People at Mr. Food Musings' office often ask him how he stays so thin, what with all my cooking and the dining out. Lucky him, he's a string bean, having inherited skinny genes from both parents. I'm the one fighting the constant battle of the bulge, and though my boot camp workouts help, I have to balance my "foie gras and 4 bottles of wine" nights with more spare meals.
One lunch standby that fits the bill, whether I'm eating in or out, is the Salade Nicoise. The French get credit for this salad composed of tuna over lettuces dressed with a light vinaigrette and a smattering of tomatoes, potatoes, olives and green beans. It's super quick to make if you keep a few things on hand, and for anyone following Weight Watchers (gulp - I am, again, such have been my excesses of late) it's only about 5 points. Plus it combines cancer-busting veg with a bit of protein to keep you from getting hungry again in a few hours.
Salade Nicoise
Yield: 1
I'm not going to worry about exact quantities here, except for the tuna. Veggies are good for you in so many ways - they're energy-dense, full of fiber and many have a wonderful inherent sweetness we miss when we drown them in butter or salad dressing - so I'll throw in anything I have in the fridge; you'll see some asparagus spears and carrots in this photo. I usually struggle to finish my salad, it ends up being so filling.
lettuce (use anything but iceberg so you get flavor and nutrients - iceberg is nothing but H2O)
1 Roma tomato, or half a regular tomato, chopped
1-2 TBSP vinaigrette, either oil and vinegar or store-bought
salt and pepper to taste
1 small potato, boiled or nuked, cooled, and quartered
10 olives
French (or other variety of fresh) green beans, steamed and cooled
1/3 - 1/2 cup tuna fish
1 hard-boiled egg, quartered (optional)
It doesn't take much to make this once you've got your green beans steamed and your potato cooked. I generally toss the lettuce and tomato with about a tablespoon each of olive oil and lemon juice or red wine vinegar, then sprinkle with salt and pepper. I tip it out onto a big plate and then let my artsy side take over, arranging cute little potato quarters, olives, and green beans around the side of the plate. I add 1/3 cup of tuna on top, sprinkle with a tad more salt and pepper, and munch away.
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