Cherry Tomato Salad with Buttermilk-Basil Dressing

Are your cherry and grape tomatoes coming in like gangbustersright now?

Ingredients

I am picking at least 7-10 a day and they add up so fast. Sometimes I give them out to friends and co-workers, and other times I am able to consume them on a daily basis.

Dressing and Tomatoes

I was able to make this delicious and healthy salad out of my cherry and grape tomatoes with only 5+ ingredients. It is creamy, without any cream. In a weird way, it could be a nice substitute for a potato salad, too!

Freshly Dressed

This salad is incredibly easy to put together and takes hardly any time. It would be an awesome addition to any summer picnic or BBQ.

Closeup

I ate these so fast I couldnt get a pic

Ingredients:

• 6 cups different-colored cherry/grape tomatoes, halved if large
• 2/3 cup buttermilk
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• 3 tblsp thinly sliced fresh basil leaves
• 1 shallot, minced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

Directions:

Put the cherry tomatoes in a large bowl. Season with salt and pepper and toss.

In another bowl, whisk together buttermilk, sour cream, basil, shallot, and garlic. Season with pepper.

Drizzle the dresing over the tomatoes and toss.

Southwestern Quinoa Salad

I saw a recipe similar to this in Food & Wine magazine a couple months ago. I passed it by because it was February (or thereabouts) and I wasnt thinking about summertime side dishes….When I saw it recently on foodgawker, I knew I had to snag it and try it!

Look at all those fresh ingredients

We had it on Memorial Day to accompany our marinated steaks and other assorted fare……We couldnt get enough of it!! It’s delicious. I couldnt find the Spike Seasoning that the recipe references, but I looked it up and just combined a couple spices together in my cupboard to give it a boost. I also couldnt use the spicy Ancho Chili powder because my parents cant tolerate spicy food, but I can only imagine how INSANELY AWESOME that would make it! Especially since it was already amazing without the extra kick.

There are so many fresh ingredients in this dish. And quinoa is a healthy grain and an excellent choice if you are trying to watch your carb intake.

Here is the dressing mixture:

Dressing

Here is the finished product:

Yum

Extreme Closeup

Here was our Memorial Day Spread – look at all those summer salads!

The Spread

Southwestern Quinoa Salad with Black Beans, Red Bell Pepper, and Cilantro

Salad Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup quinoa (rinsed if needed, check the package)
• 1 and  1/2 cup water
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped into small dice
• 1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1/2 cup thinly sliced green onion
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Dressing Ingredients:

• 2 T fresh-squeezed lime juice
• 1 tsp. Spike Seasoning (optional but highly recommended)
• 1 tsp. ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp. ground Ancho chile pepper (or use regular chile powder if you don’t have Ancho)
• fresh ground black pepper to taste
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Instructions:

Check the quinoa package to see if it needs to be rinsed (it often does) and rinse in a fine-mesh strainer if needed. Combine quinoa, water, and salt and bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer covered for 15 minutes, or until all the water is absorbed. Fluff quinoa with a fork and let it cool while you prep other ingredients.

Drain the beans into a colander placed in the sink and rinse well with cold water, until no more foam appears. Let beans drain until they are quite dry (or pat dry with paper towels if you want to speed it up.)

Cut out the stem and remove seeds from the red bell pepper and cut into very small dice (about the size of the black beans.) Slice the green onions into thin slices and wash, dry, and chop the cilantro.

When the quinoa is fairly cool, combine quinoa, black beans, diced red bell pepper, and sliced green onion in a bowl. Add enough dressing to moisten all the ingredients. (You probably won’t need all the dressing, but save the extra to stir into any leftover salad that’s been in the fridge.) Gently stir in the chopped cilantro and serve.

This keeps very well in the fridge for several days. The salad absorbs the dressing when it’s refrigerated, so it’s best with a little more dressing stirred in when you’re eating the leftover salad.