Nicoise Salad

Approximately 600 calories per person for two people

  • Prep time: 20 to 30 minutes
  • Cook time: 40 minutes, including getting water to a boil

Ingredients

  • 8 ounces (223 grams) unpeeled red-skinned potatoes, scrubbed and sliced 1/3 inch thick
  • 8 ounces (223 grams) thin green beans, washed and trimmed
  • 2 large eggs, medium, soft boiled
  • 8 ounces (225 grams) cherry tomatoes, halved or quartered depending on size
  • ½ head Boston (or Bibb, Butter, Red or Green Leaf or Romaine) lettuce – leaves separated, trimmed, and washed. Ideally you have 8 large leaves, but 10 to 12 medium leaves will work.
  • 4 radishes, trimmed and quartered
  • 1 5 ounce can or packet of Tuna in water, drained and patted very dry with a paper towel
  • 16 Kalamata olives, sliced in halves
  • 4 teaspoons (tsp) capers
  • 1 tablespoon (Tbsp) of Sherry Cooking Wine
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • Dressing ingredients
    • 4 tablespoons (Tbsp) extra-virgin olive oil
    • 2 tablespoons (Tbsp) white wine vinegar
    • ⅓ ounce (10 grams) shallot, minced
    • ½ tablespoon (Tbsp) dijon mustard
    • ½ tablespoon (Tbsp) mustard with seeds
    • ½ tablespoon (Tbsp) fresh thyme
    • Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

  • Prep the potatoes, green beans, shallot, thyme, lettuce, tomatoes, tuna, and olives.
  • Make the dressing:
    • Whisk the white wine vinegar, shallot, mustards, thyme, ¼ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper (more or less to taste) in a bowl. 
    • Whisk the olive oil into the above ingredients – pouring it in a slow, steady stream until emulsified.
    • Set aside
  • Toss the sliced tomatoes in a small bowl and salt and pepper to taste. Set aside. 
  • Cook the potatoes:
    • Put the sliced potatoes in a saucepan. Cover with cold water and season with salt. Bring to a boil over high heat, then lower to a simmer and cook until fork-tender, about 5 minutes. Do not over cook. You want the potatoes firm and throughout cooked but not mushy.
    • With a slotted spoon, carefully remove potatoes from the pan and transfer to a medium bowl, leaving the hot water in the saucepan to cook the beans.
    • Drizzle the potatoes with the Sherry cooking wine. Occasionally, toss them, but gently, as you allow them to cool.
  • Cook the Green Beans.
    • If needed, add more water and salt to the saucepan to cover the beans. Bring water to a boil. (While the water is reaching a boil, fill a bowl with salted ice water to cold-plunge the cooked beans.)
    • Add the green beans to the boiling water. Cook 2-4 minutes until crisp-tender and bright green.
    • Drain the beans and immediately plunge the them into the ice water.
    • Leave for only a moment, then remove with slotted spoon, drain, pat dry and set aside. 
  • Cook the eggs
    • Egg cooker method for soft boiled eggs:
      • If the eggs are cold, set the cooker for hard boiled to achieve soft/medium boiled eggs
    • If not using the egg cooker, apply these steps:
      • Place the eggs in a saucepan and cover the shells one inch high in cold water.
      • Over high heat, bring to a boil then cover and lower to a simmer. Remove from the heat and let stand, 10 minutes. 
      • Drain, then run under cold water to cool. 
    • Peel the eggs in a bowl of cold water.
    • Slice the medium-cooked eggs into quarters. Set aside.
  • Pour any juices rendered from cutting the tomatoes into the dressing.
  • Divide the lettuce among 2 plates, making a ‘base’ of leaves over the entire surface of the plate.
  • Arrange the potatoes, green beans, radishes, eggs, olives, capers, tomatoes, and tuna on top of the leaves. Be artistic! Food is celebration!
  • Stir the dressing, then drizzle the two plates evenly to cover all the ingredients.
  • Serve immediately. Enjoy!

All of Living in Beauty Recipes

We are working on a series of recipes that are easy to fix in an RV and are approximately 600 calories per person for two people.

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