Tuna Melt Bites

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Before the holidays, I found myself with a little bit oftime off. And despite my long to do list and ambitious plans of what I’d getdone, I did little more than hang out around the house and make cookies. Whatwas most difficult about being home during the week, however, was lunch. I amnot normally much of a lunch planner. Either I have a Slimfast shake (when I’mbeing good) or go out around my office (when I’m not). At home on the weekends,the husband and I usually have a late breakfast and a somewhat early dinner andskip lunch altogether. Thus, our house is not exactly the haven of lunch-typefoods. So I stuck my head in our overstuffed pantry to see what I could makeand heard the stack of canned tuna calling my name.
I’ve always been a fan of canned tuna, by my aforementionedhusband is not. So, a few cans have been sitting, abandoned, in my pantry forawhile now. I pulled one out and decided to make an impromptu tuna salad basedon what I had around the kitchen. It turned out really tasty! And since Ididn’t want to just eat the tuna salad cold, I decided to use up some ciabatta(my favorite kind of baguette) and make little mini tuna melts. They were soeasy, made with on-hand ingredients, and filled me up.

1 can Tuna in water, drained1 celery stalk, diced small2 Tbsps red onion, diced small1 pickle spear, diced small1 ½ Tbsp mayonnaise1 Tsp Dijon mustardPinch of salt1/8 Tsp cayenne (optional)1 Tbsp fresh dill (optionalA few slices of BaguetteSliced cheddar
It’s really simple. Preheat the oven to 400, then just mixthe ingredients together. If it seems like it needs a little more mayo to holdeverything together, just add it. Taste and add salt (or any other spice) asneeded. I tried adding a little Italian spice mix to it once and didn’t likethe way it turned out. But dill was great, and even a little lemon juice addssome brightness.
Once you have the salad made, spoon it out onto your slicesof baguette. Try to balance the bread and tuna ratio. Top with a slice of cheese.I used cheddar but use any kind you like (pepperjack, maybe?). Then bake forabout 10 minutes. Keep an eye on it. You want the cheese to melt and get alittle bubbly without burning, and the bread should get a little crunchy butstill soft in the middle. And that’s it! A nice, simple but delicious lunch,even for the most lunch-challenged people among us.