Where I'm at today

I have no energy today and I feel very flat. I didn't get out of bed until about 3pm and I still haven't had a shower (it's been three days). I'm back in bed and my Pug is beside me. I'm contemplating getting out of bed and having some crackers and cheese and an apple (I did have breakfast earlier). I usually just have crackers and cheese and some fruit for lunch because I have a big salad for dinner that is very filling. It's a French salad called a salade niçoise and it's really yummy. It's basically a salad with tuna. Niçoise means "from Nice", which is in the south-east of France.

I will share my recipe with you for salade niçoise. It's very easy to make. This recipe is for one person.

50g cos, butter or oak lettuce

100g green beans

200g baby red potatoes, skin on

100g cherry tomatoes

185g Sirena tuna in olive oil, drained

8 organic Kalamata olives

1 boiled egg

Honey and mustard dressing

1. Cook the eggs. I do mine medium boiled in an egg cooker. Let them sit in some cold water while you are making the rest of the salad.

2. Cut the green beans in half. Cut the baby potatoes in half. Steam the baby potatoes for 13-14 minutes. Steam the green beans for 3-4 minutes then plunge the potatoes and beans into a large bowl of cold water and strain.

3. Drain the tuna.

4. Cut the cherry tomatoes in half and cut the lettuce into large pieces.

5. Arrange the salad on a platter or in a large bowl starting with the lettuce then green beans, baby potatoes, cherry tomatoes, tuna, olives and the boiled egg. I cut the egg into quarters.

5. Drizzle with the honey and mustard dressing. Here is the recipe for the dressing. This is actually a French Vinaigrette recipe with honey...

1/3 cup good quality olive oil

1/4 cup organic apple cider vinegar

Juice of 1 lemon

2 tbsp honey

1 clove garlic

1 tsp mustard powder or 1 tbsp Dijon mustard*

1/4 tsp sea salt

Ground black pepper

I put everything in a mini food processor and blend until it is a creamy light yellow colour. Store it in a sterilised jar in the fridge.

*If you are using the Dijon mustard then you don't need the sea salt.

And here is a link to Stephanie Alexander's recipe for salade niçoise on her website. This is where I got the idea from. Stephanie Alexander is an iconic Australian cook who specialises in French cuisine.

https://www.stephaniealexander.com.au/what-to-cook/recipes/salade-nicoise/

I hope you enjoy your salade niçoise as much as I do.

PS I wrote this a few hours ago and took a while to post it. I'm going to make the salade niçoise now.