I am currently on a high protein low carb diet, but even in that i have decided to let go of all fatty foods such as mayo... i have a busy schedule and cannot cook food everyday. Tuna, thus, is the easiest and most convenient protein item... but without mayo it seems too bland to me... any suggestions to make the tuna taste better quickly or other high protein quick foods?
I use hot and sweet mustard in my tuna. Or lowfat parmesan ranch dressing from Trader Joes. Or honey mustard salad dressing, or my personal favorite, tzatziki.
Mayo doesn't add any flavor for me...I like flavored things much better.
Disclaimer: I havent tried it on my tuna yet but it tasted somewhat acceptable (as in no other option) on the knife
Have you heard of Walden Farms? they make a lot of dressings and sauces that they say are 0 carb 0 sugar 0 fat....0 calorie even. So i bought a jar of their Fat free Carb free mayo last shopping trip. I haven't really had a chance to experiment with it yet, but I'll just throw it out there, maybe this can be your "training wheels" for cutting mayo out completely.
Personally not a major fan of mayo anyway, but I like it now and then. I usually do versions of what the other ladies have mentioned above. I love mustard. Especially whole grain mustard. So much flavor!!
If you're eating low-carb, be careful of going too low-fat. Very low-fat and very low-carb can be a bad combination. You don't need a lot of fat, but you do need some.
That being said, I make tuna and other canned fish in a lot of ways, with and without mayo.
With mayo - I use Hellman's canola or olive oil mayo (45 and 50 calories respectively). I sometimes thin it further with about a tablespoon of water or skim milk.
Sloppy Tuna - (a sloppy joe made with a can of albacore tuna or canned chicken) - sounds gross, tastes great. Albacore tuna and low-carb barbecue sauce (or low-carb ketchup with a bit of Splenda, dash of vinegar and a smidge of mustard), a bit of diced green onion or dried onion. Surprisingly it tastes almost the same whether you use canned chicken or albacore tuna (I haven't tried it with other more fishier tuna).
I also like tuna with a vinegar and oil-based dressing. I use splenda and rice vinegar, salt and pepper and a bit of onion or garlic powder (rice vinegar or rice wine vinegar is so much milder than regular vinegar that little or no oil is needed).
If you like curry and have an asian grocery nearby, you may be able to find "Smiling Fish" canned fish. I love their sardines in curry sauces. Very good hot or cold (but you've got ot check the label, some of the sauces aren't low-carb).
I'll sometimes boil 6 to 8 eggs, to have for a few days. I don't usually peel them until I need them (unless I make deviled eggs). Mashing eggs with low-carb, low-cal ranch dressing makes a nice egg salad (it's also a good dressing for tuna salad in place of the mayo). An oil and vinegar dressing also works with eggs.
I buy low-sodium deli meats (and look for the ones that are obviously whole meat, not mashed and formed like bologna). I spread the deli meat with plain or flavored cream cheese or neufchatel (the low-fat cream cheese), then a bit of pickle or raw veggie (bell pepper and green onion is my favorite combo) for crunch in the center and roll them up.
This is such an awesome thread. I actually just bought some mustard last night called "Sweet with Heat" - going to have to try this in my Tuna for sure!
I buy tuna that is packed in olive oil (Genova is the brand) and when I'm pressed for time I eat it straight out of the can (i do drain it first). Or just dump it on top of a salad. I love love love this tuna.
Tuna without mayo???
