Salad Nicoise

Since we still had some frisee lettuce and red spring onions from a couple of CSA shares ago, and received new potatoes, green beans and eggs with our share last week, I decided that a salad nicoise was in order!  I love this dish even though it takes a little work because the flavour is outstanding and it is a complete meal!!!

SALAD NICOISE

Ingredients:

DRESSING

1 tsp Dijon mustard

1 tbsp chopped fresh tarragon or 1 tsp dried (I used Herbs de Provence)

3 tbsp red wine vinegar

1/4 cup olive oil

Salt & freshly ground pepper

SALAD

12 mini red potatoes, cut in half

2 tbsp olive oil

Salt & freshly ground pepper

1/2 cup red onion, thinly sliced

2 cans of tuna, drained*

1 head of leaf lettuce

Handful of green beans, trimmed and boiled until crisp tender

2 tomatoes, cut into wedges

2 hard boiled eggs, cut into wedges

1/2 cup black olives

• Preheat oven to 425F
• Whisk together Dijon, tarragon and wine vinegar.  Slowly whisk in oil.  Season with salt and pepper.  Set aside.
• Toss potatoes with 1 tbsp olive oil. Season with salt and pepper.  Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, and bake for 20 mins, or until tender and browned.  Remove from oven.
• Toss potatoes with 2 tbsp dressing.  Toss onions with 2 tbsp dressing.  Set aside.
• Line a large platter with lettuce.  Gently toss the beans and tomatoes with dressing.  Place potatoes, onions, green beans, tomatoes,hard boiled eggs and olives in sections on the platter.  
• Top with tuna.
• Drizzle the entire salad with the remaining dressing.
• ENJOY!!!

*You can also use a fresh tuna steak - simply brush it with 1 tbsp oil and coat with cracked pepper.  Grill on the BBQ for 2 minutes per side on high, or until it is still rare in the centre.  Remove from the grill and slice into thin slices!

  

My AWESOME Salad - CSA Week Two

I was so thrilled to get this week's CSA basket since I received an email from Lisa Cooper saying that we were getting spinach!!! As part of my online Booty Camp Challenge, I not only have eliminated refined sugars and dairy from my diet, but also must have one large salad each day (not too difficult with all the great seasonal produce available now!).

Today I was HUNGRY so I created this using almost all the items from my CSA box! I like to call it a deconstructed salad and everything but the balsamic, vinegar, chickpeas and red onion slivers are from Coopers!

I had frozen a chicken from last summer's CSA and recently roasted it up with fresh herbs, EVOO and salt and pepper. I decided to slice some of this delicious cold chicken and poach an egg to put on top of the baby spinach and green leaf lettuce! The cucumbers and chickpeas were topped with red onion slivers and drizzled with white vinegar ~ yummy! I just snapped a few asparagus spears into bite-sized pieces and sliced up one of my hot house tomatoes to finish it off!

I truly love this time of year for all the amazing produce that's readily available!!! I hope you take advantage of it and create your own salad this weekend!!!