I never understood why anyone would want to riff on the perfect, old-fashioned tuna fish salad — until I did it my way.

I started by adding onions and celery to my mom’s mayonnaise-and-lemon version; eventually I ended up with this recipe, which is about as far as you can get from a creamy tuna salad. It mixes in beans, roasted red peppers, onion, celery and Mom’s lemons, along with a healthy kick of vinegar.

Not meant to be a sandwich stuffer, it could be served as a topping for crostini, on a buffet or as an entree with mixed greens and toasted country bread.

You can make the salad a day in advance if necessary, but it’s best the day it is made. After a while, the red bell pepper becomes overpowering.

ROASTED RED PEPPER, TUNA AND BEAN SALAD

Makes 4 generous cups

7 ounces solid white tuna packed in water, drained

1 3/4 cups cooked, no-salt-added Great Northern beans (one 15.5-ounce can, drained)

2 ounces sweet onion, such as Vidalia, cut into 1/4-inch dice (1/3 cup)

1 medium rib celery, cut into 1/4-inch dice (1/3 cup)

1/2 roasted red bell pepper, seeded and cut into 1/4-inch dice (1/3 cup)

Juice of 2 lemons

2 tablespoons olive oil, or more to taste

3 tablespoons sherry vinegar, or more to taste

Salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Flake the tuna into medium-size pieces. Combine the tuna, beans, onion, celery, roasted bell pepper, lemon juice, oil, vinegar and salt and pepper to taste in a large bowl. Stir to combine.

Taste, and adjust the seasoning and/or oil as needed.

Nutrition per serving (based on 6): 160 calories, 13 g protein, 15 g carbohydrates, 5 g fat, 1 g saturated fat, 10 mg cholesterol, 170 mg sodium, 4 g dietary fiber, 1 g sugar

... THEN SPLURGE ON THE DESSERT ...

Strawberries and rhubarb all but scream summer. Just add some lemonade, and you’ll be totally over the top with warm weather food.

So we decided to go with it. We combined the best elements of strawberry-rhubarb pie and lemonade into one luscious and easy-to-bake treat perfect for eating outdoors. The result is one part pie, one part fruit crumble.

Throw some vanilla ice cream on top.

SUMMER STRAWBERRY-RHUBARB PASTRY

Start to finish: 1 hour; servings: 8

1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed (each 17.3-ounce package contains 2 sheets)

2 pounds fresh strawberries, hulled and halved

1 pound fresh rhubarb, cut into 1-inch pieces

1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar, divided

Pinch of salt

Juice of 2 lemons

1/2 cup cornstarch

Heat the oven to 400 F. Coat a 9-by-9-inch baking pan with cooking spray.

On a lightly floured surface, roll out the thawed sheet of puff pastry to 9-by-9-inches. Set aside.

In a large saucepan over medium-high, combine the strawberries, rhubarb, 1/2 cup of the sugar and the pinch of salt. Heat, stirring gently now and then, until the fruit is tender and bubbling, about 7 to 8 minutes.

In a small bowl, combine the lemon juice and cornstarch. Stir into the simmering fruit. Simmer, stirring constantly, until thickened, about 1 minute.

Spoon the mixture into the prepared pan. Place the prepared pastry over the top, then sprinkle with the remaining 1 tablespoon of sugar. Using a paring knife, slice a couple of vent holes in the pastry. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the pastry is golden brown. Spoon into bowls and serve warm or at room temperature.

Nutrition information per serving: 150 calories; 15 calories from fat (10 percent of total calories); 2 g fat (0 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 0 mg cholesterol; 36 g carbohydrate; 2 g protein; 4 g fiber; 60 mg sodium.