Tuna & Bean Salad

This little salad is perfect made up the day before as all the flavours mingle together. This tuna salad is so healthy as it is very high in lean protein from the tinned tuna and cannellini beans and has virtually no fat. It is important to buy tuna in spring water or brine - not sunflower oil. Also, always drain and rinse the beans and jarred roast red peppers with some cold water. There is basil pesto in this recipe but feel free to omit this and the basil leaves if they are not to hand.

Ingredients

Serves 2

1 180g tin tuna (in brine)

1 tin cannellini beans

2 jarred roast red peppers

75g fine green beans

1/2 red onion

6 sun blushed tomato pieces

Dressing

1 tbsp olive oil

3 tbsp extra light mayonnaise

3 tbsp fat free natural yoghurt

1/2 tsp sherry/red wine/white wine vinegar

1/2 tsp dijon mustard

salt & pepper

6 basil leaves

2 tsp basil pesto

Mixed leaves

Method

1. OK remembering this is a salad - its easy - its summer - there is no stress here. Its a simple process of chopping and assembling.
2. Boil a little saucepan of water. Open and drain the tin of tuna. Open, drain and rinse the cannellini beans.
3. Cut the green beans in half diagonally. (or not if you don't feel like) (remember - easy!!!) Pop into the boiling water for about 4 mins. Drain and plunge into a bowl of cold water.
4. Peel and slice the onion.Cut the basil leaves into fine strips.
5. In a large bowl mix the tuna, beans, onion and sun blushed tomato together.
6. In a separate bowl combine the olive oil, natural yoghurt, extra light mayo, seasoning, sherry vinegar, dijon mustard, basil leaves and pesto.
7. Coat the ingredients with the dressing. Chill for an hour or two. A little spritz of lemon juice  and then  serve with mixed leaves and some wholewheat bread.