Vegetable Nicoise Salad

Whisk together the dressing ingredients in a medium sized bowl and set aside.

Cook the red potatoes in a pot of boiling water until tender, about 15 minutes depending on size. Drain them, put them into a bowl and drizzle with 1 tablespoon of the vinaigrette. Toss and set aside.

Bring 4 cups of water to a boil in the same saucepan used to cook the red potatoes. Add the asparagus and cook for 4 minutes or until crisp-tender. Remove the asparagus with tongs and immediately dunk the spears in ice water to stop the cooking process. Drain them and place on a paper towel lined plate to dry.

Bring the same water to a boil again and add the green beans. Cook for 3-4 minutes until crisp-tender. Use tongs to remove the green beans from the boiling water and dunk them in ice water. Drain and add them to the paper towel lined plate to dry with the asparagus

In a small bowl combine the drained and rinsed kidney beans and the sliced shallot. Add 1 tablespoon of the vinaigrette and toss to coat. Set aside.

In another small bowl toss the artichoke hearts with 1 tablespoon of the vinaigrette. Set aside.

Toss the asparagus and green beans in 2 tablespoons vinaigrette.

Put the lettuce leaves into a bowl and toss with 2 tablespoons vinaigrette then arrange them on a platter or individual serving dishes. Arrange the vegetables, kidney beans, eggs, artichoke hearts and olives over the lettuce. Serve with any left over vinaigrette and enjoy!

(Recipe adapted from a recipe in the April/May 2012 Taste of Home Magazine.)