This tuna – pasta salad is a very light meal that is also very easy to prepare. You will need a big bowl of whole grain pasta, 2 cans of light tuna packed in water, 1cup of dried cranberries, and two cups of chopped green onions. For the dressing I have mixed 3 spoons of olive oil, 2 spoons of balsamic vinegar, 2 – 3 spoons of lime juice, 1 spoon of organic honey and 1 to 2 full spoons of coriander spice.
Coriander is a Mediterranean spice with a sweet-smelling aroma that has been used in Asia and the Orient for thousands of years. Coriander will enhance the taste of the tuna and give this salad an unusual flavor, especially when combined with the dried cranberries. Don’t hesitate to use coriander by the handful, because this spice has a very gentle aroma and taste. In fact, coriander is so mild that if it is not stored in an airtight container, it loses its aroma and flavor very quickly. If you buy whole seeds of coriander and ground them only when you need to, the seeds will last forever. You can always roast the seeds a little bit before use, to amend their smell and taste.
Besides the wonderful taste, coriander has also many health benefits. Dry coriander is recommended for people suffering from asthma and is known as an excellent cure for conjunctivitis, and diarrhea. Fresh coriander offers even more health benefits including strengthening of the stomach, improving digestion and reducing fever, to name a few.
Thank you all for posting your comments and sharing your own recipes with me and others on my site. I hope that you will enjoy this meal.
Best,
Zuzana.
Hi Zuzana,
Great recipe and as always you are looking great!
But looking at size of the bowl you are using made me wonder, how long does it takes to eat all that,if your portions is only small? And i guessing it’s not only thing you are eating all day is it?Even if you sharing it with Frederick it’s still seems like a lot..:)
Also how many portions of protein need to be consumed a day,do i need to eat protein,carbs,protein,carbs or combine it all in one meal six times a day?
Many thanks
This is a great salad! I like that you post recipes that are quick and easy to make but still nutritious. I love how you incorporate dried fruits in small portions into some of your recipes :)
I’m a huge fan of salsa and chips, but since the chips are very high on the glycemic index, as well as in sodium, I usually take whole wheat oil free/sugar free pitas, bake them and then use that as a replacement.
Here’s a really great recipe for mango pineapple salsa, perfect for those days where you feel like a sweet but still want to eat clean. It makes about 10-12 small servings.
1 mango peeled and diced
1/2 medium sized pineapple shaved and diced
2 tablespoons coconut water
1/3 cup chopped red pepper (banana peppers if you like it spicy are okay too)
1/4 cup chopped red onions
2 tablespoons lime juice
3 tablespoons chopped cilantro
1/4 cup melted extra virgin coconut oil
1 tablespoon paprika
Blend together all ingredients, cover and refrigerate for 1 hour. Serve with baked pita chips or even use as a chutney for grilled chicken or fish! Hope you like it.
Kristina
Hi Kristina, thanks a lot for sharing your recipe :)
Thanks for the recipe Zuzana, not really a salad type but you could make anything sound delicious.
Hey Zuzana,
I came across your videos on youtube and I really enjoyed them. You have some great addvice and yummy recipes. I’m sixteen years old and i’m very interested in keeping in shape. I had a question about the six meals a day. Do you recomend that I should be following this at my age? And if so, do you have any tips on how I can do this while i’m attending school?
Thank you!
Hi Hannah, the clean eating is good for everyone no matter how old you are. I don’t why you couldn’t eat clean while you are at school. You can always pack some healthy snacks with you. Fruit, low fat yogurts, healthy sandwiches that you can prepare at home, salads that you can also prepare at home; there are so many options.
Hi! Great site!
But why should one choose low fat yogurt? Is it the same with all dairy products? I like to eat feta cheese for it’s protein and fat, is the fat in milk or feta cheese bad or good? If it’s bad, WHY is it bad?
So… so you just biol the pasta and throw it all in a bowl?
Thx
Hi Zuzana,
first of all, thanks for the nice pasta salad – it’s a nice change to normal pasta salads but can be also enjoyed warm.
