Tuna/Chicken Macaroni Salad

One of my all time favorites when I was a kid was this Tuna Macaroni salad, it was easy to make and easy to eat, very portable for camping, picnics work or school lunches, etc. The version I make now is a bit classier than the cheaper canned flaked tuna version I ate when I was a kid, but it's still great to have on hand on a hot day, cool but satisfying. Load it up with crunchy veggies, even a chopped dill pickle or two! If your child doesn't like tuna, use diced, cooked breast of chicken, or canned chicken, or bits of deli sliced chicken.

Tuna Macaroni Salad

500 gram package of Elbow Macaroni, or other small macaroni shape
2-7 ounce tins of Solid white Tuna
2 stalks celery, cleaned and diced small
4 green onions, sliced diagonal, reserve onion tops for garnish if desired
4-6 small radishes, quartered, or diced dill pickle
1-1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cracked black pepper
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon fresh dill, sliced into 1/2 inch bits
Or 1/2 teaspoon dried dill
1 cup mayonaise
1/2 cup miracle whip
Or
1 cup mayonaise
1/2 cup cucumber salad dressing

In a large pot bring 8 cups of water and 2 teaspoons of salt to boil, cook pasta until tender but with a little bit of bite, drain well, then rinse in cold water to stop the cooking process and to cool the pasta. While the pasta is cooking wash and cut the veggies, put into a large bowl, add the herbs and seasoning,lemon juice, tuna, broken up into little chunks, the mayonaise and miracle whip (or cucumber dressing if using), mix all well. Let sit for 15 minutes to allow the pasta to drain off, then mix the two together, mix well, cover and refridgerate. This salad may need a bit more dressing, depending on how cold the macaroni is when mixing it up, (warm macaroni will absorb quite a bit of dressing), so be sure the pasta is quite cold when mixing with the tuna. refridgerate at least an hour before serving. You may also add a couple of sliced hard boiled eggs to the top of this salad to improve the protein content.