Great before or after the holiday, this Salmon Nicoise recipe will brighten your week.

Nicoise is a French phrase meaning “as prepared in Nice”  It refers to a cooking style that uses tomatoes, olives, garlic and anchovies.  Our recipe does not have anchovies or hard-cooked eggs that are part of the standard Salad Nicoise.  Usually made with tuna and served cold, the flavors are great when eaten warm, too. 

Both salmon and tuna are oily fish: 6-8 ounces is recommended to be eaten each week for heart health.  However, eating more than 8 ounces of oily fish each week has shown no additional benefit and may actually raise blood lipid levels.  Eating large amounts of a healthful food is not always better.  Stick to small portions. 

Salmon or Tuna Nicoise Recipe for 4 servings

• White wine vinegar, 1/3 c.
• Dijon mustard, 2 T.
• Olive oil, 1/4 c.
• Salmon or Tuna, fresh, 1.25 pounds – 4 uniform slices
• Potatoes, red skin or new, 1 pound, scrubbed well
• Green beans, 1/2 pound, trimmed, washed
• Tomatoes, plum 2 large - sliced, seeded
• Capers, drained, 4 T.
• Olives, Nicoise, 1/3 c.
• Mixed greens, 4 c., washed

Directions:  Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit 

1. Prepare the dressing: whisk vinegar and mustard.  Add olive oil.  Set aside.
2. Boil red potatoes until tender, about 10 minutes.  Slice into 1/4-inch thick slices.
3. While potatoes cook, place fish in a baking pan, skin side down.  Drizzle 1 T. dressing on each piece.  Reserve rest of dressing.  Bake fish 5-10 minutes, depending on thickness.  Do not overcook.
4. Simmer green beans in water for 5 minutes, until just tender.  Drain.
5. Toss sliced potatoes and green beans with leftover dressing. 

To Servce: Place 1/4 of mixed greens on each plate and top with one piece of salmon.  Add 1/4 of the potato and green beans.  Top with 1/4 of the tomatoes, capers and olives.

Nutrition Facts for one serving:  470 Calories, 40% from fat (26 grams, mostly healthful unsaturated fats), 80 mg of cholesterol, 400 mg of sodium, 26 grams carbohydrates, 6 grams fiber and 34 grams of protein.

Menu suggestions  

Green Salad with Apples: Make a simple salad featuring mixed greens, red delicious apples slices, a few walnuts and sliced red onions.  Add a simple dressing by whisking 3 Tbsp. of walnut or olive oil with 1 T. of maple syrup. 

Bruschetta:  From the Italian word bruscare, meaning to roast over coals, bruschetta is easy to make.  Start with a loaf of French or Italian bread and slice 4 pieces, about 1/2 inch thick.  Toast under the broiler or on the grill.  Mash 4 cloves of garlic.  Rub each pieces of toasted bread with the smashed garlic.  Use a spoon to lightly break the surface of the bread and drizzle with a little olive oil.  Only prepare one side of bread.  Serve.  Other toppings can be added.

Dessert:   It is likely that your guests are looking to keep their meals “light” as well.   Both tuna and salmon are high in protein and healthful fats which makes this a filling meal.  A few gingersnap cookies with sauteed apples and cinnamon provide a fruity, spicy finish.  Or,try a scoop of raspberry sorbet with 1 or 2 small dark chocolate squares for a satisfying end to this heart-healthy meal.

On the 12th day of fitness, my trainer said to me – we need to shrink that belly!

12 minutes on the bike, 11 minutes walking

Now, don’t look surprised, no time for squawking!

Next, drop and do 10.  Yes, do it again. 

Roll over, add 9 leg lifts, followed by 8 high kicks.

Now it’s time for crunches, 7 sets will cover holiday lunches. 

Don’t worry, I’ll relax the pace, you are looking blue in the face.

Breathe and do 6 sets of knee bends.  Yes, we are still friends. 

Here are the FIVE POUND WEIGHTS!

4 bicep curls, 3 pilate moves for the thighs,

2 more times and 1 most important exercise.

At your next holiday meal, tell me that you wil be able,

 to push yourself away from the dinner table.

Look the hostess in the face, and say, “No Thanks, I’m full” with grace.

In January, I will be back, to keep you on track. 

Have a very healthy holiday!

All rights reserved – 2010©Wellness Press

My husband, Keith,  and I have always enjoyed active family vacations.  Last summer, I bought Keith a pair of trekking poles for his birthday and booked a long weekend to use them in the White Mountains of New Hampshire.    We were delighted to be greeted by snow-capped mountains as a background for the beautiful fall colors on the trees.   North Conway residents are  friendly: we met a great couple Joe and Mary, providing great trail selections over breakfast.  Our two favorites were Black Capped Trail, that has great views for modest effort, and a trail, famous as a favorite hiking trail of film star Bette Davis, Bridal Veil Falls and the Coppermine Trail (see photo below).

We stayed at the pet-friendy B&B, The Kearsage Inn, allowing us to bring our exercising-loving dog, Bailey.  It was a great location, but they only provided hot morning beverages.  The bakery next door was great for coffee and blueberry scones (take home  the cranberry, apricot whole wheat bread).  Our favorite breakfast spot was the Stairway Cafe, featuring homemade applesauce,  pumpkin whole-wheat pancakes and of course, real maple syrup.  It is also the first place we met Joe and Mary: such a small town, we saw them again at dinner.  It was great to see local residents supporting the restaurants!

A word of caution about hiking in NH – even the easy trails have some moderate sections.  The waterfall trail  follows a stream that you cross several times and gain a close view of the boulders.   Water-proof hiking boots and the trekking poles were a necessity to navigate wet leaves, logs, and boulders.  Trekking poles cost from $25-$200 – I chose a mid-priced trekking pole from LL Bean – the cork handles with a comfortable strap, spring-loaded feature, and two adjustment levels were selling points.  Trekking poles also help you to walk faster on normal trails, pushing your aerobic activity level a little higher to benefit your heart and lungs.  I really could not find a down-side to using them.

Spending  4-hours each day hiking is a big contrast to our normal routine.   As the days grow shorter, avoid the winter weight gain with a plan to actively enjoy each season.  Vist your local park, find the local rails-to-trails paths or  just enjoy a walk through your neighborhood.  Plan your next vacation to be an active one:  pack hiking boots, trekking poles and the family dog.  Fall into better fitness habits, today!