Chicken of the Sea

So today I had the hankering for a really delicious, healthy, filling salad for lunch. I recently purchased some canned salmon from Trader Joes so I could have for those times when hunger strikes fast. After gathering some essentials from the fridge & pantry, I was all set and super excited to make a yummy salmon salad. Well, that was until I actually OPENED the can. All I can say is...eww!
This was the lovely can.

and THIS is what was in it. Gross! Nothing gives me the heebiejeebies more than finding a ton if microscopic-sized bones in my fish. I don't think I'll be buying this ever again. Lesson learned: it's better to shell out a couple extra bucks for the quality salmon in a can. Have no fear, lunch was still a success. I opted for the classic canned fish- TUNA! This is my favorite one because it's clean, it's in water, and it's always fresh.
I started by straining the can of tuna along with a can of garbanzo beans. Let them dry off completely.
Next up, I chopped 4 Caprese' tomatoes, 1 avocado, half a Vidalia onion, and a mini cucumber and combined in a bowl. I then added 2 TBSP capers, a few pinches of dry parsley, and eyeballed some salt & pepper. I never measure my seasonings because for the most part, people UNDERseason their food...nothing is worse-trust me. Next, I squeezed in some fresh lemon juice & drizzled in a decent amount of my favorite olive oil (there is going to be an entirely separate post about this product, as it really does deserve it's own time to shine). Here's what I ended up with:
It makes me SO happy to see tons of bright colors in a dish. It really makes you want to eat it that much more. Ok, final step- add in the garbanzos & tuna and gently toss to achieve THIS beauty:

You could eat this as shown, or with some pita chips, but I preferred to place mine on a bed of lettuce with a tiny bit of Balsamic. The salad + these steamed veggies ...

and my belly was VERY happy!!