It’s no secret that I spend way too much time in the grocery, but it wasn’t until one day this year when I realized that for too long I had been walking by the cutest-looking, tastiest, and most kid-friendly bread. Mini pumpernickel can be found in the bread section of your grocery, and since the slices are small in size, they’re perfect for little hands and lunch boxes (and great for parents trying to control their portion size).
The other great thing about pumpernickel is that it keeps fresh in the refrigerator longer than most other breads, so once you have it on hand you can make this sandwich anytime. The rest of the ingredients are probably already in your pantry, so throwing these together for lunch should be a breeze.
One 5-ounce can tuna (I prefer light or chunk white tuna packed in water), drained
1 celery stalk, chopped fine
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon mayonnaise or Vegenaise
8 slices mini pumpernickel bread (or cocktail pumpernickel bread)
4 slices Cheddar cheese
1. Preheat a panini press.
2. To make the tuna salad, combine the tuna, celery, mustard, and mayonnaise in a bowl.
3. Place a quarter of the tuna salad on each of 4 slices of bread.
4. Top each chunk of tuna salad with a slice of Cheddar cheese and close the sandwich with another slice of bread.
5. Cook the sandwiches in the panini press for 3 minutes on medium heat (or in a sauté pan for 2 minutes on each side), until toasted and golden.