Category Archives: Vegetables

April 19, 2012 · 6:10 pm

Salad Making 101 & The Wedgie You Do Want

You little Salad-Lover.

Is that a compliment or an insult? Hmm.

Either way, being a salad-lover is often what people associate most with a “healthy” eater. Am I right?

I am one, and I have no shame.

Shocking, I know.

I could probably could eat one everyday without getting sick of it.

Notice I said eat one, not eat the same one everyday.

Is this you?

If so, welcome to Salad Making 101.

We’ll start with Rule #1. And that says a lot, coming from a little lady who hates rules while cooking. But it’s because there really is only one rule.

#1.  You’ve got it mix it up. Otherwise you’ll get Salad Burnout {the very serious aversion to making your own salads, in particular. This may or may not include ordering salads at restaurants}.

Those of you who think you don’t like salad, probably have a bad case of Salad Burnout. Or, your concept of salad is wilted old lettuce and some sad carrot shreds, which {quick news flash}, no one likes. You probably learned one or two basic salad recipes and made them all the time on your last “eat healthy/lose a few lbs/this is what healthy people do” sort of kick.

And then, that ended. Because no one can eat the same thing or close to it everyday and be a happy person. And that’s actually a good thing. You need variety in your food, to get access to all the different vitamins, minerals and nutrients.

So. Everyone. It’s time to mix it up. Salads can be great MEALS if you give them a little attention, especially as we head into summer, when everyone craves lighter, refreshing meals that don’t weigh them down. In fact, they can be one of the healthiest meals around, if you let them be.

And no, I’m not talking about the ones loaded with processed croutons and bottled dressing all over it. Yeah. Right. Sorry to burst your bubble if you were happily telling yourself that.

So, how can you change it up?

1. Change Up Your Lettuce:

  • Try butter lettuces, green and red romaine, baby or full size spinach, arugula, iceburg, kale, or farmers market varieties. All have very different textures and tastes, and they completely change the salad as a whole.
  • Forgo the lettuce completely: some of my favorite salads have happened when I take out the lettuce. This creates more of a deli salad style, like my Chopped Greek Salad. A pro: you can dress the salad and it keeps in the fridge for a few days, making it perfect to bring for lunches or have around as an immediate topping dumped over lettuce for a quick dinner.

2. Add Some Crunch:

  • Slivered almonds or other nuts, sunflower seeds, toasted pumpkin seeds, chopped celery, jicama or carrots give a nice satisfying crunch.

3. Vary Your Dressing:

  • The easiest way? Switch out your vinegars in your homemade dressing. {You all are making your own right? Bottle dressings = poison. It only takes 30 seconds, I promise and you can make a bigger batch for the week if you want}. Try white wine vinegar, apple cider vinegar {great for digestion}, champagne vinegar, red wine vinegar, fig balsamic, etc. to get a different taste.
  • Sarah’s Everything Dressing/Marinade Recipe: 2 TB olive oil + 1 TB balsamic vinegar + 2 tsp dijon mustard + sea salt & pepper.
  • Try tomato paste, clean BBQ sauce {read your ingredients} or pureed avocado, instead of the dijon mustard in your dressings to thicken the consistency.
  • Add some dried herbs or chopped garlic: Dried herbs or chopped garlic in the dressing can punch up the flavor quite nicely.
  • Try lemon, grapefruit, orange or lime juice instead of vinegar for a nice light taste.
  • Forgo the dressing completely and use salsa, hummus or white bean dip instead.

4. Add Fresh Herbs:

  • There is nothing better than chopped basil on any salad, or fresh mint on a greek or fruit salad. Just try it. It really adds a lot.
  • Instead of buying the expensive and small packages of basil at the store, buy a potted basil plant at Trader Joes or any home & garden store. About the same price as the package, and it keeps on giving.

5. Beans, and more Beans:

  • So many varieties are great for adding more substance in your salad:
  • Try garbanzo beans, white beans, black beans, pinto beans, kidney beans, lentils or black eyed peas. Get crazy.

