I was going to do something with pork tenderloin tonight.  Victor had another idea.

We were both thinking salads, but I liked his idea, better!  He makes a great Tuna and Cannelini salad based upon a recipe he got from one of Lidia’s cookbooks (I think we have all of them – or at least most).

Tuna and Cannelini Salad

  • 1 can cannelini beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1 can tuna in olive oil, drained
  • 1 shallot, chopped
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 1 oz feta, crumbled
  • S&P
  • drizzle of olive oil

Mix all ingredients, chill or serve at room temperature.

It’s great cold, great at room temperature, or great eating standing in front of the refrigerator when no one’s looking.  It’s good.

Tuna in olive oil may have more calories, but it is so far superior to tuna in water that there’s really no comparison.  It’s one of those areas where I’ll take the hit on an extra 50 calories rather than compromise on quality.  I feel the same way about cheese.  I know there are many folks out there who swear by their lowfat cheeses.  I’m not one of them.  I’ll just eat less of the real stuff.

But I digress…

Tonight’s salad started with a base of mixed greens and then was topped with a hard-cooked egg, steamed broccoli, diced celery, diced zucchini, mushrooms, a stuffed Italian shooter pepper, and another sprinkling of feta.  I think the tuna salad was probably the biggest calorie-buster tonight at about 250 per serving.  But it comes with a lot of nutrients.  That shooter pepper had 80 calories all by itself!  Prosciutto wrapped around cheese and stuffed into a hot pepper soaking in oil.  Damn, they’re good!

It was funny because 3/4 of the way through the salads, we simultaneously said we were getting stuffed.    It seems that when I actually wait until I’m hungry to eat, I find myself eating less.  What a concept!  And when I don’t eat at work all day long  I actually enjoy what I’m eating more.

So it’s been working.  In the last two weeks I’ve dropped 11 pounds.  That’s rather more than I should lose in that time frame but I’ll take it as my motivation to keep going.

Thirty-nine to go.