When the food budget gets tight, it's tuna recipes to

When the food budget gets tight, it's tuna recipes to the rescue!

I think almost every Mom stocks up on tuna when it's on sale, because tuna is always a good, inexpensive backup staple for the cupboard. While the standard tuna and mayo sandwiches and tuna on toast with white sauce are quick and inexpensive, these dishes wear out their welcome quickly in the lunch bag and at the family table with too many encore appearances. Here we offer some more imaginative ways to put tuna to good use, with no complaints!

You may have noticed that tuna comes in three basic forms in the canned section. 'Grated chunk' tuna, packed either in oil or water, and albacore. Although albacore tuna is a bit more costly, it's greatly superior to the grated chunk form and enhances transforms tuna recipes to a new level. The texture and firmness of albacore tuna is much like chicken. Also, you want to buy the tuna that's packed in water, to avoid that oily taste. Water packed tuna has fewer calories as well. In the fish market, fresh tuna adds yet another possibility to your menus it's great broiled, grilled or microwaved.

Let's start with some gourmet tuna recipes for sandwiches. For a quick family-sized lunch or dinner dish, start with a loaf of fresh French bread, sliced lengthwise. Brush with melted butter, or olive oil and minced garlic. Finely dice one large tomato and one small red onion, then distribute the mixture over the bottom half of the bread. Broil lightly, then set aside while you prepare the tuna. Flake the tuna into a medium bowl. Snip fresh parsley leaves and add. Add one can of drained, sliced black olives to the bowl. Add just enough mayonnaise to moisten the mixture. Cut the bread into sandwich sized portions, pile the tuna on the bottom half, topped with shaved Parmesan. Broil the bottom half just until the cheese melts. Pull them out of the broiler, top with the upper halves of the bread and serve.

Another variation on this sandwich is to mix all of the sandwich ingredients (including the tomato, onion, cheese and garlic) in a bowl. Warm flour tortillas lightly, then lay a single crispy leaf of lettuce down the middle of the tortilla. Top the lettuce with the tuna mixture and roll it up. You can substitute Cheddar for the Parmesan and add a little salsa just before you roll it up, for a south of the border style tuna recipe.

Now, for a delicious dinner time tuna recipe, here's a tuna casserole that was quite popular in the 1950s at least at my house! My Mom created her own special version that I still have not tired of. It's quick, inexpensive and filling, as well as delicious. Boil about half a package of egg noodles and drain. In a large bowl, combine the noodles with 2 cans of cream of mushroom soup (undiluted), a cup of milk, two cans of albacore, drained, 3-4 sliced fresh mushrooms, one stalk of finely sliced celery, a couple of sliced green onions, including the greens and just a pinch of cayenne pepper. Mix thoroughly. Butter a 2-quart baking dish and spoon in the tuna-noodle mixture. Crush a small bag of potato chips in a plastic bag and distribute evenly over the casserole. Bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes, or until warmed through. Serve with a small dinner salad and French bread. This tuna recipe serves a family of six generously!

Grilled, fresh tuna recipes are among the easiest to prepare. You can use a commercial marinade (don't marinate longer than 15 minutes) or grill it plain. Serve with melted butter and a couple of thin slices of lemon on top. Alternatively, salsa makes a great sauce, right out of the jar.

As you can see, tuna recipes don't have to be boring. In fact, your family will think they're getting a treat!