Bruce Bailey took this picture for me Saturday night at Rebecca's birthday party for which I made my veggie version of Salad Niçoise, which is traditionally made with tuna and anchovies. At the bottom of the page is a group picture of us at the party. The birthday gal is to my right wearing the strapless gown. Bruce is in the center of the back row--he's the one wearing a ball cap.
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Here's another recipe, I developed for Glade Road Growing. It serves 4 as a main dish or 6-8 as a side dish.
Dice 1/2 # of new red or yukon gold potatoes
Cut 1/2 # carrots into sticks
Trim any strings from 1/2 # green beans
Place two to four eggs in a heavy bottomed pot with cold water to cover. Set steamer in pot. Bring to a boil.
Place potatoes in steamer and cook until just tender (7-10 minutes) and remove to plate. Cook carrots until they are still a bit crisp (5 minutes) and do the same. By now the eggs should be hard-boiled, so remove from pot and peel under cold running water. Cut into quarters and refrigerate.
Place green beans in steamer and cook until they are still a bit crisp (5 minutes). To keep them bright in color after cooking, cool them in a bowl or jar of ice water before placing on plate.
When the vegetables are cool, you can store separately in 2 cup containers in the refrigerator until you are ready to assemble and serve the salad, along with 2 cups cooked garbanzo beans in a similar container.
You will also need:
1/2 green pepper cut into chunks
1 cucumber sliced thin
8 kalamata olives
I used radishes but if you have grape tomatoes or a regular garden ripened tomato cut into wedges it would be great.
Capers are optional.
To make dressing (which is the same for last week's salad) in a bottle with a well-fitting lid combine:
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
4 tablespoon Balsamic vinegar or lime juice
Freshly ground pepper
4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (for fat-free version, substitute either 1 tablespoon fruit juice concentrate--apple or white grape--and 3 tablespoons water OR 4 tablespoons wine)
1 teaspoon your favorite sweetener (honey, agave, demerara sugar)
2 peeled and crushed cloves free garlic and/or 1 T finely minced onion.
Divide dressing among garbanzo beans, string beans, carrots and potatoes let marinate.
You can serve this salad directly on the plate, as shown, or over a bed of lettuce or sauteed chiffonade of kale. Arrange vegetables in sections. Spread some of the dressing remaining from marinating over the undressed vegetables and serve. Garnish, if you like with capers and chopped parsley or cilantro.
