Give your tuna a southwest makeover in this quick, easy, and delicious Gluten Free Southwest Tuna Salad. You’ll love the combo of lime, cilantro, and hot sauce in this zippy salad!
My brother had a BABY!!!!!!!
Well, his wife had the baby to be exact. That would actually make it even more exciting news if it were the other way around; exciting for sure, but extremely weird and unsettling.
But regardless of how she got here, SHE’S HERE! Little miss Georgia Kay made her way into the world to two kind, thoughtful, loving parents that will adore every ounce of her being. Such a cute little family that has great things in store.
Things like: sleepless nights, continuous crying, poopy diapers, spit up stained clothes, never ending bottle washing, being late to everything for the rest of your life because now you have a child that you have to make sure is ready and dressed and teeth brushed and hair combed and shoes on and tummy full and has their backpack and homework and lunch box and permission slip…WHOA!!! I’m getting a little ahead of myself here. They have at least a few more years before they have to worry about lunchboxes and permission slips.
But really, your entire life changes when a baby enters your world. But as difficult as it may be, I wouldn’t change it for the world. There is nothing like holding your own little precious nugget in your arms and knowing that you’ll get to love on them forever. Yes, nothing beats that feeling.
And that’s the feeling that I strive to hold onto when it’s 6 o’clock at night and I’ve already woken up early and exercised, fulfilled breakfast requests, shipped Braelyn off to school, pulled a giant glob of earwax out of Emry’s ear, gone grocery shopping (at Costco…AHHHHH!!!), unloaded mounds of groceries up and down our second story stairs, organized said groceries, cleaned the house, made endless amounts of healthy snacks throughout the day, taken kids to basketball and gymnastics, played at the park, supervised over an hour of homework…and then my kids and hubby are clawing at my feet, moaning “What are we gonna have for dinner???”
Answer is: I DON’T KNOW!
That’s my answer almost every night. It’s not until I start pulling ingredients out of my fridge that something magically comes together. That’s what I love about cooking; it’s my creative outlet.
Anywho, when I’m in a bind with what to make for dinner that doesn’t take a whole lot of time (because let’s face it, the longer it takes to make, the longer I listen to whining) my go to cuisine is something with a Mexican flare or some type of salad. In this case I combined both and created this fun and flavorful Gluten Free Southwest Tuna Salad.
There are a couple great things about this salad.
- It’s easy.
- It takes very little prep time.
- It uses up food storage.
- It can be made ahead of time.
- It’s completely adaptable to taste preferences.
- It’s healthy.
So there you go. What’s not to love???
I adore this tuna salad because it’s not your ordinary tuna. I know some people hate tuna, but I happen to love it every once in a while. In fact, I enjoy just your average mayo and relish tuna sandwich combo. I also love a good tuna melt with a thick slice of tomato and a sprinkle of oregano. Yum!
This tuna is different.
This tuna has flare.
This tuna outshines all other tunas. Such an attention hog, this tuna.
To make this tuna salad you basically mix a few cans of tuna with southwest seasonings, Tapatio sauce, lime juice, cilantro, and green chilis. That’s where the Mexican flare come in. Then to give it some extra texture and pizazz, I tossed in some black beans and sweet corn kernels.
There you go. Tuna salad made. You can either eat it right away, or let it chill in the fridge for a few hours and really let those flavors marry before building the rest of your salad.
If you prefer, you could even throw a scoop of this tuna on top of a tostada shell, sprinkle it with some cheese, and toast it in the oven for a southwest tuna melt; you know, if lettuce or salads for dinner just ain’t your thing.
This tuna salad really is the perfect meal for those hectic days with or without kids and all you want is a quick and easy meal that will get you that much closer to being able to kick your feet up and relax at the end of the night.
Relax???? Does that really ever happen??? Well, we can pretend.
Are you a tuna fan?
- 3 cans (5 oz. each) albacore white meat tuna, packed in water
- ⅓ cup mayo
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon pepper
- ⅛ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon cumin
- 2 tablespoons canned diced green chilis (about ½ of a small can)
- 2 teaspoons Tapatio hot sauce
- 1½ teaspoons fresh lime juice (about ½ a lime)
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
- ½ cup rinsed and drained black beans
- ⅓ cup thawed frozen corn kernels
- Salad fixings: chopped romaine or iceberg lettuce, shredded cheese, diced tomatoes, salsa, sour cream, chopped bell peppers, sliced olives, tortilla chips, creamy cilantro dressing (Bolthouse brand), and any other desired toppings.
- Drain cans of tuna. Rinse and drain black beans. Set aside.
- Scoop tuna into a medium sized mixing bowl. Add mayo, salt, pepper, garlic powder, cumin, green chilis, hot sauce, and lime juice. Mix well with a fork. Stir in chopped cilantro, black beans, and corn.
- Make salads by assembling lettuce, desired fixings, and a scoop of tuna on top.
- Store leftover tuna in an airtight container in fridge for up to 5 days.
