After my little trip to Portland, I came back very inspired, with lots of recipe ideas. I think I fell in love with the city, its beautiful trails and restaurant scene, not to mention the gorgeous neighborhoods with magnificent trees and greenery. Portland truly has great quality produce and what a wonderful city if you care for great organic and fresh food and the outdoors. It’s heaven. At least, I hope heaven will be like that.

After a delightful lunch at Tasty n Alder, downtown Portland, where I ordered a salade niçoise and smoked trout board, it gave me the idea to play around with the salad, its content and texture.

The traditional salade niçoise (from the city of Nice in France) has similar ingredients, except for the bitter greens which I added here. I grilled some radicchio and endive, and made my egg “à la coque” as we say (in the shell) instead of hard boiled egg. I did not add red peppers because I used a vinegar with infused red peppers. The potatoes are broiled in the oven and the salad is a mix of shredded endives and radicchio with anchovies and capers. This salad can be served lukewarm, or cold. I like it lukewarm when I am not in the mood for a salad.

You need top ingredients to truly appreciate this salad. Get the best tomatoes, green beans and olive oil.

There are different steps in this recipe, but well worth it. If you are in hurry, I would not recommend this, but if you have some time ahead and in the mood for a wholesome and delicious meal, try it out.

Ingredients for 2

• 100 g (or two handful) thin green beans
• 4 small red potatoes, cut in halves
• 3 small endives, cut lengthwise
• 1 head of radicchio, cut in small quarters
• 8 small farm tomatoes
• 1/2 red tuna steak
• 1 tsp red and black sesame seeds
• 4 anchovies, chopped
• 1 tsp capers, chopped
• 1 tbs olive oil

For the vinaigrette

•  1 tbs kalamata olives, chopped
• 3 tbs olive oil (raw and unrefined)
• 1 tbs red pepper vinegar (or any other mild vinegar)
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• 1 tsp chives, chopped
• salt and pepper

Preparation

Cook green beans in a pot of salted boiling water.

Season potatoes with olive oil, salt and pepper and broil in the oven until golden brown on both sides.

Heat up a skillet and grill radicchio and endive on both sides. Keep warm.

In small pan, place eggs and count three minutes after the water started boiling. Remove from stove and cut the top of the egg.

Coat tuna with white and black sesame seeds. Heat up a grill pan or skillet and grill on both sides, making sure not to over cook it. The middle needs to remain a little pink (or up to your tastes). Adjust with salt and pepper. Cut in 5mm slices.

In a mixing container, combine shredded endive and radicchio and add anchovies, capers, olive oil, salt and pepper. Toss well.

In a large plate, place one egg in the center of the plate. Arrange some shredded salad around. Place nicely all other ingredients around the plate. Drizzle with vinaigrette.

For the vinaigrette

Combine all ingredients together.

Sur le pouce, is literally translated by “on the thumb”, je mange sur le pouce, or I eat on the thumb, which means eating fast. It originated in the XIX century when workers didn’t have time to eat, they cut a piece of bread with a knife, and eating it using their thumbs.

Today two things made me happy and brightened up my day, this quick lunch sur le pouce (even though I used a fork!) and my new lamp (created by Shmulik Krampf, an extremely talented Israeli Artist who blows glass they way they do it in Murano, Italy). What do my lamp and this meal have in common? well they’re both colorful, vibrant and make me feel alive.

Sometimes when I come back from the gym, I don’t have time to cook for myself, so I eat snacks…and today I decided to not eat snacks and indulge myself…but still having a limited time, I had to make something quick. It all took me 20 minutes, which I think it’s almost like fast food.

Why do we call this mimosa? Mimosa refers to devil eggs, we call them “oeufs mimosa“, so here since we have boiled eggs, we can call them mimosa. I am not sure if “we” can, but I do.

Asparagus can be used if you don’t have green beans, it’s as delicious, and you can use scallops instead of the shrimps. Garlic, herb, butter those ingredients are a perfect match with seafood.