6. Add Clean Meat or Fish:

  • For a heartier meal, add some natural chicken, beef, turkey or lamb (grilled, shredded or ground), or wild fish (grilled or smoked like salmon).
  • Your seasonings for your meat or fish can become the center theme for your salad meal. For example, some cumin + garam masala + cayenne pepper transforms ground turkey or beef into a great mexican dish, while grilled steak marinated in unrefined sesame oil and scallions brings a asian-inspired theme to your dish.

7. Avocado It Up:

  • It needed it’s own section, for a good reason. Just do it and don’t ask questions. Healthy, satisfying good fat content and the perfect creaminess without any cream.

8. Turn Up the Heat:

  • It may sound strange, but adding hot dishes to lettuces like spinach or kale can give you a creamier texture:

9. Get Cheesy:

  • The best way to utilize cheese, in my opinion. This creates creamy little decadent bites throughout your meal. So many varieties to play with as well:
  • Goat, feta or blue cheese crumbles and small mozzarella balls work great; or parmesean, pecorino-romano and cheddar varieties are perfect grated over the top. {side note: real cheese is not orange in color. Is milk orange? You do the math.}
  • If you can, get some raw milk cheeses. They taste better and digest much better for most people, even those with lactose problems. It’s not a weird or scary thing, all cheeses in Europe are made this way. And they know their cheeses.

10. Keep it Simple:

  • All restaurants offer it on their menu, but a simple mixed green salad with fresh lettuce and a clean dressing can be a nice change once in a while. I love butter lettuce or mixed greens with my Everything Dressing, subbing out balsamic vinegar for apple cider vinegar. I could eat bowls of this. {Meaning that I do}.

Need another salad idea?

11. Try twists on old classics, like this week’s Wedge Salad, otherwise know {in my head} as the Wedgie. The Cool Wedgie.

Sorry, I can’t help it.

  • Instead of a heavy creamy dressing {which there is nothing wrong with if it’s homemade. I just don’t prefer it personally}; I used my Everything Dressing, and added crumbled gorgonzola on top. With cheese that has such a strong taste, you only need a small amount to get lots of flavor.

The Cool Wedgie {a re-make}:

{Serves 4)

Ingredients:

1 Head iceberg lettuce
1 Carton baby tomatoes, sliced
1 Cucumber, seeds scooped out and sliced
Gorganzola or blue cheese crumbles (or goat/feta if you don’t like blue varieties)
 

Everything Dressing (see recipe above)

Directions:

1. Cut iceberg lettuce in half from the stem. Cut away stem. Rinse both halves well, keeping them intact. Place face down on the cutting board and slice into equal sized wedges.

2. Arrange wedges on the plates, stacking a few pieces per plate. Sprinkle with tomatoes, cucumbers and cheese and drizzle with dressing. Sunflower seeds can be a great addition as well.

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March 8, 2012 · 6:49 pm

Sweet, Slow Roasted Tomatoes

I’ll admit it first, before you read another word.

This is not a quick recipe, although it’s twice as easy {meaning it could almost be considered not even a recipe, it’s so simple}. And versatile.

Well, they are worth it, any way you frame it.

Sweet, slow roasted tomatoes.

Sun-dried tomatoes. Warm tomatoes.

It’s fitting, really. I don’t know about you, but tomatoes mean warmth to me- the warm summer sun on my face, my toes, my shoulders. Sitting on our sun porch in Rome, popping them into my mouth as I watched all the Italian ladies scowl in their head-to-toe black fashion, the hanging laundry fluttering in the wind and the peppered and fast Italian conversations of our neighbors next door floating about. Being small, eating tomato sandwiches on toast- always with a sprinkle of salt, Mom said {just like her mom taught her}, before our summer bike rides, picnics or beach days. And now, the smoky smell of heirlooms from the farmers market, waiting for their starring moment in my own summer gazpacho recipe.

Heavenly.

And yet, it’s March.

Can you blame me?

At least we can pretend in the meantime. It’s time to turn those poor-excuses-for-tomatoes in the grocery stores into something better, something warmer and sweeter-like summer itself. Just to pump us up, like a practice round. Just so we can be really ready when it comes {repeat in head, over and over}.

