Salade Niçoise is a beautifully composed salad of French origin that looks fancy but is incredibly easy to make. The traditional version is often made with tuna, but here the fish is replaced with baked tofu, which makes a great stand-in. And the array of ingredients—white beans or chickpeas, slender green beans, tomatoes, and olives—makes it a splendid main dish salad for a summer meal, either on busy weeknights or festive occasions.

　　

Ingredients

4–6 servings

　　

For the vinaigrette:

1/2 cup extra- virgin olive oil

　　1/4 to 1/3 cup white or red wine vinegar, or to taste

　　1 tablespoon Dijon-style mustard

　　1 tablespoon natural granulated sugar or agave nectar

　　1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning blend

　　

For the salad:

8 to 10 ounces fresh slender green beans, trimmed (see Note)

　　1 large head Boston or Bibb lettuce, torn, or mixed baby greens

　　Sliced fresh basil or chopped fresh parsley to taste

　　One 8-ounce package baked tofu, diced, 1 recipe Homemade Baked Tofu, or 8 ounces combined baked tofu and dense herbed tofu (see Note)

　　1 heaping cup whole fresh grape or cherry tomatoes or diced ripe fresh tomatoes

　　One (15- to 16-ounce) can cannellini or chickpeas, drained and rinsed

　　Pitted green or black olives, or a combination, to taste

　　Marinated artichoke hearts to taste (optional)

　　Sliced red onion to taste (optional)

　　

Make the vinaigrette:

Step 1

Combine all ingredients in a tightly lidded bottle and shake thoroughly. Shake well beforeeach use.

　　

For the salad:

Step 2

Steam the green beans just until bright green and tender-crisp. Err on the side of undercooking rather than overcooking. Drain and rinse with cool water until they’re at room temperature.

　　

Step 3

On a large serving platter or large shallow serving bowl, arrange the lettuce or greens. Scatter the basil or parsley over it. Arrange the green beans, tofu, tomatoes, beans, olives, and artichoke hearts, if desired, in separate mounds over the lettuce or greens. Top everything with a few thinly sliced rings of red onion if you like.

　　

Step 4

Drizzle a little vinaigrette over the salad, then serve at once, passing the remainder of the vinaigrette at the table.

　　Notes:

　　If fresh slender green beans are unavailable, use organic frozen whole green beans, thawed and steamed just until tender-crisp.

　　Some natural foods markets carry a type of tofu that’s very dense (with a texture similar to that of a very dry feta cheese) and prepared with herbs. Unlike tub tofu, it doesn’t need to be drained and pressed. Try it for a change of pace!

　　From Plant Power © 2014 by Nava Atlas. Reprinted with permission by HarperOne, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers.Buy the full book from HarperCollins or from Amazon.