Green Bean Salad Nicoise

This is a great way to use your green beans even if they're starting to look not-so-great. The light steaming gives you a second chance.

Make the base of the salad:

• Wash and trim green beans. Steam them lightly (a few minutes? I never count but just watch and test with a fork to make sure they’re not too crunchy). Submerge the beans into an ice bath so they retain their bright green color.
• Cut new red potatoes into quarters (or halves, depending on size) and boil them until they are just fork tender but not mushy. Drain and cool.

Choose your toppings for the salad:

• Sliced hard boiled eggs
• black olives
• tomato wedges
• cucumber chunks
• sliced red onion
  
• a can of salmon or tuna or maybe just a can of chickpeas

Arrange the salad elements individually on a large platter.

I know there are specific Nicoise dressings, but I usually swish around some combination of olive oil, Dijon mustard and apple cider vinegar and find I’m happy. Sometimes I add some chopped fresh oregano to the mix for a very summery flavor.