Tuna and White Bean Lettuce Wraps -- The Approvals Are the Recipe

The week after meeting James. I have been thinking about him. I told Eduardo Tuesday at dinner, "Eduardo, James was a good answer." Eduardo said, "Carmen, I agree." I said, "Eduardo, do you want him for David?" Eduardo said, "Carmen, yes." I said, "Eduardo, why?" Eduardo said, "Carmen, because David has been alone since he was twenty. He has not been allowed to be unalone. And James does not seem to be afraid of David's alone." I said, "Eduardo, where did you learn this?" He said, "Carmen, I have a son. I have watched him." I had not heard Eduardo talk about David this way. Eduardo had been watching all this time and not telling me. The way Eduardo loves: quietly, with attention, without commentary.

Tuesday food bank: pollo asado. Mr. Patterson chopped. Brian announced the satellite plan publicly to the food bank board. The board approved. Tamika emailed me the contract Tuesday afternoon. I read it. It said: Carmen Delgado-Ortiz will serve as Curriculum Director and Lead Trainer for La Cocina de Consuelo, with responsibility for instructor training, program design, and oversight. Stipend: $400 per month, beginning July 1, 2025. I said to Eduardo, "Eduardo, I am being paid." He said, "Carmen, finally." I said, "Eduardo, I should not be paid. The food is not paid. I have been clear about this." He said, "Carmen, the program is paid. The training is paid. You can give your stipend back to the program if you want. But the contract requires the stipend." I called Tamika. She said, "Carmen, the city cannot have you on contract for free. The stipend is structural." I said, "Tamika, then I will donate the stipend back to fund the kitchen supplies for satellite locations." She said, "Carmen, that is allowed." We did it that way. I am paid four hundred dollars a month and the four hundred dollars goes back into the program. Everyone is happy.

Wednesday Mami had her best day in three weeks. She sat up and asked for arroz con pollo. I made it. She ate a full plate. She said, "Carmen, you have made the right amount of saffron today. Usually too much. Today correct." I wrote it down. She said, "Carmen, do not write down the criticisms. Write down the approvals. The approvals are the recipe." I had not thought of that. I added a note to the front of the notebook: This is a record of approvals. Approvals are the destination.

Thursday I called David. I said, "Mijo, James is good." David said, "Ma, I know." I said, "Mijo, do not lose him." He said, "Ma, you said this last weekend." I said, "Mijo, I am saying it again. The repetition is the love." Wepa.

Mami’s best day in three weeks came back to me while I was thinking about what to share alongside this story. She asked for arroz con pollo, and I made it, and she approved the saffron for once—and then she told me the approvals are the recipe. I keep thinking about that. On the days in between her good days, when I needed something honest and simple and quick to put on the table, these tuna and white bean lettuce wraps were what I reached for—clean, nourishing, no ceremony required. The food bank has taught me that the simplest things, made with attention, are the ones that carry people. This is one of those.

Tuna and White Bean Lettuce Wraps

Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cook Time: 0 minutes | Total Time: 10 minutes | Servings: 4

Ingredients

• 2 cans (5 oz each) solid white albacore tuna in water, drained
• 1 can (15 oz) white cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
• 1/4 cup red onion, finely diced
• 1/4 cup celery, finely diced
• 2 tablespoons fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 8 large butter lettuce or romaine leaves, washed and dried
• 1 lemon, cut into wedges, for serving

Instructions

1. Combine the filling. In a medium bowl, flake the drained tuna with a fork. Add the rinsed white beans and gently fold them in, leaving some beans whole for texture.
2. Add the vegetables. Stir in the red onion, celery, and parsley until evenly distributed throughout the tuna and bean mixture.
3. Make the dressing. In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, Dijon mustard, salt, and pepper until emulsified.
4. Dress the filling. Pour the dressing over the tuna mixture and fold gently to coat everything evenly. Taste and adjust salt, pepper, or lemon juice as needed.
5. Assemble the wraps. Arrange the lettuce leaves on a serving platter or individual plates. Spoon a generous portion of the tuna and white bean filling into the center of each leaf.
6. Serve. Finish with lemon wedges on the side for squeezing over the top. Serve immediately.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 220 | Protein: 24g | Fat: 7g | Carbs: 16g | Fiber: 4g | Sodium: 380mg