Tuna Pan Bagnat

If you tire of making the same old tuna sandwiches (and I'm betting you're making them with icky mayonnaise), consider trying this very healthy and delicious spin on the tuna sandwich. Pan bagnat (bahn-YAH) is a favorite in southern France and translates to 'bathed bread.' The bread in this sandwich is meant to absorb a bit of liquid from the filling so you can easily make this ahead of time. It's important to use good quality ingredients, so make sure all your produce is super fresh. If you can get olives from an olive bar, those are a better choice than canned ones. Serve with pasta salad, potato salad or baked chips.

Tuna Pan Bagnat

1/3 cup finely chopped red onion

2 tbsp. chopped, pitted niçoise olives

1 tbsp. fresh lemon juice

¼ tsp. kosher salt

¼ tsp. freshly ground black pepper

1 (6 oz.) can premium tuna, packed in oil, drained

1 hard cooked large egg, chopped

¼ cup julienned fresh basil

2 tsp. extra virgin olive oil

1 (8 oz.) whole wheat French bread baguette

1 garlic clove, halved

1 cup thinly sliced plum tomato (about 1)

Combine the first 7 ingredients in a medium bowl. Combine the basil and oil; stir with a whisk. Cut the bread in half horizontally. Hollow out the top and bottom halves of the bread, leaving a 1" thick shell; reserve the torn bread for another use (like homemade croutons!).

Rub the cut sides of the garlic cloves over the cut sides of the bread; discard the garlic. Drizzle the basil mixture evenly over the cut sides of the bread.

Spoon the tuna mixture on the bottom half of the baguette. Arrange the tomato slices over the tuna mixture. Cover with the top half of the baguette. Wrap the filled baguette in plastic wrap (or aluminum foil) and let stand for 20 minutes. Cut the filled baguette into 4 (3 inch) equal portions or cut in half if serving 2.

Serves 2 to 4