Weeknight Cooking

Mediterranean Tuna Melts

Greens meet tuna in this easy, healthy, dynamic weeknight recipe.  Tuna melts seem to come in many forms.  We've seen here banana peppers, celery and, just the other night, diced zucchini stirred into tuna for flavor character.  This recipe out of the weeknight cooking section of Food Network Magazine calls for all kinds of stuff: fresh parsley, olives, red onion, cucumbers, cherry tomatoes,

baby arugula, Muenster cheese, and a bit of spice including paprika.  Instructions ask for certain sets of these ingredients to be mixed in certain batches, but we went ahead and mixed most of the smaller items right into two cans of tuna, went light on the mayo (recipe doesn't call for any at all), then added a few fingers full of kernel corn in addition for texture and sweetness.  The tuna mixture is to then be spooned into a pita pocket, cheese added, then baked for a few minutes for melting.  Serve the arugula and parsley as a side salad.  Kids here have been asking for more fresh veggies, fewer heavy processed calories, and they like to assemble their own wraps and sandwiches.  Greasy pizza and chicken nugget lunches at school have run their course.  All three girls bring their own lunches to school and wonder why the farmers haven't yet figured out how to drop off their produce to cafeterias daily.