If you have a can of tuna,

the possibilities are endless. I've been thinking of writing a post on fallback, pantry meals you can whip up in a pinch, but I'm having trouble getting my list together. So I think I'll just post the ideas as they come to me.

Today I was reminded of the wonders of a can of good tuna (please not the gray, catfood stuff). It does not have to always turn into boring mayonnaise-tuna salad, though that's not half-bad, especially on top of a baked potato with some corn. Sounds strange, I know, but I ate tons of these when studying abroad in Scotland. And baked potatoes, well, they deserve their own post because recently I've made many a delicious meal out of odds and ends in the fridge piled on top of a baked potato.

My "tuna turnaround" today centered on white beans and wheat berries, both super pantry staples. I've gotten in the habit of cooking lots of different kinds of dry beans in mass quantities, then freezing them for later use.

To the tuna, wheat berries and white beans I added some shredded carrots, diced onion, diced cucumbers, chopped tomato, feta, chives, and a little salad dressing.

YUM.

The wonderful thing about this kind of tuna salad is that it doesn't depend on all of these ingredients. Many could be swapped out for other kinds of grains and veggies. I think chickpeas would work well, too, if you don't have white beans handy.

For a hot dish, you could always mix your handy can of tuna with some marinara, throw in some green or black olives, and whatever "pasta cheese" you have on hand and presto, there's dinner!

I'm sure there are many other avenues you could take with a can of tuna, but now my appetite is getting the best of me, so this post will have to end. Now.