Garlic Pesto Tuna (What I Eat When I Eat Alone, Part 1)

I recently read What We Eat When We Eat Alone by husband and wife team Deborah Madison and Patrick McFarlin. If you haven’t heard about it, definitely watch this youtube video promo here.  The premise of the book was to figure out what people eat when they only have to cook for themselves – they may be single or rather when their usual partner(s) in crime are away.

It was an interesting glimpse into how people indulge while treating themselves, or rather how they don’t treat themselves while alone. Some forage through the fridge and whip up a simple dish and others scout out foods their partners usually do not like. Others spend that extra mile to make a dish they know they will love. Everyone has a different relationship with food.

There are recipes sprinkled throughout the book, as people shared their solo suppers, and I thought it would be fun to share some of my own guilty pleasures that I love to eat when dining solo.  I was surprised at the responses in the book, but mine are equally as varied, depending on my mood, energy and taste.

I suppose my guiltiest pleasures were cultivated while in university, when I really had to learn how to cook for myself. The best recipes stood the test of time and this one is a keeper. Originally found as a sandwich recipe on Allrecipes.com, I have converted it to a dip. It is a savoury tuna salad sandwich deconstructed, with tuna, mustard, pesto and garlic. I serve it with cucumbers, carrots, pita wedges, etc, or if no one is watching, I may just eat it with a spoon. 🙂

Garlic Pesto Tuna

1 (6 ounce) can tuna in water, drained
1 tbsp mayonnaise
1/2 tbsp prepared mustard
1 tbsp pesto (this version used sun-dried tomato pesto)
1 cloves garlic, minced or pressed

1. In a medium bowl, mix together tuna, mayonnaise, mustard, pesto, and garlic.

Serves 4.