Cherry Tomato Salad with Chives and Lemon
This incredibly-fresh salad should be made right ahead of serving.
Ingredients:
2 pints cherry tomatoes
2 lemons
1 tablespoon sugar
2 tablespoons minced fresh chives
1 tablespoon minced fresh mint leaves
2 tablespoons olive oil
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper
Method:
1. With a knife, cut the peel and white pith from lemons; discard. Cut each lemon crosswise into thin slices; remove seeds if necessary.
2. In medium bowl, toss lemon slices, tomatoes, and remaining ingredients, seasoning generously with salt and pepper. Serve immediately.
Cherry Tomato, Cucumber & Mint Salad
This low-maintenance salad is light and bright—perfect for a picnic!
Ingredients:
2 medium cucumbers, peeled, halved lengthwise, seeded and sliced crosswise 1/4 inch thick
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
1 teaspoon kosher salt
½ cup crème fraîche
¼ cup minced shallots
¼ cup finely chopped mint
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
½ teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
Freshly ground pepper
Method:
1. In a colander set over a bowl, toss the cucumbers with the salt and let stand for 1 hour. Rinse the cucumbers and pat dry.
2. In a medium bowl, mix the crème fraîche with the shallots, mint, lemon juice and zest and a generous pinch of pepper. Add the cucumbers and tomatoes, toss to coat and refrigerate for a few hours. Stir the salad just before serving.
Chickpea Salad with Cherry Tomatoes, Peppers & Feta
This simple salad comes together in minutes, and travels well for lunches or picnics!
Ingredients:
2 cups baby chickpeas
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
1 cup mini Bell peppers, seeded and thinly sliced
½ cup sweet Skagit onion, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
½ cup crumbled feta cheese
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
¼ cup olive oil
1 clove garlic, crushed
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper
Chopped baby red Romaine (optional)
Method:
1. Rinse and drain chickpeas. In a large bowl, combine chickpeas, cherry tomatoes, peppers, onion and fresh parsley. Season lightly with salt and pepper.
2. In small bowl, whisk together olive oil, lemon juice and crushed garlic, seasoning to taste with salt and pepper. Drizzle dressing over chickpea mixture, and top with crumbled feta cheese. Serve alone, or over a bed of Romaine lettuce drizzled lightly with additional olive oil and lemon juice.
Cherry Tomato-Beet Salad
Topped with a mustard-balsamic dressing, this cherry tomato and roasted beet salad is incredibly flavorful.
Ingredients:
4 medium-sized beets
3 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
3 tablespoons combined fresh herbs, such as basil, parsley and sculpit
2 tablespoons chopped shallots
1 tablespoon capers
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper
Method:
1. Preheat oven to 400°.
2. Trim roots and stems from beets. Pierce beets with a fork, and wrap in foil. Bake at 400° for 1 hour or until tender. Cool; peel beets and cut into ¼-inch-thick slices.
3. Combine the herbs, shallots, capers, olive oil, balsamic vinegar and mustard in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk. Combine cherry tomatoes and about 5 teaspoons of the dressing; toss to coat. Divide sliced beets and dressed cherry tomatoes evenly among 6 plates. Drizzle each serving with about 3 teaspoons of the remaining dressing. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Quinoa Salad with Tomatoes, Cucumber & Coriander
This tabbouleh-inspired salad is fresh and light thanks to an infusion of summer produce and herbs.
Ingredients:
1 cup quinoa
2 cups cherry tomatoes, sliced in half and quarters if large
1 large cucumber, seeds removed, cut into ½-inch pieces
2 small shallots, minced
½ cup green coriander leaves, roughly chopped
¼ cup fresh mint leaves, roughly chopped
5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper
Method:
1. Combine quinoa, 2 cups water and a large pinch of salt in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, stir, reduce heat to low, cover, and cook for 7 minutes. Shut off heat and let rest until water is absorbed, about 5 minutes longer. Transfer quinoa to a fine mesh strainer and rinse under cold water until thoroughly chilled. Let drain for 10 minutes.
2. While quinoa cooks, combine tomatoes and cucumbers in a colander. Season with salt and toss to coat. Let drain in sink until ready to combine with quinoa.
3. In a large bowl, toss drained quinoa, drained tomatoes and cucumbers, shallots, parsley, mint, olive oil, and red wine vinegar. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve immediately, or for best flavor, let rest overnight in a sealed container in the refrigerator. Salad can be stored in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Lemon Risotto with Cherry Tomatoes & Fresh Summer Herbs
This bright risotto showcases bright herbs and juicy cherry tomatoes—just remember to keep stirring!
Ingredients:
1½ cups Arborio rice
4 cups warm chicken stock
8 tablespoons butter
½ cup white wine (if desired)
½ shallot, finely chopped
1-2 tablespoons chopped garlic (if desired)
1¼ cups grated Grana cheese
Juice and zest of 1 lemon
1 pint cherry tomatoes, washed and halved
3 tablespoons combined fresh herbs, such as parsley, mint and oregano, all chopped
Method:
1. In a saucepan, bring the chicken stock to a boil and then turn down to a simmer to keep hot. In another large saucepan over medium low heat, melt 4-5 tablespoons of butter and cook the garlic until soft but not brown.
