Crunchy Tuna Salad with Egg

When I was a kid, I hated Tuna Salad.  I really, really hated it.  It wasn't the tuna itself that I didn't like, it was the chunks of onions that my mom added to it!  I remember asking my mom to just take the tuna out of the can and put it on some bread for me.  She did that occasionally.  But most of the time I was stuck with the chunks! 

Now, as an adult, I love to add not only onions, but also celery and carrots.  Mmmm!  I love all the crunchy veggies mixed with my tuna!  I also add hard boiled eggs to my tuna.  All those added items really makes a hearty sandwich and helps to stretch a can of tuna! 

 I make it pretty much the same way each time except I don't measure.  Here's a rough idea of how I made it tonight (you can adjust the add-ins according to your tastes): 

Crunchy Tuna Salad

Ingredients:

• 3 cans Albacor Tuna packed in water (drained)
• 3 hard boiled eggs, chopped
• 1/4 cup onion, diced
• 1/4 cup celery, diced
• 1/4 cup carrot, diced
• 1/4 Hellmann's Mayonnaise
• pepper, to taste (optional)

Directions:  

• Place eggs and tuna in a mixing bowl and mash with a fork to separate the tuna chunks a bit. 
• Add vegetables, stir until well mixed. 
• Stir in the mayo. 
• Add pepper (optional)

Notes: 

• Crisp-cooked bacon or the bacon sold in the salad dressing aisle is also a good addition to this salad. 
• I like to serve this on toast, crackers, or in a wrap with some lettuce.  

I used to get tuna salad similar to this from a deli in Philly on my lunch break.  The deli changed owners and the new owners had a different type of tuna salad.  While this is a similar salad, I was never able to duplicate the deli's salad.  That's okay, I like this one too! 

It's so much cheaper to make this tuna salad than it was to buy a single serving at the deli every day.  And it's a great way to use up some fresh vegetables.  I try to plan tuna salad whenever I buy celery for a recipe since we never seem to be able to use up the celery before it turns to mush in the veggie bin. 

I'll be linking this recipe to the following blog carnivals: 

• Make it From Scratch
• Frugal Friday