Tuna, Chickpea and Beet Salad

Recipe from Everyday Food Magazine

Husband-Tested in Alice’s Kitchen

Serves 4

My husband and I LOVED this salad.  It’s crunchy, filling, with a hint of saltiness from the tuna and sweetness from the beets.  As you can see, it’s pretty enough as a luncheon for company.  To make this especially simple to prep, roast and peel the beets in advance.  You can even rinse and drain the chickpeas ahead.  Make the dressing in advance and let the tuna hang out in it for a bit.  Because spinach and romaine are sturdy greens, this salad can be eaten the next day as lunchbox leftovers.

1/3 cup good quality balsamic vinegar (I had some fig-infused balsamic vinegar, which worked quite well.)

1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard

1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil

2 cans (5 oz. each) tuna packed in water, drained and flaked

Kosher salt, to taste

Freshly ground pepper, to taste

1 head Romaine lettuce, trimmed and cut into 1-inch wedges or bite-sized pieces

3 cups fresh baby spinach

2 medium beets, cooked and peeled**, cut into bite-sized pieces or wedges

1 can (15.5 oz.) chickpeas, drained and rinsed

In a medium bowl, whisk together vinegar, mustard, and oil.  Reserve ¼ cup dressing and stir the remaining dressing into the tuna; season with salt and pepper.

Toss together the romaine lettuce, spinach, beets and chickpeas.  Top with tuna and ¼ cup dressing.  Serve with a crusty loaf of bread.

Nutritional Information:

Per serving (without bread) 425 calories; 21 grams fat (3 grams saturated); 24 grams protein; 35 grams carbohydrates; 8 grams fiber

**How to Prep Beets:

To roast the beets, preheat the oven to 400.  Place a piece of foil on a baking sheet.  Place a piece of parchment paper on top of that.  Put the beets on the parchment paper.  Sprinkle with Kosher salt, and drizzle a bit of olive oil.  Toss the beets to coat.  Fold the foil/parchment in a loose-fitting but tightly sealed packet around the beets.  Roast the packet on the baking sheet until the beets are tender, about 1 hour and 15 minutes.  Let the beets cool completely in the foil/parchment.  When cool, use a paring knife to peel and slice he beets into wedges (beets can be roasted up to 2 days ahead and refrigerated.)  When peeling the beets, wear latex gloves so that your fingers don’t turn pink!