Good morning. If you’re looking for something easy & light between heavy holiday meals, consider prepping a deli style salad (tuna, chicken, egg) for lunches this week. High protein, pantry friendly, and you might not even need to use the stove.

RECIPE BREAKDOWN🤯

Deli salads

Deli salads hit the sweet spot of protein + crunch + creaminess + acidity. They’re endlessly adaptable, keep well in the fridge, and work for sandwiches, pitas, wraps, crackers, or lettuce cups.

• You can either cook a protein (poach chicken or boil eggs), or just use canned options (tuna, chicken, even salmon!) or shred a rotisserie chicken if you want to avoid turning on the stove entirely.

The formula

• Protein base (2–3 parts): chicken, canned tuna/salmon, hard-boiled eggs, or even chickpeas

• Crunchy aromatics (1 part): diced celery, onion, scallions, or pickles for freshness and bite

• Creamy binder (½ part): mayo, yogurt, mustard — adjust for richness and tang as desired

• Flavor adjusters: salt, pepper, lemon juice or vinegar, plus spices to shift the profile

• Optional add-ins: fresh herbs, fruit, nuts, avocado, crunchy veg, or dried fruit

To see this in action, we made a video on tuna salad following this framework.

Pro move: Make a double batch and season in stages — the base salad can stay classic, while a portion gets transformed with curry powder, dill and lemon, or apple and walnuts for variety through the week.

Want an exact recipe? Check out a couple examples on Cook Well:

• Standard Chicken Salad

• Standard Egg Salad

RECIPE RECOMMENDATIONS ✅

Pasta salads

An alternative to deli salads are pasta salads. Another great option for easy meals where you can toss in almost any ingredient you’re trying to clean out of the fridge. And leftovers work great all week, even cold. Check out our collection below:

READER Q&A 🧠

Garlic powder storage tips

Answer: Garlic powder tends to clump because it absorbs moisture from the air, becoming sticky and binding together. There are a few different things you can do to help avoid this:

1. Start by keeping it in a cool, dry airtight container, away from heat sources, steam & light

2. Add a few uncooked rice grains to help absorb excess moisture

3. For longer storage, you can toss it in the refrigerator or freezer.

If it has already clumped into a solid block, you can break it up by grating it with a microplane, crushing it in a mortar and pestle, or using a spice grinder. Once loosened, sift it through a fine mesh strainer to return it to a smooth, powdery texture.

But the easiest way to keep your garlic powder fresh is to just use it frequently. The frequent motion will keep it from going stale. Like all spices, it's better practice to purchase smaller containers so you can use it before it loses potency or hardens!

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WINNING READER SUBMISSION 🏆

Tikka masala salad

This week’s dinner winner is David B., who made chicken tikka masala & served it over a bed of rice and greens!

Reply with your best home-cooked food photos for a chance to win & be featured!

EXTRA HELPINGS 🍽️

A read: Consider the crunchwrap

In a minute or less: Pickled veggies

What we’re watching: How Taco Bell keeps people obsessed

Food science: Chicken breast mistakes

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