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Plan Z Phase: This is a Z2 (ZReduction) recipe. Tuna Nicoise is one of my favorite summer dishes. It is light, healthy, and filling. Unfortunately, it usually has potatoes in it. This is a low carb potato-free version that is a-ok for ZReduction. I have used canned tuna in this recipe (for ease) but using freshly grilled tuna steaks would make it sublime.

Servings: Serves 2. Can be doubled easily.

Ingredients:

For the Salad

• 8 oz canned tuna, drained
• 2 hard-boiled eggs (peeled and quartered)
• 1 cup asparagus spears, blanched or slightly cooked and cut in half
• 1/2 tomato
• 1/4 cup cucumber
• a little bit of red onion, sliced thin (to taste)
• your favorite leafy greens (they are unlimited, so you can go bananas if you want)
• pinch of tarragon or chives (optional)

For the Dressing (if you’re in a hurry, you can use your favorite vinaigrette instead) 

• 3 Tbl olive oil
• 1-1/2 Tbl champagne vinegar
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp dijon mustard
• 1/2 tsp garlic (jar garlic is fine)
• 1/2 tsp Truvia
• 1 anchovy, drained (optional)
• dash of Worcestershire sauce (optional)
• salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

For the Dressing

In a small bowl, mash the anchovy, garlic, salt, and pepper with the back of a fork until it is smushed and combined. Then whisk in the lemon juice, vinegar, and mustard. Add the olive oil and whisk fast — this will give you an emulsion and make your dressing thicker. Taste it. Add Truvia, Worcestershire sauce, and additional salt/pepper if needed.

For the Salad

This salad is easy to make because you just layer everything together. You can even buy hard-boiled eggs at the grocery store. If you are making your own, here’s how:

Use eggs that are 1-2 weeks old (fresh eggs are tough to peel). Throw your eggs in a pot of cold water. Cover them so that there’s about an inch of water above them. Heat the water on high heat until it starts to boil. Once it is boiling turn off the heat and put a lid on the pot. Let the eggs sit in the hot water for 8-10 minutes. Voila! Perfect hard-boiled eggs! Dunk them in cold water, and peel (you can also peel under running water to make peeling easier).

For the asparagus, cut off the whitish fat ends (they are really tough, you don’t want to eat those). Cut them in half and saute them in a pan with a little bit of oil, salt, and pepper (you can even add your favorite veggie seasoning if you want). I usually cook mine for about 10 minutes or so. I like my asparagus to still have a little bit of a bite. If your asparagus spears are young and pencil-thin, you might want to cook them less.

To assemble your salad, add your leafy greens to a big bowl and toss with your dressing. Arrange the rest of your ingredients on top of your greens, and garnish with the herbs.

Enjoy!

Cheers,