Well, just had a look at your diet & nutrition section, where you calculated how many calories you burn in a day and how much you could eat distributed over your 6 meals/day.
It seems that the salad portion you have in this video (with max. 8 pieces of actual pasta maybe and the rest is basically vegies/fruit) is ways below the 360 kcal that you calculated for your uptake per meal (if having 6 per day) to keep your weight.
Even if you ate only that little portion of salad 6 times a day (no smaller, no bigger meals) and exercise as much as you do, you’d definitely loose weight. Maybe I do have a high metabolism rate but by just roughly following your recommendations (what worked for you does not have to work for everybody else – I know) I’d be getting skinnier in no time.
I do really like your websites with all the tips and you are the best proof that it pays off to exercise often and eat clean but (since I am also not the first person commenting on that) it seems a bit unrealistic to me that this little portion is all you eat for your meal.
Please do not get me wrong & keep on posting your yummy recipes and great exercises!
Best,
Sylvie
Thanks for the recipe, Zuzana! I’ve heard wonders about agave nectar to sweeten your foods. It is a natural sweetener that has a lower glycemic index than honey (27 vs. 83!) and apparently, varioius health benefits including boosting your immunity, increasing your satiety and lowering your appetite (due to the present inulin), lowering your cholesterol, helping you absorb some nutrients more efficiently, etc (all of this according to sheknows.com, but there’s plenty of other websites that can provide more info). Anyway, thought you might find this useful as a healthy alternative to flavor your tasty salads :)
Best.
i totally ENJOYED your previous recipe when i tried it! added more lime juice for the taste.
this one seems awesome too!
Cant wait to try it out((:
another recipe added to my healthy meals notebook.
i’d just like to know, if i dont take pasta often, are there any other good substitutes?
i intend to try it with brown/red rice?
also i’m wondering, are wholegrain cereals healthy beside oats as well?
i usually bag them to take along with me to school as it is easier to eat it on its own whereas oats need to be mixed with fruits&nuts and soymilk..
THANKS TRUCK LOADS Zuzana!
you really keep me motivated with proper eating and great exercises that really just keeps me going and feeling more fit and energetic!
its something that i’ve been having an ongoing interest and stuck with for the longest time.
exercise isnt something i forced myself to do to lose fats but now its a way to relieve stress and enjoy myself at the same time to look good!
the change in my diet has also really given me more energy and crave for less sweet stuffs.
i still have a cheat day but i’m trying to reduce the no. of times gradually.
keep updating yeah!! :D full support of this website you’ve started and progressed all this way!
Hello Zuzana,
Since you are so kind to share your recipes with us, I must leave one of my favourite healthy recipes for you too. It’s a special breakfast recipe that packs a high fiber, protein punch, no baking powder or flour required:
Wholesome Protein Pancakes
3 large eggs (organic free-run are best)
1 cup oats
1 cup mixture of kamut or spelt flakes, wheat germ or wheat bran
enough low-fat milk to make the mixture pourable, about 1/4 cup
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
1 tsp cinnamon
dash of cardamom
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 mashed ripe banana
1 tbsp melted natural peanut butter
1 tsp honey
Preheat large non-stick pan to med/low heat. Spray pan with oil/Pam. Beat eggs with milk, spices, vanilla, honey, peanut butter & mashed banana. Combine and mix with all other ingredients in medium sized bowl. Spoon pancake batter into pan in approx. 2 tbsp portions. Heat until golden brown, flip and repeat. Serve with either organic maple syrup or top with plain/vanilla yogurt and berry sauce for extra calcium and antioxidants. Leftovers can be refrigerated or frozen. The sky is the limit with these wholesome, heart pancakes but they will always leave you satisfied!
Berry sauce
1 cup blueberries/raspberries/strawberries
2 tsp stevia (natural calorie-free sweetener)
Cook until natural juices reduce to half. Sweeten, stir, let cool and pour on top of pancakes.
Thanks again – your recipes involving a new exotic spice or seasoning each time are excellent!