Try buying pricier tuna that is canned in its own juices (not water or oil) and then not draining it, just mix up the meat and juice together. One brand my DH who is on a low sodium diet likes is Rainforest. (25 mg sodium per serving in a 2.5 or 3 serving can, so even if he scarfs the whole can down at once it's still OK). The cans are about 4 bucks each, though. We get them at Hanneford markets. Most low or no sodium tuna is pretty bland, but that particular brand has a very good taste. I think they offer a regular sodium level one, too, but we haven't tried it. I use some lemon juice in it, and if I'm being amibitious and it's going to be eaten in one meal (no left overs) I'll scrape off some fresh lemon zest. (Day old lemon zest can get bitter.) Fresh pepper is good, too, along with finely diced celery. Are you trying to avoid the bad fats and calories in prepared mayo? Homemade mayo can be made with only good fats, and if egg yolks are in your diet, you're good to go. Oil, yolk and a bit of lemon juice and that's it, plus a bit of salt if you like. I use an immersion blender in a small straight-sided canning jar and whizz it right up in the jar, use what I want of a one-egg batch and store it with a canning jar lid on it. (I rarely finish up the batch before it goes bad, and aside from the tinge of guilt I feel throwing out spoiled food, I can always justify to myself when I use oil and an egg yolk, that I not going to actually eat all of those cals and fat, anyway.) Homemade mayo is so much better than any prepared product, it's in a class by itself, and after the first batch or two, seems to take no more trouble than, say, brewing coffee from scratch vs. instant. Something I made the other day with tuna was a gigante bean and tuna salad. Gigante beans are a great potato-y bean, that holds up well in cold salads. It was like tuna mac salad, but much better for you. (I did use homemade mayo and chopped pickles, though.)

I mill bean flour and use it in many different ways. I mill in a Whisper Mill (now goes by the name - Wonder Mill) grain mill, so I get a very fine flour. Not all grain mills can mill large beans - so check manufacturer's information. If you want to add fiber and protein to baked goods, use bean flour for a portion of regular flour (up to 15-20%). Small white beans have the least amount of "beany" flavor and work best in baked goods. They also work best in foods that include spicy flavors (cinnamon, nutmeg, etc.), which help to hide any bean flavor. You will find lots of recipes using bean flour in most gluten-free cookbooks. Bob's Red Mill has recipes using bean flour: - Fast Refried Bean Dip (uses black bean flour) - Mexican Bean Gravy " - Black Bean Tortillas " - Black Bean Dip " Click on the link below. Click on RECIPES at the top of the page. BAKEHOUSE CHEEZY HEARTLAND SOUP (using whole white beans milled into flour using the Whispermill) Mix together and stir well before each use: 1/2 c. Red Star nutritional yeast 2/3 c. white bean flour 1 t. sea salt 1/4 t. each paprika and celery seed 1/2 t. mustard (ground) 1 T. chicken style broth powder 1/8 c. bac'un bits Bring one cup water to a boil, reduce heat. Stir in 3 T. of the mix. Cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Use less water for a thick cheezy style sauce. Variation: Saute 1-1/2 c. diced veggies (onion, carrot, celery, potato) until softened. Add 1-1/2 c. water, bring to a boil, reduce heat and 1/3 c. cheezy saucy. Cook 5 minutes, until veggies are tender and soup is thickened. Soup will thicken a little more as it cools. This chills and reheats well. ------------ You can make refried beans in a few minutes using pinto bean flour. Great for campers. - 1 cup whole beans = 1-1/8 c. bean flour - STIFF REFRIED BEANS - 1 c. water plus 1/3 c. bean flour = 1 c. instant mashed beans (equal to canned refried beans) Cook and stir for 1 minute until mixture thickens. Reduce heat to medium/low. Cover the pan and cook 6 minutes (stirring occasionally). - FLUFFY REFRIED BEANS - 2 c. water plus 3/4 c. bean flour = 2-1/2 c. fluffy mashed beans (nice on tortillas or used for dips by adding salsa or picante sauce) You can also mill black beans for refried black bean. Boil 2-1/2 c. water Whisk in dry ingredients: 3/4 c. pinto or black bean flour pinch garlic powder (optional) 1/2 - 3/4 t. salt 1/4 t. cumin 1/2 t. chili powder Cook and stir for 1 minute. Reduce heat to medium/low. Cover pan and cook 4 minutes (stirring occasionally). -------------------- CREAM OF CHICKEN SOUP Here's a way to make cream of chicken soup from beans. The kids love the stuff. 1 Cup Navy Bean Flour (Lima beans or Garbanzo beans will also work.) 4 Cups Water or Milk 1 Tablespoon Chicken Bouillon 1/8 teaspoon pepper 1/4 cup dehydrated onions or 1 small onion optional Grind the dry beans in a wheat grinder. Usually, 3/4 cup of beans will make 1 cup of flour. Add the other dry ingredients to the bean flour. Stir 1/2 cup of water or milk into the bean flour until it is mixed then add the rest of the water or milk and heat it in a medium sized sauce pan, constantly stirring. As it reaches the boiling point it will thicken. Boil it for about a minute. If it gets too thick add a bit more water/milk until your soup thins down to what cream of chicken soup should be. If it lacks flavor, add a bit more chicken bouillon. Garnish with dry parsley flakes. Serves 4. Recipe from waltonfeed.com. Here is a link that might be useful: Bob's Red Mill

