Spicy Tuna Wrap

I was beginning to feel like it was time again to share one of my little culinary creations.  I've been working on improving my running stamina (usually with the encouraging presence of a cheerful yellow labrador by my side).  Often I come back from these steadily more strenuous runs around lunch time, notably hungry from the effort.  The following recipe was developed to answer that hunger without undoing all the good I'd done with a fast, unhealthy snack.

A quick note for those who don't like (or think they don't like) tuna: growing up, I hated the look and smell of tuna (notably, it didn't help that my dad would mix it up with five others things I didn't like).  As an adult becoming more conscious of nutrition and healthy choices, I recognized it's value as a quick and easy way to get proteins and good fats into your diet.

As such, I set out to develop a recipe that combatted my distaste for tuna, giving birth to the following tuna concoction.  I was more than pleased with what I came up with as it has turned out to be pretty tasty.

You will need the following for the tuna mixture:

-5oz can of tuna (once drained it's really just 4oz)

-Grey Poupon mustard (or your favorite yellow or spicy mustard)

-Paprika

-Crushed red pepper

-Ground cayenne pepper (optional)

-Cheese (not pictured, because I won't be using it, and also optional; I'd recommend provolone or a shredded mexican blend, though)

Drain the tuna and place it in a bowl.  You should add the spices to your taste, but I recommend a few teaspoons of paprika, a couple shakes of crushed red pepper, and a little pinch of the ground cayenne.  Mix those into the tuna and then add one to two tablespoons of mustard and mix.  I love Grey Poupon for the taste and the nostalgia, but I'm pretty sure this would be tasty with a nice helping of any kind of mustard (maybe even honey mustard…  Sounds like a nice experiment for another day).

You can leave this cold, heat it up in a pan, or zap it in the microwave--depends on your preference.  From here, you either have a tasty snack with crackers (like Wheat Thins) or you can pull together a tasty wrap.

For my regular wrap you will need the additional following:

-Your favorite whole grain wrap

-Baby spinach

Lay down a thick layer of baby spinach along the center of your wrap:

Fork your tuna mixture over the spinach.

And wrap!

It's delicious AND nutritious.  I will tell you how nutritious it is!

We found the tortillas I use for wraps at Trader Joes and they're great.  They're whole grain, only 100 calories per tortilla, have no trans fats, and give you 27% of your daily recommended amount dietary fiber.

All of that spinach amounts to about 15 total calories, another 6% towards dietary fiber, a little protein, and lots of spiffy vitamins.

The tuna, which clocks in at about 120 calories, gives you 13 grams of protein, and almost no fat at all.  Tuna is also a great source of Omega-3 fatty acids.

The mustard comes in at an almost negligible 20 calories.  If you did go with a spicier mustard, you probably got a fair little dose of sodium, though.

The spices add big flavor and pretty much no nutritional value either way which is great.

So, all told, this filling wrap gives you:

-About 255 calories

-9 grams of dietary fiber (33% of your recommended daily amount)

-About 15 grams of protein

-Less than 7 grams of fat (NO trans fats)

-And a fair smattering of healthy vitamins and minerals

If you melted some cheese into your tuna, you would of course need to add some calories (~98 cal. for a slice of provolone; ~90 cal for a quarter cup of reduced fat mexican blend shredded cheese) and fat (around 8 grams for both).  Also approximately 21% of your daily recommended calcium :)