Heirloom Tomato & Zucchini Noodle Salad

So I don't know how the weather is by you but in the North East we are definitely having a heat wave one minute and a taste of fall the next. So if the weather by you is still summery and it's still too hot to really cook, you can make this salad in a matter or minutes.  If you made your chimichurri at the beginning of the week like a good little scout this will really take no time at all. I opted for a simple combo of fresh heirloom tomatoes and zucchini that I picked up at the farmers market but you can try out whichever ingredients you like - choose your own adventure.


Have a wonderful weekend!

Tomato Toasts

I served these tomato toasts up with broccoli cheddar soup for dinner.  They'd make a delicious & quick lunch or an easy appetizer.

Ingredients:

• 6 slices of hearty bread
• 1 large heirloom tomato
• olive oil for drizzling
• 3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
• 3 tablespoons fresh taragon
• salt & pepper

Make it!

1. Drizzle bread with olive oil.
2. Toast the bread under a broiler until golden brown, be careful not to burn them(!).
3. Slice the tomato into 1/4 inch slices.
4. Lay the tomato slices out on a cutting board & pour vinegar over all of the tomatoes.
5. Sprinkle each slice with salt & pepper.
6. Place the tomato slices on top of the toast.
7. Top with fresh tarragon.

Tomato, Beet, Avocado, Arugula & Walnut Salad

Sometimes it's a sandwich & salad kind of night at our house. Last night we dined on tuna sandwiches (courtesy of the hubs tuna salad) & this salad which was equally parts creamy, crunchy & tasty.

Since this salad is so easy to make, take the time to make it pretty when you plate it.  You eat with your eyes first, so make sure to feed them with a pretty feast.

Ingredients:

• 1 large heirloom tomato
• 2 avocados
• 1 large (cooked) beet
• 5 leaves fresh basil
• handful of walnuts
• 2 handfuls of arugula (or other lettuce of your choice)
• 1 tablespoon walnut oil
• sea salt & pepper

Make it!

1. Slice tomato, beet & avocados into equal sized slices (this may vary on the size of your fruits/veggies but closest to uniform size is ideal).
2. Coarsely chop walnuts & heat them in a pan over low heat for a few minutes until toasted (but not burned). As soon as you smell them take them off the heat.
3. In a separate bowl tear basil & mix with arugula.
4. Arrange the slices of tomato, beet & avocado in a pretty order on your plate, I like to alternate the colors like tomato, avocado, beet.
5. Top with arugula/basil mixture & toasted walnuts.
6. Drizzle walnut oil over all ingredients & season with sea salt & pepper.

PS: Happy Birthday Aunt Rosemary :) xx

Sprouted Kitchen's Tomato & Burrata Salad

I'm currently obsessing over this blog, I love the recipes & the photography & the messages.  It's a good blog written by a good person. You really don't need more than that.  I was inspired by some end of summer tomatoes & Sprouted Kitchen's Simple Tomato & Burrata Salad, so I mad it in my own kitchen. You can find the recipe here.

Burrata, by the way, is a basically a purse of mozzarella with a creamy center. If you've never had it you really just need to know that it's delicious & that's all.

Heirloom Tomato Panzanella Salad

Mary, my mother-in-law, makes this fabulous panzanella salad that I just can not eat enough of. I love salad - but add chunks of crusty bread to it & I love it more!

I found some amazing green zebra heirloom tomatoes at the grocery store & couldn't wait to make them the star of a simple dinner.  I didn't have all the ingredients for the salad that Mary makes so I made the simple tomato salad my mom always makes but I added yummy chunks of bread! 

Click through for the recipe & make this salad tonight!

Heirloom Tomato Quinoa Salad

Warm spring/summer nights make me want to eat healthfully. For dinner last night I served up this salmon with this quick filling quinoa salad.  Quinoa is so versatile you can literally add anything to it & it tastes good & will fill you up (read: Chris wasn't reaching for snacks after dinner). Last night I took advantage of some tasty heirloom tomatoes & other fresh spring veggies to jazz up my quinoa.

Click through for more pics & my quick recipe!

Tomato Stacks

Have you ever had an heirloom tomato? What about a kumato tomato?

If you've never seen or heard of them they're the tomatoes that look nothing like the traditional red tomato.  These tomatoes are uniquely different in color and in taste. They're green. They're brown. They're red.  They're orange. They're sometimes yellow and more often have a funky shape.  Sounds weird right?  It's not. Actually the more tomatoes don't look like the iconic round red tomato the tastier they are. 

This week I was able to spend some QT with one of my oldest gal pals (since first grade!),  Dawn.   We caught up over dinner this week. We started the night with some tomato stacks. They're super easy to make and go down well with wine. 

Make'em yourself!

Ingredients:

• 4 kumato tomatoes
• 1 ball of mozzarella cheese (who knows how much it weighs!?!?)
• 1 bunch fresh basil
• 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
• 4 tablespoons sugar
• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• handful of mini heirloom tomatoes
• handful of wild arugula
• salt & pepper

Make it:

1. In a small sauce pan heat balsamic vinegar and sugar together until it is reduced to half the original amount. Let cool.
2. Slice tomatoes and cheese so that they match in thickness.
3. Chiffonade the basil.
4. Make a stack alternating between tomato, mozzarella and basil until each stack is a few layers high.
5. Spear a toothpick with a mini heirloom tomato.
6. Spear the entire stack with the tooth pick to hold it all together.
7. Arrange stacks on a bed of arugula. 
8. Halve remainder of mini heirloom tomatoes and arrange around stacks.
9. Season stacks with salt and pepper.
10. Drizzle balsamic reduction and olive over each stack and the surrounding arugula.