Easy Salad Nicoise Dinner

If your family is stuck on what you should make for dinner, try whipping up this beautiful tuna salad that utilizes fresh produce. Last weekend my mom and I put this salad together using vegetables we bought from the San Rafael farmer's market. Salad Nicoise is a French salad that usually has fresh or canned tuna, green beans, hard-boiled eggs, capers, salad greens and potatoes, but you can practically add whatever you want. It also usually has anchovies on top, but my family doesn't like those too much. You do whatever you want; the salad bowl is your oyster. 

Serve with fresh crusty bread and you've got a great, light dinner! Leftovers are also great for lunch :)

Ingredients (no exact amounts, you know how much salad you can eat!): 

The Basics: 

mixed greens, butter lettuce, or crisp romaine

boiled small potatoes like fingerlings. Or try small purple ones!

hard boiled eggs, chilled and thinly sliced

steamed green beans, or pickled ones (we used a combination of both)

high-quality canned tuna (packed in either water or oil) OR sushi-grade Ahi tuna, either raw or cooked rare
capers (what food category are these little green balls in!!?!?)
anchovies, if you wish. 

Various other fruits, vegetables and fixings:

Fresh avocado

red and yellow peppers

sliced cucumbers

tomatoes

carrots

chilled asparagus

raw broccoli

olives (or olive tapenade)

cooked garlic

feta or other cheeses

Meyer-Lemon Vinaigrette: 

2:1 ratio of vinegar to olive oil (we prefer more vinegar, less of an oily taste, but adjust to your tastes)

1 tsp Meyer lemon or regular lemon juice (basically you only need one, again its to taste)

honey mustard

chives, finely chopped

generous dash of salt and pepper

various fresh herbs

Directions: 

1. Arrange all ingredients in a huge bowl. Make the dressing and let people pour it on their own salad. Bon Appetite!