Tuna Salad

All my bags are packed I'm ready to go.... Just that I won't take the jet plane I will take my car for a long drive tomorrow. Maybe ...on the road again... will be more fitting.

I like long distance drives. During holidays we used to drive all over Europe when I was small. We packed the tent & everything else in the car an off we were. But like most children I would nag my parents soon after we left with the question... how much longer do we have to drive??... This changed once I started driving on my own. Nowadays I prefer to stay in a hotel instead of sleeping on the floor of a tent but I still like the long drives. This time my destination is Murudeshwar.

But what I don't like very much is the food you get in places along the highway and it doesn't matter if it is along a highway in India or anywhere else on the planet. Most highway food is barely edible.

As a result of this I pack a lunch box with some sandwiches, fruits and salad to take along with me. Besides eating nice food I have the liberty to stop anywhere where I have a nice view or scenery, unpack my lunch box and have a feast. As I am not very fond of plain water I also pack bottles of Iced Tea.

There are a few aspects you need consider when you are packing lunch boxes for such a trip. First, what ever you put on your sandwiches should not be too moist otherwise they get soggy. Also don't stuff them too much as it will be difficult to eat and you don't want to end up messy in the middle of nowhere without running water to clean yourself. I like to cut the sandwiches in small potions similar to the ones you would serve for a High Tea.

I also cut the fruit into bite size pieces and pack them in an airtight container. Good fruits to pack are apples, pears, pineapple, whole strawberries or bananas but these should be packed as whole with their peel on. If you prefer vegetables carrots and bell peppers are a good option. Just stay away from anything that is too juicy. It will only get you messed up.

Salad dressings should not be too liquid for the same reason. If you like lettuce in your salad pack the salad and the dressing separate. Otherwise your lettuce will look like it has been boiled. I good choice are salads which have a creamy thick dressing, can be easily pre-mixed and be eaten with a spoon or fork but do not require a knife like pasta, rice, potato or tuna salad.

This afternoon I already hard boiled 2 eggs. I boiled them in advance that they can cool down completely before I cut them in slices for the salad.

I cut ½ onion into small dices. Take 1 tomato, cut it into slices and de-seed it. I drain the liquid from one can of tuna in water. I prefer tuna in water to tuna in oil as the taste of the oil often covers the taste of the tuna. Plus don't like food which is very oily.

I put the tuna into one corner of my box. In the other corner I put the tomato and egg slices. The onions go in the middle.

For the dressing I mix 1 teaspoon mustard, 1 tablespoon mayonnaise, pepper, salt, 3 tablespoons orange juice and milk together until I have a creamy dressing which I pour over the salad. If you like to you can mix all ingredients of the salad together and put it than into a container. This is especially advisable if you make several portions of the salad.

I pack a few slices of crispy bread to have with it.

For this trip I decided to have some lemon and orange-cinnamon iced tea. For the Lemon Iced Tea I make a big pot of green tea. Once I strained it I cut 1-2 lemon into slices and add it to the warm tea. I just let it cool down like this and keep it over night in the fridge. In the morning I strain it again to remove the lemon and fill it into a flask that it stays cool. If you like your tea sweeter just add a tablespoon honey to it.

For the Orange-Cinnamon Iced Tea I cook a big pot of black tea. After straining it I add 1 orange cut into slices and 1 cinnamon stick. I let it cool down and store it overnight in the fridge. As with the Lemon Iced Tea I strain the tea to get rid of the orange and cinnamon and than fill it into a flask.

To complete my lunch treat I take my isolated bag. On the bottom I put some cool packs which I stored overnight in the freezer. These will keep my lunch fresh. In goes my box with the tuna salad, the zip lock bag with the crisp bread, a box of apples cut into pieces, fork, spoon, knife, a plastic cup that can be re-used, a pack of paper napkins, the 2 flasks of iced tea, an empty plastic bag for any garbage and 2 candy bars for my sweet tooth.

All set to hit the road.

Enjoy and have fun in the kitchen!

Love

Carola