by Robin Moynihan

Created on: May 17, 2010

Being a military wife, my mom had to come up with inexpensive meals that would appeal to four hungry kids. In the winter we had our tuna in the familiar casserole made with cream of mushroom soup, but in the summer we were treated to a variety of tuna salads. These salads are as different as night and day, each with it's own unique flavor, and all very easy to prepare.

Sweet Garden Tuna Salad

2 - 7oz. cans of tuna (more flavor if canned in oil),drained

1/4 c. mayonnaise

1/2 c. chopped sweet garden mix pickles( mix of cucumber, pearl onion, cauliflower, etc.)

Mix all ingredients and chill for at least a 1/2 hour.

Red and White Delicious Tuna

2 - 7oz. cans of tuna, drained

1/4 c. mayonnaise

2 red delicious apples, cored and chopped

Mix all ingredients and chill for at least a 1/2 hour.

Onion dipped Tuna

2 - 7oz. cans of tuna, drained

1/4 c. plus 1T. mayonnaise

1/4 c. chopped celery

1pouch of Lipton Onion Soup Mix

Mix all ingredients and chill for at least an hour.

These tuna salads can be eaten between bread slices, stuffed into a hollowed out tomato, or mounded on top of lettuce leaves, a rice cake, or an avocado half . If your counting, that's 15 different combinations that will keep the kids full and happy. If the adults in the family want to switch it up a bit, my father turned a disaster into a rather tasty treat when he ran out of mayo and substituted it with blue cheese dressing. This blue cheese tuna salad makes a tuna melt that will garner moans of delight at every bite.

Blue Cheese Tuna Melt

1 - 7oz. can tuna, drained

2 T. blue cheese dressing

4 slices of bread

4 T. butter, softened

4 slices of american cheese

Place a fry pan on the stove top over medium high heat. Mix the tuna and blue cheese dressing. For each sandwich butter 1 slice of bread and place it butter side down in the heated pan. Top the bread with a slice of cheese, half the tuna mix, and another slice of cheese, then butter another slice of bread and place it on top of the cheese with the butter facing up. When golden brown carefully flip the sandwich to brown the other side.

We now have 16 different tuna salad combinations that will keep everyone guessing at how many more you can come up with.

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