Tuna Chickpea Pantry Salad

I am continuing my quest for more summer salads.  One salad that I eat a lot for lunch is this Green Goddess Salad with Tuna.  I've changed it up recently now with the addition of beans and this recipe has an easier salad dressing of just olive oil and lemon juice so it's super easy.  I love a tuna salad for lunch or any salad with chicken breast which can be easily substituted in both these recipes.  This tuna chickpea salad is another recipe from Hannah Freese, RD  and Bruce loves it as much as I do.   I like adding it to a bed of lettuce because the salad dressing tastes good with lettuce, too.  I generally don't drain the can of tuna so I get lots of juice in the mixture.  That allows extra liquid for the salad dressing so there is plenty for the lettuce, too.  Hannah's recipes are all part of my "anti-inflammatory diet".  I really got to test it out these past few weeks because I had my second total knee replacement on May 11th.  I didn't really think about Hannah's diet that much until the third home health person who visited me for physical therapy repeated what the first two people had said and that was "Oh, your swelling looks very low to moderate so that's really good to see."  It suddenly dawned on me, could it maybe be the diet?  Then I started really thinking about it and the pain is so much less this time around.  That's because my swelling is less: swelling = pain.  That's why after a total knee replacement, people are immediately put on an anti-inflammatory medication and they tell you to ice your knee three times daily which I'm also doing.  I'm on a milder pain medication this time than last time, too.  They told me to take the oxycodone for severe pain and the tramadol for mild to moderate pain so tramadol is what I'm taking since I've never had severe pain.  I am keeping my hopes up that I continue to do well this time around but really, this time hardly even seems like the same surgery because everything is going so much easier.  I am VERY happy about that!  The other difference from this surgery from my last surgery (in August 2019) is that prior to this surgery, every week I was doing Pilates, yoga and swimming.  The exercising has put me in a lot better physical condition to be able to deal with a major surgery of this type and I am definitely feeling the difference.  I am less drugged up and have better mobility, for sure. My physical therapy exercises are a lot easier and I've ditched the walker and cane sooner and am now walking without a limp already.  Bruce and I have free memberships to the YMCA from Medicare's Silver and Fit program which is a big benefit of turning 65 if you get a supplement with your Medicare.  Bruce will drop me off at my P.T. appointment which is across the street from the YMCA and he will go work out while I do my P.T.  I'm scheduled to resume my weekly Pilates appointments after four weeks post surgery once the incision heals so I'm looking forward to going back.  Once the incision heals, then I can also start swimming again and somewhere around that time, I'll start yoga.  So, if anybody asks what I'm doing in my retirement years, well, I'm trying to stay physically fit with this old, aging body of two artificial knees and one artifical hip.  It's like Hannah's diet, it takes practice to develop new habits and ever since my hip replacement in February 2019, I've been working on new physical habits, too.  Remember my New Year's Resolution?   This is my Year of Reformation.  Between Hannah's diet, enduring three joint replacement surgeries and now having a free YMCA membership, this old body is going through a total reformation.  It has not been an easy journey and I could never have done it on my own.  There have been people helping me along the way and I will be forever indebted to them.  Sometimes I wonder if the stars have somehow aligned just right for me to have such influential people coming into my life just when I needed them to get me through all of this.  I will never take this good fortune for granted.  Hannah Freese, RD is one of the people who had a lot to do with it.  I will be following her eating plan for the rest of my life because the change I've felt has been amazing and I have no intention of stopping.  I will keep sharing her recipes with you and I hope you enjoy them as much as I do and I also hope that they make you feel as good as they make me feel. 

Makes 4 servings

1/4 cup olive oil

1 lemon, zest and juice

1/4 tsp. sea salt

2 cups chickpeas (garbanzo beans), cooked

1 can tuna

5 stalks green onion, chopped or 1/2 cup sweet onion, chopped

1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped

1.  In a large mixing bowl, whisk olive oil, lemon zest, lemon juice, and salt.  

2.  Fold in garbanzo beans, tuna, onions, and parsley.  

3.  Season with additional salt or lemon juice, if needed.

You may also add dried or fresh dill, minced garlic, red chili flakes or freshly ground black pepper to taste.