Monday: Salad Nicoise

We had been eating heavy food all weekend and decided we should start off the week with something on the lighter side.... One of our 'go-to' meals for the summer in Salad Nicoise, pronounced 'nee-suaz' (or, my take on it at least).

My mom always made it this way, and I tend to vary the ingredients depending on what we have in the house. Traditionally it's tuna, green beans, potatoes, olives, egg, and I think, anchovies... But here's how I made it:

Canned tuna in water (we're trying to eat light here, not the stuff in oil)
Small red potatoes
black olives
fresh green beans
Capers
Ken's Original Italian Dressing
a spoonful of Dijon mustard


I boil the potatoes first, drain, then let them cool to room temp. After those are done, boil or steam the green beans (don't overcook!), then let those cool. In a large bowl or shallow dish, mix in all ingredients with dressing & mustard - and serve! I like eating this salad room temp, not hot, and not cold. It's so easy & always tastes good.

You can get much fancier with this dish - especially if serving for a party - you may want to arrange everything separately and not mix it all together - or sear some sushi tuna if you want to get really fancy - but for a nice light meal, especially in warm weather - this is a great go-to.