Now THIS is what I call Summer!

     A bit of a delay here, I keep patiently (ahem) waiting for my neighbor to put a post in (the aforementioned 'guest writer'), but alas, she has shown me the amazing photos, but has not yet applied fingers to the keyboard.  Hopefully soon, and then you can see this amazing dish that I had at her house recently.  And, make it for yourself, should you be so inspired.
     In the interim, life goes on, the garden grows and grows and grows.  Morgan and I affectionately term our gardens 'fecund,' to try to capture the amazing lushness and fertility that abounds at this time of year.  It never ceases to amaze me.  I weed and prune and rip out plants every spring.  Indeed, I did even more of that this spring, swearing to avoid the sense that it all is completely overgrown and out of control by July.
     Well, here it is July, and you wouldn't be able to tell.  Overgrown again.  I believe that the growth is even more abundant at this early part of July than is average.  Perhaps we had the right combination of rain and sun.
      So, there I am, out in said lush locale today, and, whilst weeding, discover that my beans (precious haricot verts) have an adequate supply for a meal.  Well, not an entire meal, but to participate in one.  Somehow, whenever the beans start to ripen, I am inspired to make Salade Nicoise.  Or my version  of it.
     Tuna may be traditional, and it's ok, but truly, grilled sockeye salmon is the one to use in my book.  Add to that the beans, and yes, potatoes, cherry tomatoes.   That is where things start to morph.  I like to add eggs, boiled, but still very moist in the yolk.  I also added (I forgot it for the photo) marinated mozzarella balls.  And salad greens as the base.  And some chopped cucumber.  There is a lemon vinaigrette to tie it all together, and a lovely basil chiffonnade to top it off.

     What pleases me as well, is that the beans, the greens, the basil, the cuke and the eggs all came from my little urban homestead (well, the eggs are from the aunties next door, as my girls are not laying quite yet).
     So, perhaps not quite a Salade Nicoise per se, but a Northwest interpretation of it, sans anchovies.
No recipe here, but with a description and a photo, one could duplicate this, provided you, too, have a garden which is fecund.