Salad Nicoise (nee - SWAZ) using Fresh Summer Vegetables
- Minutes to Prepare:
- Minutes to Cook:
- Number of Servings: 4
Ingredients
There are 4 lists of ingredients (yes, four! But it's worth it!)Salad: • 4 four-ounce tuna steaks, frozen or fresh • 1 tbsp canola oil (for cooking tuna) • 1 tbsp fresh squeezed lemon juice • 1-1.5 cup fresh green beans - rinsed, trimmed • 1/2 pound mixed salad greens • 8 baby potatoes or 16 baby red potatoes • 4 hard-boiled eggs • 1-2 garden fresh tomatoes • 6 pitted nicoise olives (or whatever olives you like) • 1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley (optional) • 4 anchovy filets (optional) • 1 tablespoon capers (optional) • 1 squirt lemon (optional)Dressings:Cucumber sauce • 1/2 cup reduced-fat sour cream • 1 tablespoon finely chopped green onion, (top green part only) • 1/2 cup finely chopped cucumber (peeled first) • 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice • dash ground cayenne pepper (optional) • salt, to tastePesto Vinagrette: • 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar • 1 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil • 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice • 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper • salt, to taste • 3-4 tablespoons basil pesto (see below)Basil Pesto (make it yourself, it tastes better): • 1 package basil (plastic container by the lettuce in your grocery store, about 10 leaves) • 1-2 cloves of garlic (depending on size and how much of it you like) • 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese • 3 tbsp olive oil • 2 tbsp toasted pine nuts (toast them in a dry skillet till they start browning)
Hard boil the eggs. While these cook, Boil potatoes till done, about 15 min. Boil green beans till they are the desired texture. Slice onion thin. Refrigerate the eggs 2-4 hours.
After they cool enough to touch, quarter the potatoes. In a large bowl, combine the potatoes, green beans, parsley (if using), olives, and onion. Refrigerate for 2 to 4 hours.
While those are getting cold, Make the pesto, combining the ingredients in a food processor and adding enough olive oil to meld them together. You might need to use a spatula a few times to get the stray bits on the sides of the bowl down to the blades.
Make the pesto vinaigrette and seasoning it to your liking. Refrigerate.
Rinse out your food processor and combine the ingredients for cucumber sauce.
Refrigerate.
Make sure your tuna steaks are thawed (you can run the individually-packaged steaks under cold water till they are, or put it in the fridge over night). Refrigerate.
Take a break -- go do a sparkpeople workout!
...
ONCE EVERYTHING HAS CHILLED FOR 2-4 HOURS...
...
In a large bowl, toss greens with 1/2 the basil vinaigrette, saving the rest. Plate lettuce. Top with chilled vegetable mixture. Garnish with quartered eggs, wedges of tomatoes, capers, anchovies, olives, or whatever else you like.
In a flat, thick skillet heat the canola oil on medium high. Add tuna, sear for at least 90 seconds on each side for medium rare, or up to 2-3 min for well done. (don't move the tuna at all before turning, to ensure a good crust forms).
Transfer tuna immediately to salads, squirt with lemon juice. Drizzle salad with the remaining vinaigrette.
Serve the cucumber dressing on the side for dipping. I like to drizzle it around the perimeter of the plate.
Enjoy!!!!
After they cool enough to touch, quarter the potatoes. In a large bowl, combine the potatoes, green beans, parsley (if using), olives, and onion. Refrigerate for 2 to 4 hours.
While those are getting cold, Make the pesto, combining the ingredients in a food processor and adding enough olive oil to meld them together. You might need to use a spatula a few times to get the stray bits on the sides of the bowl down to the blades.
Make the pesto vinaigrette and seasoning it to your liking. Refrigerate.
Rinse out your food processor and combine the ingredients for cucumber sauce.
Refrigerate.
Make sure your tuna steaks are thawed (you can run the individually-packaged steaks under cold water till they are, or put it in the fridge over night). Refrigerate.
Take a break -- go do a sparkpeople workout!
...
ONCE EVERYTHING HAS CHILLED FOR 2-4 HOURS...
...
In a large bowl, toss greens with 1/2 the basil vinaigrette, saving the rest. Plate lettuce. Top with chilled vegetable mixture. Garnish with quartered eggs, wedges of tomatoes, capers, anchovies, olives, or whatever else you like.
In a flat, thick skillet heat the canola oil on medium high. Add tuna, sear for at least 90 seconds on each side for medium rare, or up to 2-3 min for well done. (don't move the tuna at all before turning, to ensure a good crust forms).
Transfer tuna immediately to salads, squirt with lemon juice. Drizzle salad with the remaining vinaigrette.
Serve the cucumber dressing on the side for dipping. I like to drizzle it around the perimeter of the plate.
Enjoy!!!!
Nutritional Info Amount Per Serving
- Calories: 490.2
- Total Fat: 27.0 g
- Cholesterol: 231.7 mg
- Sodium: 556.9 mg
- Total Carbs: 28.4 g
- Dietary Fiber: 3.9 g
- Protein: 38.2 g
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