Warm Tuna Nicoise Salad - 2  heads boston lettuce, pulled into bite-size pieces - 6 small red potatoes, boiled, and  cut into quarters while still warm - 2 cans Genoa tuna in olive oil - 1 cup haricots verts (green beans), blanched - 4 small tomatoes or 1 cup grape tomatoes,cut into quarters Dressing - At the bottom of a large salad bowl, mix together 2 T olive oil, juice of 1/2 lemon, 1 tsp dijon mustard, 1 tsp oregano, salt and pepper. - Add lettuce, warm potatoes, tuna with oil, green beans and tomatoes. Sprinkle with dressing and toss together.   - Serve with crusty bread and, if you like, lentil soup, to feed a hungry family of four to six people.

Serve these recipes together for a quick and deeply nourishing, "It's cold outside," meal.

French Lentil Soup with Vegetables - 1 onion, diced - 2-3 cloves garlic, sliced - olive oil - 3 stalks celery, cut into bridges - 2 carrots, cut into half-circles - 1 medium zucchini chopped - 1 cup French (du puy) lentils - 1 can tomato paste or 2 medium tomatoes chopped - 3 cups water - 1 Tbs dried oregano - 1 tsp fennel seed - 1 tsp vegetable soup base or one beef boullion cube - Sautee onion and garlic over medium heat until transparent, add celery and carrots and saute until soft (about 5 minutes).  Add water, tomato paste, oregano, soup base and lentils. Bring to a boil. Then, reduce heat, simmering until lentils are cooked (10 minutes or so.)  If you need to add more water, go ahead. Adjust seasonings. - For a heartier meal, add cooked chicken sausage, sliced into rounds and/or 1 cup chopped greens (kale, collards or broccoli rabe).