This one's really different & very good: SUMMER SHELLS WITH SHRIMP & CUCUMBER (serves 8-10) 1 lb medium shrimp, cooked, peeled & deveined 2 small cucumbers, peeled, seeded & chopped 1/2 cup whipping cream 2 TBL lemon juice 1 TBL Dijon mustard Salt & pepper 1/2 cup vegetable oil 15-20 jumbo pasta shells, cooked & drained Chop shrimp coarsely, add cucumbers & toss. In a separate bowl, combine cream, lemon juice & mustard. Add salt & pepper to taste. Gradually add oil in a slow, steady stream, whisking constantly until blended. Set dressing aside. Toss shrimp & cucumbers with half of the dressing. Fill shells with mixture & refrigerate. Pour remaining dressing over shells just before serving. Serve on cups of baby lettuce leaves.~~Food for Thought ORZO WITH DILLED LEMON SAUCE (serves 6-8) 3 TLB fresh lemon juice 1 TBL fresh lemon juice 5 green onions, chopped 3 TBL chopped fresh dill Salt & pepper to taste 1 cup chicken broth, heated 1/4 cup olive oil 1 lb orzo, cooked, drained 1 cup calamata olives, pitted, cut into halves Two 14 oz cans artichoke hearts, drained, rinsed, cut in quarters 4 oz feta cheese, crumbled 6-8 Bibb or Boston lettuce leaves Combine the lemon juice, mustard, green onions, dill, salt & pepper in a blender or processor. Add the hot broth & olive oil 1 at a time in a fine stream, processing constantly until well blended. Add the sauce to the orzo in a large bowl & toss to mix well. Pat the olives dry. Add the olives, artichokes & feta to the orzo mixture & toss to mix well. Serve at room temperature on lettuce leaves on individual salad plates. Garnish if desired with additional fresh dill.~~Bay Tables

You really don't need a recipe for salad--like soup, it's just a combo of what you like (or have on hand). I rarely make salad the same way twice. For tortellin salad, I generally use one package of white cheese tortellini and one of tri-color, add some halved cherry or grape tomatoes, some of the tiny fresh mozzarella balls, diced pepper/onion/celery, sliced black olives; Maybe some broccoli florets and/or grated carrot. Then it gets a splash of Italian Dressing or Balsamic Vinaigrette. Just before serving, I stir in some julienned fresh spinach and some shaved Parmeggiano Reggiano. But you can definitely put together your own favorite vegetables, dressing, pasta, etc. and you won't go wrong.