Chopped Nicoise Salad- Make a SALAD lighter?

How do you make a salad lighter? I have a sneaking suspicion that most folks think salad almost always equal healthy. Oh, boy that's the total opposite of correct I am afraid. Just check out this article from "Eat This, Not That"'s author Davif Zinczenko "The Unhealthiest in America 2010". The number 1 salad coming in at an artery clogging 920 calories, 65g of fat (20 saturated, and 0.5g trans) and a whopping 1,685mg of sodium! Yikes! So please think long and hard when going out for salads. Most establishments has Nutritional Facts with their foods, so take like an extra 30 seconds to check those out when choosing your salad. 


So our anniversary was this Tuesday and I must say, although that Faux Chicken Doner tasted absolutely incredible, it wasn't the lightest of dinners! So for the rest of the week, I vowed to make salads. A salad that's both healthy and very filling. Last night's choice was from my pretend best friend, Ellie Krieger. Her chopped Nicoise Salad has amazing color, big flavor, filling, and it has 267 calories and 10 grams of fat. Perfect light dinner after a not so healthy dinner the night before.

I chose Nicoise Salad because I had Nicoise Salade while in Paris this past Spring. It tasted absolutely amazing with all the yummy bold flavors. I was in heaven with something so simple. The chopped version, does not have the anchovy fillets, fava beans, peppers and eggs that's pretty much a staple in with Nicoise Salade (Nicoise meaning made in Nice, France). But it's every bit as yummy!!!

Chopped Nicoise Salad (Adapted from Ellie's Krieger's version)

Ingredients

·         4 small red potatoes (about 1/2 pound)

·         1/3 pound fresh green beans, trimmed

·         12-ounce can light tuna packed in water, drained

·         1/2 cup chopped pitted Greek or Spanish olives

·         1/4 cup diced red onion

·         2 large tomatoes, seeded and diced (about 2 cups)

·         5 cups chopped romaine lettuce

·         2 tablespoons olive oil

·         1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

·         1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

·         1 teaspoon of anchovy paste

·         Salt and pepper

Directions

Boil water in a large pot, put the potatoes in, cover and cook for 15 minutes or until fork tender. Add the green beans and cook for 6 minutes more. Put the cooked potatoes and beans in a dish and set in the refrigerator to cool, or plunge into a bowl of ice water to cool quickly.

Put tuna, olives, onion, tomato and lettuce in a large bowl. Dice the potatoes and green beans, add them to the bowl and toss.

In a small bowl whisk together the oil, lemon juice, mustard, salt and pepper. Pour the dressing over the salad, toss well and serve.

Hope you all enjoy this as much as my family did! With the grey summer day, a colorful salad is what we needed :)

Holy Cumulonimbus!