This nicoise salad bowl is a dinner perfect for summertime! It captures those delicious mediteranian flavors so well. The combination of tuna, eggs, olives, green beans and potatoes is a classic! The salad is coated in an oil free dressing!
In the summer time, when the temperatures are outstandingly hot, I don’t really fancy hot dinners. I’d rather opt for salads instead. They are quick to make, which means you can enjoy the sun in your garden for just a bit longer. They are also not so heavy on the stomach.
One of my favorite salads to make in the summer is this nicoise salad bowl! This recipe features all of the nicoise ingredients ( except for the anchovies) but they are not tossed together all at once, but instead added seperately in a bowl for a pretty looking result.
I also gave this nicoise salad bowl recipe a healthier and lighter twist by making a healthier almond butter based dressing/vinnaigrette. Normally, this salad would be drowned in a vinaigrette that has lots and lots of olive oil. While olive oil in itself is healthy and contains anti oxidants, it has to be consumed in moderation. It’s pretty high in calories.
That’s why I experimented with the use of nut butters as a healthier replacement for oil in dressing recipes. Nut butters are a whole food, because they haven’t been refined as much as oil has. They still contain all of their fiber content for example, which makes it a better alternative to oil overall.
Neutral tasting nut butters turn out so well in dressings! You can use tahini for example, which is one of my favorite seed butters. But I also love the use of white almond butter. It’s creamy, buttery and doesn’t have a strong taste.
I hope you’ll enjoy this classic nicoise salad bowl, but with a modern twist!
Serves: 2
Ingredients:
- 1 large potato , skins on, cut in 2 cm chunks
- 200 grams canned tuna ( about 2 cans)
- 100 grams cherry tomatoes , halved
- 1/2 cucumber, sliced
- 1 small red onion, sliced thinly
- 2 tbsp olives
- 150 grams green beans , ends trimmed of and cut in 2 cm strips
- 2 eggs, halved
For the oil free vinaigrette:
- 2 tbsp white almond butter or tahini
- 4 tsp honey
- 4 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 2 tsp mustard
- Sea salt and pepper
Method:
- Bring a pot with water on high heat and let it come to a bowl. Cook the potatoes until they are soft, but not too soft, so they won’t break apart. Drain and let cool tap water run over the potatoes to cool them a bit. Set aside.
- Cook the beans in another saucepan with water until soft and tender, and the eggs in another until they are cooked hard boiled, for about 10-12 minutes. Drain both the beans and eggs and run over with cool water. Peel the eggs and set aside.
- In the meantime, make the vinaigrette by stirring the ingredients together in a small bowl. Set aside.
- Divide all of the ingredients over two bowls : the tuna, the cucumber, tomatoes, red onion, olives, green beans, potatoes and eggs.
- Drizzle with the vinaigrette and enjoy!
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