This recipe is reminiscent of a Salade Niçoise (which also happens to be a great summer salad), and it incorporates one of our featured summer beauty foods: artichokes. The majority of ingredients in this recipe can be found in the anti-inflammatory kitchen cabinet, so you will radiate with each bite!

Ingredients:

For Dressing

• 1 tbl red-wine vinegar
• 1 tbl Sherry vinegar
• 1 tbl fresh lemon juice
• 1 tbl capers
• 1 tbl Dijon mustard
• 1 garlic clove, minced and mashed to a paste with 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/3 cup of extra virgin olive oil, give or take

The Salad

• 1/2 lb. green beans or hericot vert, cut diagonally into 1/2-inch pieces
• 6-oz marinated artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
• 6- to 7-oz jarred tuna, drained (recommend using the Ortiz brand)
• 12 cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1/2 cup red onion, finely chopped
• 1 1/2 tbl fresh thyme leaves, minced
• 1/3 cup olives, halved
• A chunk of sheep’s milk feta cheese, crumbled

Directions:

1. In a saucepan of salted boiling water cook beans until crisp-tender, about 4 to 5 minutes. Drain beans and plunge them in cold water to stop the cooking process.
2. Now on to the dressing. A blender or an immersion blender work just fine for this. Add the vinegars, lemon juice, capers, mustard, and garlic paste and mix. Then gradually add the oil and blend in the process.
3. Now put the artichoke hearts, olives, thyme, green beans, onion, cherry tomatoes, tuna and feta in a large bowl. Drizzle all of the dressing over and mix.
4. Serve a bit chilled or at room temperature.

Tips: when drizzling the dressing, pour along the edges so when you mix it, it will be more evenly spread rather than a pool in the middle. I also like to use my hands to mix salads, ensuring that everything is properly dressed to make a delicious looking dish.

What are your favorite salad recipes?

Katharina Knoll, a Manhattan-based food and art enthusiast has prepared a series of anti-inflammatory recipes celebrating simple, rustic foods. Enraptured by the intersection of health and nutrition, Kat is the founder and director of Behind Foods. Follow Kat on her blog, Katharina’s Food Adventures, and keep in touch through her Facebook fan page and Twitter