2. Add the shallot and continue cooking for about 2 minutes. Turn the heat up and add the Arborio rice. Stir for about one minute.
3. Add a ladleful of stock to the rice and continue stirring until almost absorbed. Add another ladleful of stock and the wine and continue stirring; repeat until all the stock is gone and the rice is creamy and tender.
4. Stir in the remaining butter, lemon juice and lemon zest. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Top with the cherry tomatoes, fresh herbs and a healthy grating of Grana cheese and serve immediately.
Slow-Roasted Sungold Cherry Tomatoes
Incredibly sweet and juicy, these roasted beauties are wonderful atop crostini.
Ingredients:
1 pound Sungold cherry tomatoes, or a mixture of both cherry tomatoes and diced heirloom tomatoes
1 tablespoon olive oil
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper
Method:
1. Preheat oven to 300°. Place a wire rack inside a rimmed baking sheet. Brush the tomatoes with oil, then season with salt and pepper. Transfer the tomatoes to the prepared rack
2. Roast the tomatoes until skins are shriveled but tomatoes are still plump, about 1 1/2 hours. Let tomatoes and their juices cool to room temperature.
Variations: For added punch, toss tomatoes with your favorite fresh herb, such as thyme or oregano, or minced garlic, before roasting.
Heirloom Tomato & Grilled Focaccia Bread Salad
The beauty of this summery salad is in its simplicity: Be sure to use good-quality olive oil and season generously!
Ingredients:
4 cups focaccia bread, cut into large cubes
2-3 heirloom tomatoes, sliced
½ cup basil-infused olive oil
¼ cup fresh basil leaves, thinly sliced
¼ cup freshly-crumbled chevre cheese
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper
Method:
1. Preheat a grill or grill pan to medium-high heat. Toss the focaccia cubes with about 2 tablespoons of the olive oil. Grill the bread cubes until lightly charred, turning frequently with tongs. (A grill basket works well for this if you have it; otherwise watch that you don’t lose the croutons down the grate!) Remove from the grill and reserve.
2. On a large platter, arrange the heirloom tomato slices and drizzle with the remaining olive oil, and season generously with salt and pepper. Garnish with the chopped basil, feta and grilled bread croutons and drizzle with another swirl of olive oil and, if desired, balsamic vinegar as well.
Beet Salad with Chive Blossom Vinaigrette
Tossed with a light, honey-kissed vinaigrette and freshly-roasted beets, this salad sings of springtime.
Ingredients:
1 pound spring salad mix
1 bunch baby beets, scrubbed and trimmed of greens
¼ cup crumbled blue cheese
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper
Minced chive blossoms
For vinaigrette:
¾ cup olive oil
¼ cup chive blossom vinegar (see recipe)
2 cloves garlic, minced
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper
Method:
1. To roast beets, preheat the oven to 350° and place the beets in a roasting pan and coat with oil, salt and freshly ground black pepper. Add the water to the pan and cover with foil. Roast the beets until they are tender, approximately 45 minutes to 1 hour. Let them cool until just warm enough to handle. Use a towel to gently rub off the skin (this is much easier when they are still warm). Cut into bite-sized pieces.
2. To prepare the vinaigrette, whisk together the olive oil, chive blossom vinegar and garlic, plus sea salt and pepper to taste, in a small bowl until combined.
3. In a large salad bowl or serving tray, arrange washed salad greens, then top with beets. Drizzle with chive blossom vinaigrette, then top with crumbled cheese, chive blossoms and a few grinds of pepper.
Heirloom Tomato Salad with Roasted Sweet Onions
Roasted sweet onion adds a wonderful depth of flavor to this refreshing salad.
Ingredients:
2 sweet onions, peeled and sliced into ½-inch-thick rings
2 heirloom or other summer tomatoes, chopped
2 small ears of corn, shucked, blanched and kernels removed
1 scallion, diced
5 tablespoons olive oil, divided
2 teaspoons sherry vinegar
1 teaspoon honey
10 basil leaves, thinly sliced
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper
Method:
1. Preheat oven to 400°. Arrange the sliced onion rings on a baking sheet and drizzle with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and sprinkle generously with sea salt, tossing to coat onions on both sides. Roast for 40 minutes, flipping halfway through until onions are brown and soft. Remove from onion, allow to cool, then roughly chop.
2. In a large bowl, add the chopped tomatoes, corn kernels and scallion. Add roasted onions and toss with 1 tablespoon olive oil and a generous sprinkling of salt and pepper.
3. In a small bowl, whisk together honey with sherry vinegar, then add remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil, and salt and pepper then whisk well to combine. Drizzle dressing over the salad to taste and top with basil.