Nicoise Salad Recipe

When I was young I lived in an urban area with lots of shopping opportunity. Shopping as a teenager or young adult was not what you would initially think of. It was not so much the pursuit of materialistic goods.  The mall is where you would meet your friends, socialize, walk, eat lunch/dinner, stay on top of the latest fashions and bargain hunt for clearance deals.  Going to the mall was almost a weekly thing for me and my friends and my all time favorite place to eat was Saladworks (yes, its a link to their site, but they are not a sponsor...I promise).  My favorite Salad was the Nicoise (Pronunciation: nee-SWAHZ).  I live in a rural area now, going to the mall is an all day affair that includes 2 or more hours of drive time.  Even if I still lived close to a Saladworks, our allergies would probably prevent us from eating there because they put pasta in everything.  So please allow me to present to you my copycat recipe for their wonderful Nuevo Nicoise Salad.

• 1 head Romain Lettuce, leaves washed & dried and torn into bite sized pieces
• 1 head Ice Burg Lettuce, leaves washed & dried and torn into bite sized pieces
• 8 ounces of Pasta, cooked until al dente and drained (I like to use spiral)
• 2 or 3 8-ounce cans Tuna
• 3 or 4 Roma Tomatoes
• 4 to 6 Hard Boiled Eggs, peeled and quartered
• 1/4 cup Black Olives (Nicoise is traditionally used but I am using either Kalamata or black)
• 8 ounces Green Beans, stem ends trimmed and each bean halved crosswise

I like to layer salad in a large bowl in the order listed. It makes for a beautiful presentation and is very filling.  You will notice the rather large range difference in proportions of ingredients. This salad is not an exact science.  Add the ingredients more or less according to your taste.  At Saladworks they have all the ingredients separate and every ingredient was added in equal proportions via scoop.  That is pretty much how we do it too, set out all the ingredients and add.

I will be linking this recipe to Gluten Free Homemaker's Gluten Free Wednesday.