Chronicles of a Late Bloomer

Okay, this week’s food obsession is a tuna salad that is a more or less healthy version of “Clean Out the Fridge.” This might be more appropriately called: “Clean Out the Veggie Drawer.”

I usually make a large quantity of “base” at a time and can store it in the fridge for a week or more in a sealed container or heavy-duty ziploc bag. The base consists of:

• Lots of finely chopped cabbage, both white and red
• Shredded carrots
• Chopped broccoli (I only like the florets, so I just slice the topmost part of the bunch off and it breaks into little pieces)
• Chopped cauliflower (same goes as for broccoli)
• Cucumber chopped into 1/4- to 1/2-inch cubes, skin on

At mealtime I toss a few handfuls of this veggie base into a large bowl and then almost always add:

• A scoop of fat-free cottage cheese
• Two scoops of fat-free plain yogurt
• A teaspoon of mayonnaise

Sorry, I don’t use measurements. I just eyeball the amounts until they look like they’ll evenly coat the veggies and other goodies. These other goodies include various combinations of any/all of the following, depending on what I have on hand:

• Can of drained tuna
• Shredded chicken
• Diced sweet or dill pickle
• Chopped sun-dried tomatoes (I just snip with kitchen scissors)
• Pine nuts
• Diced avocado (yum!)
• Diced tomato
• Little bit of parmesan cheese
• Sliced grapes
• Alfalfa sprouts
• Hard-boiled egg
• Frozen peas
• You get the idea!

Stir it all up, adjusting yogurt if the mixture is too dry. I’ve also toyed around with herbs and spices. From my big bowl (out of which I used to eat sugared cereal — sometimes two or three times a day!) I can pack two whole wheat tortillas for a pair of yummy wraps. If I don’t have tortillas or feel like eating something crunchier, I pile it onto a few reduced-fat triscuits.