put together - yes, I did time it!!

Prep time: 3 MinTotal time: 3 Min

Ingredients

Zoodles and Tuna Salad

• 2 medium zucchinis
• 1 can/jar of tuna in olive oil
• 1 lemon - zested and juiced
• salt and pepper to taste
• Fresh parsley (optional but really good)

Instructions

1. Wash the zucchini and cut into 'noodles' with a julienne style peeler or veggie noodle cutter
2. Place in a bowl and add lemon zest, lemon juice pinch of salt and fresh ground black pepper
3. Toss it around to spread the juice and toppings throughout the zoodles
4. Add the tuna steaks on top
5. Garnish with fresh parsley for a really fresh kick

Notes

• Do not try and prepare this ahead of time. This is 100% a make it and eat it right away meal. This is because the zucchini noodles will start to release water and the whole thing will get watery and lose texture.
• Do not use water packed tuna. This will make the whole thing dry and you will end up adding oil to it. Olive oil packed tuna meat is richer and can stand to be eaten with out much else to dress it up.
• The lemon juice, zest, salt and pepper make a nice dressing along with the zucchini juice. It doesn't need extra oil, but if you feel it does, go ahead and use the oil that the tuna was packed in. It's right there and carries the flavors through the whole dish.

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @betterthroughfood on instagram and hashtag it #healthydelicious

Proof that this really does only take 3 (real time) minutes to put together!