Nicoise Salad for the Brain Dead

This is one of my favourite main salads. When it's summertime, hot and you want something substantial and satisfying without heating up your kitchen, try this recipe for Salade Nicoise.  The only thing you have to cook are the eggs, potatoes and the green beans which you can microwave.

A Nicoise is a "composed" salad.  This doesn't mean it's emotionally restrained - LOL - but it does mean all the ingredients stay separately on the plate and you can pick and choose the combos to spear on your fork. At one point, everything just melds together and it is a yummy combo no matter what .

This is also a great pack for work lunch salad. I even put the dressing on it the night before - nothing to wilt here.  Instead, it soaks in beautifully giving the ingredients a delicious vinaigrette saturated taste.

So easy to pull together.  Definitely worthy for a Brain Dead Thursday.

Here's what you'll need for 2 mains:

                        2 - 5.3 oz (or more) cans tuna in oil

                                    (MUST be in oil - the taste is SO much better.)

                                 14 cherry or grape tomatoes, halved

                        2 hard boiled eggs

                        8 oz French green beans, steamed crisp

                        4 T Nicoise olives (they are really small & round)

                        10 baby new potatoes, steamed tender

                        Classic  vinaigrette (recipe here)

                        (Add 1 t crushed tarragon to the dressing recipe)

  

On each plate, arrange 5 potatoes, halved.

Place half the green beans next to them.

An easy way to steam the beans is to wrap them in 

a wet paper towel, place on a plate and microwave 

on high for about 3 to 4 minutes until tender crisp.

Immediately rinse in cold water to stop cooking process.

 

Cut each egg in quarters - one egg for each plate.

Add 2 T olives per plate.

Equally distribute the tomatoes.

Drain tuna cans of excess oil.

Place one in the middle of each plate.

These cans are a little over 5 oz each but you can use more.

The ones I buy are in a package of 3 cans. 

Drizzle 3 T of dressing over each salad.

And there you have it.

A gorgeous, healthy and oh so satisfying

Classic Salade Nicoise!

Bon Appetit, mes amis!