Tuna & Red Pepper Salad with Quinoa

Tuna & Red Pepper Salad with Quinoa is a great lunch after a hard workout or if you are looking for an easy take to work lunch! It’s loaded with vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants too! But the best part for me, aside from the yummy flavor, is the fullness that lasts all afternoon!

Maybe you’re looking for something to make your body feel good and full, too.

Your cells will be happy with the healthy omega 3 fats this salad packs, plus the 15 grams of protein, and 5 grams of fiber! Rounding out the goodness is 63mg of Vitamin C, over 6000 IU’s of vitamin A, and 70mg of calcium.

Don’t you love when you can do 5 minutes of work and get tons of flavor and nutrition? Spring mix greens are like a smorgasbord of flavor that never gets old!

Tuna & Red Pepper Salad with Quinoa

Tuna & Red Pepper Salad with Quinoa


Tuna & Red Pepper Salad with Quinoa

  • 2 Cups Spring Mix
  • 2 Stalks Celery
  • 1 Carrot (Shredded)
  • 1/2 Cucumber
  • 1 Tbsp. Pumpkin Seeds
  • 1/4 Cup Quinoa
  • 1 Small Red Pepper (Sliced)
  • 3 ounces Tuna

Oregano Olive Oil Dressing

  • 1 Tbsp. oregano tincture (oregano leaves soaked in apple cider vinegar 5 days) or 1 tsp dried oregano leaves
  • 1 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
  • 1/2 Tsp. Onion Powder


If you really like the idea of getting a load of vitamin C and omegas in your meals, check out this Stuffed Red Pepper with Tuna idea, too!

You know what God puts in the Garden is good!

He even designated feast days for you and me to celebrate His goodness and provision. We have so many blessings from our local grocery store we can enjoy the work of our hands each day!

The Lord your God will bless you in all your produce and in all the work of your hands, so that you will be altogether joyful.

Deuteronomy 16:14-16 ESV – You shall rejoice in your feast, you – Bible Gateway




Tangy Tuna Balls

Tangy Tuna Balls with Fresh Dill

There is minimal time left for the dill plants here in the Ohio valley, so I’m salvaging what I can for these Tangy Tuna Balls. Although, I’ve tried to bring a few dill plants inside to water and continue to use, they shriveled up and died.

I’ll definitely have to look into freeze drying for next year! In the meantime, I want to use what’s left of the dill to make tuna balls. I call them tangy tuna balls because I want to hide the bland and sometimes fishy taste that turns people off of tuna. It’s easy to add a little Samba Oelek chili sauce to this recipe to hide that unwanted fishy taste.

Tangy Tuna Balls

There are two reasons to be excited to make tuna balls. First, it much healthier than the old sausage ball recipe our moms used to make. Plus, there is no hydrogenated oil from bisquick or nitrates and msg from sausage to pollute our cells.

In addition, celery, onion, and dill, with the chili sauce sounds much better to add to tuna than cheddar and bisquick. I know….there are recipes on Pinterest that do this, and it probably tastes good, so if you prefer that route, go for it! You’ll still get benefits from tuna, even if it’s not tangy.

Benefits of Tuna

Speaking of benefits, the second reason to be excited about tuna balls is the wonderful amount of omega-3 they provide for our brains. Three ounces can have up to 2.5-2.6 grams for three ounces. Tuna is also rich in protein (40 grams) B vitamins, calcium, zinc, selenium, and choline.

Chili and other All wonderful for cell repair and maintaining muscle mass. God is so thoughtful in placing these creatures in the sea to help us function at our best!

Don’t forget there are also benefits like desensitizing pain receptors in nerve cells from chili peppers, too! (1) Dill, on the other hand, has been made into powder and studied for decreasing insulin levels in Type 2 Diabetes. In the same study, dill powder was found to lower LDL cholesterol (the bad stuff) while increasing HDL (High density lipoprotein-aka the good stuff) (2).

Proof positive, God loves you and provides for you in every way!

Devotion

therefore thus says the Lord God,
“Behold, I am the one who has laid as a foundation in Zion, a stone, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone, of a sure foundation: ‘Whoever believes will not be in haste.’

Isaiah 28 ESV – Judgment on Ephraim and Jerusalem – Ah, – Bible Gateway

Isaiah tells about the future “precious cornerstone” that will be a sure foundation. He is talking about Jesus, of course. Believing in him, we cannot go wrong. The assuredness you and I need in our spiritual lives is just as important as the benefits of the provision God provides in the garden. Have a blessed day as you partake of both, my friend!


Tangy Tuna Balls

  • 3 5 ounce cans Tuna (in water/oil, (your choice)
  • 2 Tbsp. Minced onion or chalet
  • 1 Tbsp. Fresh Dill or 1 tsp. dried
  • 2 Tbsp. Minced celery
  • 1 Tsp. Sambre Oelek Chili Sauce
  • 1 Tsp. Mustard
  • 1 raw Egg
  • 2 Tbsp. Ground fresh grain (oats or wheat)
  • 1 Tsp. Each Onion Powder, Chili powder and Paprika

Tangy Dipping Sauce

  • 1/2 Cup Plain Greek Yogurt (or sour cream)
  • 2 Tsps. Sambre Oelek Chili Sauce
  1. Preheat oven to 400 Degrees

  2. Combine the tuna and spices and herbs together, then add the onion and celery. Add the chili sauce, egg, and mustard, mix until incorporated.

  3. Add the ground grain (oats or wheat) and mix until it holds together well.

  4. Form into balls, place on a cookie sheet and bake 12-15 minutes or until crisp.

  5. Serve hot with dipping sauce and enjoy!


References:

Chili Peppers, Curcumins, and Prebiotics in Gastrointestinal Health and Disease – PubMed (nih.gov)

Patcharatrakul T, Gonlachanvit S. Chili Peppers, Curcumins, and Prebiotics in Gastrointestinal Health and Disease. Curr Gastroenterol Rep. 2016 Apr;18(4):19. doi: 10.1007/s11894-016-0494-0. PMID: 26973345.

The effects of Anethum graveolens (dill) powder supplementation on clinical and metabolic status in patients with type 2 diabetes – PubMed (nih.gov)

Haidari F, Zakerkish M, Borazjani F, Ahmadi Angali K, Amoochi Foroushani G. The effects of Anethum graveolens (dill) powder supplementation on clinical and metabolic status in patients with type 2 diabetes. Trials. 2020 Jun 5;21(1):483. doi: 10.1186/s13063-020-04401-3. PMID: 32503652; PMCID: PMC7275438.