Salade Nicoise: A Taste of the French Riviera

If you ever visit the south of France, you need to order a salade nicoise at a restaurant along the beach (preferably in Nice).  This French salad has so many different flavours that compliment one another and makes for a very healthy and hearty meal.  Otherwise, making this salad is quite simple.  Goes great with a crusty baguette.

Ingredients:
(Serves 2)
-Butter lettuce
-Radish
-Tomatoes
-Red or green pepper
-Canned corn
-Black olives
-2 eggs
-1 small can of tuna (150 grams)
-1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
-4 tablespoons olive oil
-1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
-Salt & pepper

Instructions:

-Wash all veggies and chop into bite size pieces (except for the lettuce).
-Boil eggs for 9 minutes.  Place under cold water and peel the shell.  Chop up into quarters.

-On a large serving platter, place lettuce, red peppers, radish, corn, black olives, tomatoes and eggs.  Top off the salad with the tuna.

-For the mustard vinaigrette, whisk together the mustard, olive oil, red wine vinegar and salt & pepper. 

-Pour the dressing over the salad and serve.

Optional:

-Add anchovies, green beans or boiled potatoes. There are many interpretations of this salad, so add your favourite ingredients and make it your own.

Salmon En Croute

This dish is based on Jamie Oliver's salmon en croute recipe.  I love the combination of flavours and colours - salmon, tapenade (crushed black olives), tomato and mozza cheese all wrapped up in pastry. 

Ingredients:
(Serves 2)
-310 grams of salmon fillet, bones removed
-1 teaspoon olive oil
-Pepper
-1 tablespoon of tapenade paste
-1/2 tomatoes, sliced
-60 grams mozzarella cheese ball, cut into small pieces
-1 puff pastry

Instructions:

-Place salmon on puff pastry.

-Season with pepper and drizzle olive oil on top of the salmon.

-Spread the tapenade paste on top of the salmon.

-Add the mozzarella cheese and tomatoes.

-Gather up the sides of the pastry, around the salmon.

-Bake in the oven at 200 degrees C for 30 minutes.

Optional:

-Goes great with a side salad.

-If you can not find tapenade paste, use pesto sauce.

Zucchini Gratin

I am a huge fan of gratin.  A dish that is topped off with a golden crust is always a winner.  Use any type of grated cheese for this recipe and rather than grating the zucchini, like I did for this recipe, you can chop them up into any shape you prefer (round slices, half moons, etc.). 

Ingredients:
(serves 3)
-3 large zucchinis
-1 large onion
-3/4 cup creme fraiche
-Salt & pepper
-1 tablespoon olive oil
-1/2 cup shredded Swiss cheese
-1/3 cup bread crumbs

Instructions:

-Peel and chop up onion.

-Grate the zucchinis.

-Sauté the onion in olive oil for 4 minutes or until soft.

-Add zucchini and sauté for another 4 minutes or until tender.

-Season with salt and pepper.

-Put cooked zucchini and onion in a sifter and drain the excess liquid.

-Place everything in a bake dish and add the creme fraiche.

-Top with shredded Swiss cheese and sprinkle with bread crumbs.

-Bake in the oven, on the bottom level, at 200 degrees C for 45 minutes.

Fried Rice

If you have left over rice and don't like eating it cold the solution is to make fried rice.  It's a simple recipe and you can add any type of veggies you like.  Be sure to use cold rice for this recipe and the measurement for the sauce can be adapted according to your personal taste.

Ingredients:
(serves 4)
-2 carrots
-1 cup of frozen peas
-2 eggs
-4 cups of cooked white rice (be sure it's cold)
-6 tablespoons of soy sauce
-3 tablespoons of nuoc mam (fish sauce)
-1 tablespoon vegetable oil
-1 tablespoon sesame seeds

Instructions:

-Peel and shred carrots. 

-Mix eggs in a bowl.

-In a fry pan, on medium heat, add vegetable oil and eggs.  Stir the egg constantly, so it becomes like scrambled eggs. 

-Add carrots and peas and stir everything together well for 5 minutes.

-Add rice, soy sauce, fish sauce and sesame seeds.

-Mix all the ingredients and sauté on medium heat for about another 5 minutes. 

  

Stewed Red Peppers

Stewed red peppers is a great side dish that goes well with everything like fish, chicken,beef, etc. Otherwise, it can stand on its own, eaten with a crusty baguette or used as a sauce for pasta. 

Ingredients:
(Serves 3-4)
-2 red peppers
-1 onion
-3 cloves of garlic
-1 can of chopped tomatoes (400 grams)
-Salt, pepper & herbes de provence
-1 tablespoon of olive oil

Instructions:

-Chop red peppers into thin slices, chop up the onions and mince the garlic.

-On medium heat sauté the onions and garlic in olive oil for a few minutes.

-Add red peppers and sauté everything together for about 7 minutes until the peppers are relatively soft.

-While ingredients are cooking, add salt, pepper and herbes de provence (taste as you cook and add as much as you wish, according to your personal taste).

-Add the can of chopped tomatoes, mix all the ingredients well and let it simmer for about 20 minutes with a lid on top.

Sea Bass Baked in Parchment Paper

I don't feel comfortable cooking fish, however this recipe is a no brainer and a healthy alternative.  I haven't put the exact measurements for the cumin powder, salt, pepper and olive oil, as you can use according to your own discretion.  I usually eat this particular sea bass with stewed red peppers.

Ingredients:
(Serves 4)
-350 grams of sea bass
-1 lemon (sliced)
-Cumin powder
-Salt & pepper
-Olive oil

Instructions:

-On each side of the fish drizzle with olive oil and season with cumin powder, salt and pepper.

-Place lemon slices on top of the fish.

-Place fish in parchment paper and seal.

-Bake in the oven at 200 degrees C for 30 minutes and serve warm.