Niiiiiiii Swaaaaaaaah Salad

Funny name, serious salad. Niçoise salad (pronounced ni-swah) is a french salad typically full of tuna, tomatoes, hard boiled eggs, niçoise olives, artichokes and vinaigrette. You may find green beans, onions and potatoes added. Niçoise olives originate in an area near the Alps called Nice, giving the salad its name.

I can't remember the first time I had this salad all I know is a few years ago I would have been repulsed by most of the ingredients. Olives? no, hard boiled egg? ew, canned tuna? absolutely not. Now I'll pretty much eat anything.

Niçoise Salad
serves one

Ingredients:
2 cups of baby spinach
1/2 can of canned tuna
1/4 cup grape tomatoes, sliced in half
1/4 cup kalamta olives
2 Tbsp. chopped red onion
1 egg, hard or soft-boiled
any light vinaigrette
optional toppings-capers, chopped parsley

Directions:
Boil your egg in a small sauce pan filled with enough water to cover your pan. I made a soft-boiled egg instead of the traditional hard-boiled egg. This was by accident because I didn't cook it long enough, but I ended up loving it. Bring your water to a boil then reduce to a simmer and let your egg cook for 15 minutes for a hard-boiled egg and about 10 minutes for a soft-boil.

While your egg is cooking, gather your other ingredients and chop your veggies. Assemble your salad then top with your egg. If it is hard boiled, chop it up. If it is soft you can get the dramatic result of breaking the yolk and watching it run through your salad (I find way to much pleasure from this). Drizzle with a little vinaigrette and sprinkle with parsley and capers.