Ingredients for 2

For the green beans

• 250 g fine green beans
• 2 eggs, hard boiled and grated
• 2 tbs capers, rinced and chopped
• 1 scallion, chopped
• 1/2 tomato, seeds removed, and diced
• 2 tbs olive oil
• 1 tsp balsamic vinegar
• salt and pepper

For the shrimps tartine (3 toasts each)

• 18 shrimps, peeled and deveined
• 1/4 ts paprika
• 1 garlic clove, sliced
• 1 tsp dill, chopped
• 1 tsp parsley, chopped
• 1 tsp butter
• 6 slices baguettes, or country bread, toasted
• salt and pepper

Preparation

For the green beans

Bring a large pot to a boil with water. Cook grean beans for about 5-7 minutes until tender but still a little crunchy. Drain, and place in a container filled with iced water. Set aside.

Prepare the vinaigrette, mixing the capers, scallion, oil, vinegar, salt and pepper.

Drain green beans, place on a plate. Add grated eggs, tomatoes, then pour vinaigrette on top.

For the shrimps tartines

Add paprika to the shrimps, and coat well. Add salt and pepper.

Mix butter, garlic and herbs with a fork and form an homogenous paste. In a pan melt butter/herbs slowly, then add shrimps. Cook at medium temperature until the shrimps are cooked but still juicy.

Toast bread slices. Place three shrimps on top of each tartine, and pour some butter/garlic mixture on top.

Serve with green bean salad on the side.

In France we say that to stay thin, you cannot have more than one serving and we believe that if you can resist temptation, and only go for the first round, you will stay thin and healthy. On ne se sert qu’une fois (you only get served once). This dish is a part of a lose weight program and the one dish meal with one serving.

Chicken balls are part of the big meatball family, every country has its own traditional recipes of meatballs.  You can make them flat, roll them in flour, in breadcrumbs, in nuts or any way you like.  Instead of serving those with rice, I serve them with green beans, you can add rice on the side if you want or rice noodles, but if you are on a non-carb evening diet, green beans are a perfect as accompaniment. 

Those chicken balls have somehow a exotic flavor and bright yellow color that matches the green of the beans. I think food is like clothes, they need to have a matching color and look pretty in a plate. 

The green beans are dressed with a lemon-mint-garlic vinaigrette, are very refreshing and deliciously tangy. 

Ingredients for 2

• 1 large chicken breast or 2 small ones
• 2 tbs cilantro, chopped
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp cumin powder
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 tomatoes, peeled and chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 tsp grated ginger
• 4 tbs light coconut milk
• 1/2 tsp coriander powder
• 1 tsp mild curry powder
• 1/2 tsp cumin powder
• juice of 1/2 lemon
• 1 tbs mint, chopped
• 1/2 lb green beans
• 2 tbs olive oil
• 1 tbs sliced almonds

Preparation

Ground the chicken breasts in a mixer. Add cilantro, cumin powder, garlic powder, salt and pepper. using the palm of your hands, make little round balls, the size of a walnut. 

In a pan heat olive oil, add onions, ginger and garlic. Mix well and cook for about 3 minutes. Keep stirring so it does not stick to the pan. Add curry powder, coriander powder, cumin powder salt and pepper. Mix well all the spice mixture. Add chicken balls and cook for a few minutes. Add tomatoes, stir for 5-7 minutes, then add coconut milk. Cook until the chicken is cooked all the way through and until the sauce has reduced and has thickened.

For the green beans vinaigrette, mix 1 tbs olive oil, 1 tbs mint, 1 garlic clove chopped, lemon juice, salt and pepper.

Bring water to a boil, add salt and green beans. Do not overcook the beans. Drain beans and pour mint vinaigrette on top.

Serve with green beans topped with 4 chicken balls, sprinkled with sliced almonds and chopped cilantro.