Tuna BLT Lettuce Boats

Delicious, filling and refreshing, these Tuna BLT Lettuce Boats make a great summer meal.  You won’t be able to stop at just one.  And the best part?  They are so easy to whip up, you’re kids will be serving these in no time.

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I heard the “Mom, I’m hungry” cry from the kitchen and wanted to bury my head in helplessness.  I checked the oven clock and exactly 38 minutes has passed since dinner table was cleared. How is this even possible?  This kid, he just won’t stop eating.  Having a teenager in the house also means having raging appetites to tend to.  Sometimes, I think I’m totally rockin’ this  mom-of-teen gig, other times, I just want to hide under a rock.

One of the most important things I can teach my children is to make good choices, even when it requires sacrifice.  With that, comes teaching them to select and prepare foods that will nourish their growing bodies.  My intention isn’t just to provide healthy meals but to actually teach them how exactly that is done, right to the choosing the source of the ingredients.  Yes, that requires patience and time on my part, but overtime, I hear less “Mom, I’m hungry” and more “Mom, what can I make?”.   And that’s when I sit back and ask him to make me one too. 🙂

Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day.  Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.  ~Chinese proverb

Best Canned Tuna

Selecting a good source of seafood, especially canned seafood is incredibly important. Wild Planet is a good brand for canned seafood, since they only carry wild caught products.  Their albacore tuna comes from pole and traditional line fleets in the North Pacific, New Zealand and southern Pacific waters.

They are one of leading brands for sustainable and wild seafood.  Their canned tuna is free from additives, fillers or preservatives, only wild tuna.  I feel good about serving this to my family and having it readily available for when hunger strikes for certain members of the clan. One thing that is worth mentioning, as with all things, balance is key.  Seafood is on our menu few times a week but we balance that with other healthy meals.

Tuna BLT Lettuce Boats

Cook nitrate-free bacon using your favorite method.  I know for many people, that’s the use of the oven.  My favorite way to cook bacon crumbles is to cut bacon into small pieces using kitchen shears and throw them on a hot cast iron skillet over medium-high heat.  Cook, stirring ocassionally.  This way, the bacon is cooked to perfection in less time than it would require to pre-heat the oven and cook bacon there.  Remove bacon pieces with a slotted spoon and set them on a paper towel as usual to absorb excess fat.  Feel free to use your leftover bacon from morning’s breakfast but what kind of person has leftover bacon?  Is that even a thing?  Also?  Be sure to save that bacon grease for later use.

Anyways, back to the lettuce boats. Give romaine lettuce leaves a quick rinse, if organic or soak them in vinegar for a few minutes if not organic and rinse as usual.  Dry them either in the lettuce spinner or with a towel. Set them aside to dry thoroughly while you make the filling.

Using fingers, crumble and break apart tuna into a medium-size bowl.  (Note: I love this glass measuring cup set. These glass cups are great for stirring and combining tuna salads and the like as well as measuring ingredients.  They are so versatile and get plenty of use around here!)  Use a fork if necessary to break up tuna.  Add diced tomato and cooked and cooled bacon pieces.  In a small bowl, combine sour cream, mayonnaise (this is a good brand OR learn to make your own here), apple cider vinegar and chopped fresh dill.  Stir to combine well.  Add 2/3 of dressing to the tuna, tomato and bacon mixture and combine until well incorporated.

Spoon tuna salad into lettuce leaves.  Drizzle with remaining dressing.  Enjoy immediately.  If you’re wanting to add more “shelf” life to this meal, hold off on adding tomato and lettuce.  Keep the tuna salad (sans tomato) in a glass container in the fridge for up to 4 days.

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Tuna BLT Lettuce Boats

 

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Ingredients

• 1 pkg. nitrate-free bacon (check those ingredients)
• 1 small head of romaine lettuce
• 2 cans wild albacore tuna (my pick)
• 1 large tomato, diced
• ½ cup sour cream
• 2 tablespoons mayonnaise (my pick) OR (make your own)
• 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar (my pick)
• ¼ cup fresh dill, chopped

Instructions

1. Cook nitrate-free bacon using your favorite method. See notes below.
2. Give romaine lettuce leaves a quick rinse if organic, or soak them in vinegar for a few minutes if not organic and rinse as usual. Dry them either in the lettuce spinner or with a towel. Set them aside to dry thoroughly while you make the filling.
3. Using fingers, crumble and break apart tuna into a medium size bowl. Use a fork if necessary to break up the tuna. Add diced tomato and cooked and cooled bacon pieces. In a small bowl, combine sour cream, mayonnaise (make your own), apple cider vinegar and chopped fresh dill. Stir to combine well. Add ⅔ of dressing to the tuna, tomato and bacon mixture and toss until well incorporated.
4. Spoon tuna salad into lettuce leaves. Drizzle with remaining dressing. Enjoy immediately. If you're wanting to add more "shelf" life to this meal, hold off on adding tomato and lettuce. Keep the tuna salad (sans tomato) in a glass container in the fridge for up to 4 days.

Notes

Cooking Bacon: I know many people prefer cooking bacon in the oven. My favorite way to cook bacon crumbles is to cut bacon into small pieces using kitchen shears and throw them on a hot cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring ocassionally. Remove bacon pieces with a slotted spoon and set them on a paper towel as usual to absorb excess fat. Be sure to save that bacon grease for later use.

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