The Shopper Kitchen: Spring is a great time to lighten up

By Angela McRae, The Shopper Kitchen

Something about the arrival of spring makes us want to eat lighter foods, doesn’t it? With
warmer days, we’re no longer craving the soups, stews, and casseroles that warm body and
soul during cooler months, and frankly, it makes us feel virtuous to lighten up.

Some of you have been asking, so let me just put this out there: Yes, I’ve lost weight—35

I’ve been eating less food, focusing like a laser on whether my body is truly hungry before I
stop to eat, and for the past couple of years, I’ve also been getting out from behind the
computer and walking a mile-plus each day. It’s boring, slow, and works for me. I have good
friends who’ve also lost weight through surgery, special nutrition programs, rigorous
exercise, and other means, and I salute them all. Losing weight is hard, and keeping it off is
harder.

I don’t have “forbidden foods,” but I can honestly say that I can’t remember the last time I
ate a french fry, although I certainly would have if I had wanted one and was hungry for it.

My eating habits have changed, hopefully for the better. For months now, I’ve been enjoying
an amazing variety of great low-fat and fat-free yogurts—with a few tablespoons of dry
cereal sprinkled on top—as a treat when I’m craving something sweet. My current favorite is
a mango-flavored Greek nonfat yogurt.

Now that spring is here, I’m also revisiting some lighter recipe favorites from my files,
including this Waldorf Tuna Salad based on one I found in an old restaurant cookbook from
Minnesota. I made a few tweaks to the recipe, and it’s a simple, satisfying tuna salad that can
be served by the scoop on lettuce leaves or as a filling for sandwiches. I tried it on whole-
wheat pita bread and absolutely loved it.

As you might guess, the “Waldorf” in the name comes from New York’s Waldorf-Astoria
Hotel. According to kitchenproject.com, a maître d’ at the hotel, Oscar Tschirky, created the
salad, which originally contained only apples, celery, and mayonnaise, with chopped walnuts
added later. If those flavors appeal to you, so will this light and delicious tuna salad.

Waldorf Tuna Salad Sandwiches
2 (5-ounce) cans white tuna in water, drained
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup apple, unpeeled, chopped fine
1/3 cup mayonnaise, or to taste
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/4 cup finely chopped celery
4 croissants or pita breads

Toss first six ingredients together in a large mixing bowl until combined well. For
sandwiches, serve on croissants or pita breads. And please note that while I have no objection
to using low-fat and/or store-brand mayonnaise, someone else at my house believes that on
the eighth day, God created Duke’s Mayonnaise. As small as the amount of mayo is in this
recipe, I think any mayonnaise will be fine.