Tuna Salad Nicoise Recipe

If you’ve been reading my blog for any length of time, you know I try my hardest to get my husband on the healthy, veggie eating bandwagon. He’s pretty good about trying things although sometimes strange colors upset him (he thought purple potatoes, for instance, were just “wrong”). However, knowing that he likes tuna salad sandwiches, I decided to try this recipe for dinner one night. Success! Although he didn’t say he’d ask for this dish again, he cleaned his full plate, which is good enough in my book.

For the ultimate in fresh color to tempt your vision as well as you palate, use different varieties of the base ingredients. I’m not adding specific measurements because with this salad, you only need to pile the ingredients on the plate so use whatever you have or whatever ratio is most delicious to you and your family. The recipe below makes one full plate of hearty salad.

This salad is a feast for the senses and sure to tempt even the pickiest veggie eater.

Tuna Salad Nicoise

Mixed baby greens and/or herbs

1 packet of tuna in olive oil (or 1/4 pound freshly grilled tuna steak)

3 baby potatoes, boiled (use purple, red or yellow or a combo)

1 hardboiled egg, peeled and cut into quarters

1/3 cup kalamata olives, pitted (use a cherry pitter)

1 green onion, white and green parts sliced on the diagonal

Green beans or asparagus spears, cooked and tossed with Italian dressing

4 Baby heirloom tomatoes, halved and tossed with strips of fresh basil

Your favorite oil and vinegar salad dressing

To assemble salad, place greens in center of plate. Top with tuna. Surround salad with remaining ingredients. Grind a bit of black pepper over the top. Drizzle with salad dressing.

July 9, 2011: Parmesan Green Beans Recipe

If you’re lucky, you might get a big bounty of green beans from your garden this year (me - not so much; I’ll be lucky to get a handful). Although my family all love green beans, it gets old serving the same way over and over again.

This recipe is a slightly Candy-ified variation on one I found in this month’s issue of Relish magazine.

Parmesan Green Beans

1 pound fresh green beans, washed and stem ends snapped off
1 t. olive oil
½ t. sesame oil
½ t. lemon pepper blend
½ t. dried citrus peel seasoning blend
½ t. garlic salt
¼ cup water
¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese

Snap the green beans into 2 inch pieces. Heat the olive oil and sesame oil in a sauté pan to medium low. Add green beans. Cook, stirring frequently, until beans begin to brown. Add seasonings and water; cover and cook until tender, about 10 to 15 minutes. Remove cover from pan and let water evaporate. When liquid is almost all gone, add the grated cheese. Do not stir. Turn off heat and let cheese melt through and become crispy on the bottom of the pan.

Serves 4.