…of the cook book!
"Salade Niçoise"--prét à manger!
“Can we have a week of eating lightly and no wine?”
The guests have flown, the book is launched, the sun has come out–seems a perfect time.
We’ll start today.
Lunch: A modest Salade Niçoise for two….
Cherry tomatoes–halved; a couple of anchovy fillets–halved; a hard boiled egg–halved; sprinkling of green beans–cooked to tender; black olives (niçoise if possible); half a cucumber seeded and diced; a spring onion thinly sliced and a tin of good tuna packed in olive oil–drained–all arranged on a small bed of salad leaves (heresy to some natives of Nice, who claim the authentic version has no salad leaves!)
Salade niçoise--lunch today.
Dressing: a few torn basil leaves and a couple of fat cloves of garlic, crushed to a pulp with a pinch of salt and whisked into three tablespoons of good olive oil.
Dinner: a salmon fillet each–cooked in a pan on the lowest heat, skin side down and with no oil.
When they start to change colour at the base, sprinkle with a little salt and pepper and cover the pan.
They are done when little beads of white juice emerges from the top.
A simply cooked seasonal vegetable (Green beans? Grilled/roast halved tomatoes? Grilled courgettes/zucchini?) would go well plus a quartered lemon.
(Both these recipes from Delicious Dishes for Diabetics–a Mediterranean Way Eating.)
Bon appetit!
Robin Ellis 
I am so glad you sent the picture. It looks so much nicer than the way I always made it – I put everything in a neat pile- the tuna in one and the eggs and beans in thir own piles- yours is so much more attractive. Thank you for all these delightful posts!
Robin – You are making me hungry,has it does every time I look at the cover of your book this looks so fresh and light, yet I bet it’s very filling.It’s tipped down with rain all day to-day so to see this colourful picture cheered me up no end and I think it will be on the menu for tomorrow’s lunch after I have been shopping.
Regards Elaine
Thanks Elaine for posting a comment on Amazon UK–much appreciated.
Hey Robin, you would be proud of me! I’ve been cooking a lot from scratch this past week–lots and lots of veggies & very little processed foods, trying to cut out as much salt as possible–and we’ve been eating much better! You’ve inspired me to cook again. I’ve been checking your site for ideas, and it’s actually been fun! Your photos are always helpful, too!
Yesterday I tried your whole wheat pasta dish w/olive oil & balsamic vinegar, and my husband loved it! (He’s a “meat & potatoes” guy, so I wasn’t sure he’d like it.) And since you had me wondering about Mediterranean dishes and ingredients, I tried a “Mediterranean wrap” at a local restaurant. It was good, so I tried to make it at home from memory. This is close: lightly grill a cup of cherry tomatoes (quartered) and a chopped red pepper in some olive oil on a griddle, then remove from heat and add some crumbled feta cheese. Also, grill a large flatbread wrap (wheat, of course) just to warm it up a bit, and spread some hummus tahini on it. Top that with some romaine lettuce leaves and your grilled veggies, then roll it up…and don’t forget to drizzle a bit of balsamic vinegar through it! (They had some sort of lemon/mint dip, but I didn’t like it that much, so I tried the balsamic vinegar, and it was much better.) Voila!
Tomorrow I’d like to try “the Captain’s” cucumber soup…Thank you so much for getting us back on a healthy track!! 🙂 Now can you just tell me how to get the smell of garlic off my fingers??
Cheers & hugs,
Dianne
That’s inspiring Dianne–fantastic effort!–and thanks for sharing your wrap idea.
Glad your husband enjoyed the pasta too.
Onwards with the good work!
I’m a diabetic on Eucreas, had a few problems with an upset stomach because of this, strangely hours after taking it, The problems were usually just before eating, after eating I was fine, I started taking Chrome, after 2 weeks no more problems, and if the claims are to be believed (by users not manufacturer) I should see an improvement in my next blood test. I’ve been looking at these websites that talk about reversing Diabetes,one site gave advice such as cutting out meat, regular exercise, all common sense, then suggested a diet of 600 calories, down right dangerous if you ask me. But I am trying a new diet in October, thats no meat and no alcohol for a month, and some extreme exercise. Well thats the plan.
Hi Paul,
I am a type twoer and this blog is written from a personal experience point of view. I am not a medical specialist.
If you go to the “diabetes” category on this blog you should see some posts I’ve done in the last few months that might be of interest.
I personally felt the headlines that greeted the Newcastle study were irresponsible.
My feeling is that diets don’t ultimately work–I favour rather a “way of eating” that you can enjoy and stick with without feeling deprived. That is the thinking behind the book.
Exercise is good–I’m not sure about “extreme” exercise though!