tuna balls

Yes, we do have smoked tuna that is USA pole-and-line caught! That means tuna that is responsibly, sustainably fished. If you’re a tuna lover, you will enjoy the smoked tuna in this recipe.  Don’t do tuna? Sophie’s Vegan Toona is perfect here, too.

Sunflower seeds are a simple, old-fashioned food rich in magnesium to soothe nerves, and vitamin E to help combat UV rays and keep skin youthful. I read that eating ¼ C sunflower seeds daily can help bad cholesterol from sticking to the walls of your arteries, thus helping prevent heart attacks.

Serves 6-8                 

6 oz can/pouch smoked tuna, or vegan “toona”

 1 tsp Spike seasoning mix (salted)

2 hard-cooked, peeled eggs, or ½ C tofu

 1 clove garlic, pressed

1 Hass avocado, or 1 C mayo

 ½ tsp dried oregano

½ C hulled, toasted sunflower seeds

 ½ C hulled, toasted sunflower seeds

 

Toast sunflower seeds by stirring the entire one cup in a dry skillet a minute or two. Cool the seeds. Pulse in a food processor so they are coarsely ground. Set aside ½ C of ground sunflower seeds. [Can you buy sunflower seeds already toasted? Of course – we carry those too. I have also used, no toasting, no grinding necessary, the Linwoods brand ground sunflower and pumpkin seed mixture. You can find this excellent product in our supplement department.]

Combine all ingredients well using a potato masher or a fork, except the last ½ C sunflower seeds. Form into 20 balls and roll each in remaining seeds to coat. Refrigerate until serving. If you want to be a little fancy for company, serve each ball inside an endive or radicchio leaf.