It is hard to believe that the last days of the summer are upon us. Pretty soon, with a chill in the air, we will be craving the butternut squash soups and oven roasts. But while we are still enjoying the sunny days and warm rides, we wanted to share with you one of our absolutely favorite salad recipes that will let you hang on to the summer a little bit longer. (And if you are lucky enough to be in the Southern hemisphere right now, this is a perfect fresh way to welcome spring).

This is not your standard mayonnaise laden tuna salad. It is the version for athletes who care about their palate as much as they care about nutrition. It is packed with crunch and spice that will have your taste buds dancing, and proteins and good fats that will fuel your performance.

And the best part? A total 20 min prep time from beginning to the end! Just to warn you: you’ll be asking for seconds.
So here it goes.

Ingredients (4 servings):

For the tuna salad:
2 pouches albacore white tuna in water, drained (net 13 ounces)
1/3 cup pecans, chopped, plus some for garnish
1/2 granny smith apple, finely diced
1/2 red onion, finely diced, plus thin round slices for garnish
2 celery stalks, finely diced
1 Tbsp sriracha sauce
2 Tbsp mayonnaise
salt
fresh-ground black pepper

For the salad:
1 package mixed spring greens and spinach (about 12 ounces)
1 large tomato, sliced
1 large avocado, sliced
16 black olives

For the dressing:
1 Tbsp honey
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup olive oil
salt
fresh ground black pepper

To prepare:
Mix all the ingredients for the tuna salad.

Combine the ingredients for the salad dressing in a small jar. Close the lid
and shake well.

Toss the salad greens with half of the dressing and divide between four plates.
(You can reserve the other half for another salad. If you like more dressing on
your salad, you can also add more, to taste.)

Divide the tomato and avocado slices between the plates. With an ice cream scoop,
put two generous balls of the tuna salad on top of the greens.

Top with the olives, red onion slices, and the pecans reserved for garnish.
Bon appétit!