Tuna Melt

Yesterday was dreary and rainy. To make matters worse, I had a sick(ish) kid at home. It was a day that made me want a hot cup of tea on my sofa with a blanket and a book. But since there was no time for curling up on the couch, I moved on to the next best thing: comfort food.

After tomato soup, I think a good old fashioned tuna melt sandwich tops my list. Crispy buttered and grilled wheat bread, peppered tuna with the crunch of celery and onions, gooey melted cheddar jack cheese… Mmmmmmmmmm.

I make my tuna melt sandwiches just like I make a grilled cheese- in a hot cast iron skillet with butter and a shredded cheddar jack blend.

Topped with shredded iceberg lettuce and a meaty red slice of tomato, this sandwich was the cure for my rainy day kid-with-a-cough blues.

Tuna Melt

Ingredients

1 large (12 ounce) can of tuna in water, drained and flaked

1/4 cup diced onion

1/4 cup diced celery

salt & pepper to taste

about 3 tablespoons of lowfat mayonnaise (nothing makes tuna salad better than Dukes- and they don’t even pay me to say that.)

1/2 cup shredded cheddar jack cheese, divided evenly between the sandwiches

8 slices of whole wheat bread

butter for grilling the bread

sandwich toppings of your choice (lettuce, tomatoes, pickles, etc)

To Make

In a medium sized bowl, using a fork, stir together the tuna, onions, and celery. Add the salt and pepper (I go heavy on the pepper and barely use any salt– canned tuna is a bit salty anyway) and then stir in the mayonnaise. ***Note: this is how I make my tuna fish salad. Make yours however you like it best!*** Set the tuna salad aside. In a large skillet, melt a little butter. place two slices of bread in the melted butter over medium to medium high heat. Spread a quarter of the tuna salad on one slice of the bread and then sprinkle with a quarter of the cheese. When the bread is grilled to a toasty brown, put your sandwich toppings on top of the melted cheese. Place the other grilled slice of bread on top, grilled side up.