All you need are baby tomatoes, olive oil, sea salt and an low heated oven. And maybe a little lazy weekend day.

Ingredients:

Recipe adapted from My Father’s Daughter:

Baby grape or cherry tomatoes (I used 1 large carton, but wished I did 2-3)
Extra virgin olive oil
sea salt

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325. Wash tomatoes and pat dry. Add tomatoes to a heavy baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and toss to coat each tomato with your hands. Sprinkle with sea salt.

3. Roast for 3-5 hrs. You can set the timer, run your errands, do whatever you need to do and come back to them later in the day without much work.

4. Add to a bowl and mash a bit with a fork for more of a sauce consistency, or keep whole.

These slow roasted baby bites are perfect in so many ways- on top of your turkey burgers or cheeses as a tapenade, mixed into a stir-fry, a garnish for twice baked potatoes, a sauce for spaghetti squash or pasta, to add depth in soups {decadent tomato soup anyone?}, as a twist in your pesto, or my personal favorite, alone and right out of the fridge. If you make a big batch, you can freeze them in smaller containers or by using the ice cube tray method like your pesto cubes.

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January 25, 2012 · 8:18 pm

Roasted Beet Salad {with goat cheese}

Beets. Always loved ‘em. Never cooked them on my own. They’ve always looked too intimidating to me- like a knife can’t even get to it. I mean, look at them:


Little tough guys.

But with such a high concentration of antioxidants, iron, anti-inflammatory & detoxification properties (not to mention great taste and color), I knew I had to suck it up sooner or later and learn how to make them.

Well, I did it. I loved them. And while they were a tad bit messy and took a bit longer in the oven than most roasted veggies, they were surprisingly not hard at all to make. And delicious.

In my book, they are good Sunday cooking recipe for the week- perfect in so many different ways, including on it’s own as a cold deli side dish, warm or cold on top of mixed greens, sprinkled with goat cheese, blue cheese or feta,  pinenuts, walnuts or hazelnuts, or with orange or grapefruit zest.

You can alter the basic recipe almost infinitlely. That is, if it makes it past 2 days in your fridge. Mine sure didn’t.

Roasted Beet Salad:

Ingredients:

5 medium beets

Dressing: 2 TB Olive oil + 1 TB red wine vinegar + 2 tsp dijon mustard+ sea salt & pepper.

Organic goat cheese, blue cheese, or feta cheese for finishing (optional).

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400. Scrub beets to remove dirt:

2. Wrap each beet in foil and place on a baking sheet in the oven for 1 hr.

3. When they are done, unwrap each beet to let the steam escape and let cool for a few minutes. When cool enough to touch, slide the skins off with a knife (this is the messy part). Note: do not use a wood cutting board or it will stain. Cut into rounds, then sticks, then horizontially into cubes.

4. Place cubes in a glass or tupperware container. Whisk your dressing together, then toss to coat, add any extras you’d like and refrigerate or enjoy. As with anything, they taste better the next day, so make it ahead if you have time.

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January 18, 2012 · 5:53 pm

Parmesan Kale Chips

Kale was just named the “healthiest” vegetable around last week, with the most nutrients per bite than anything else out there.  Heavy doses of vitamin k, vitamin a, magnesium, fiber, calcium, omega 3 fatty acids, a extremely high antioxidant count and detoxifying compounds. Impressive, right?

Also impressive {to me, at least} are those people that can eat plain steamed or sauteed kale.

If you’re not quite at that level yet {kale beginner}, these crunchy, crispy, dissolve in your mouth parmesan kale chips might be a much better place to start. So much so, you might even like eating them. To like eating all those vitamins and minerals = not a bad thing.

These little snacks were {9 & 10 year old girl} tested and approved this past weekend when I was doing one of my healthy eating & cooking family sessions- with screams- literally screams of delight- as they came out of the oven. If that doesn’t make you think about trying them, I don’t know what will.

Ingredients:

2 heads kale* (dinosaur, red or green or any combination of the two)

organic, extra virgin olive oil

organic parmesan cheese, grated (or nutritional yeast if you are dairy free)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325. Wash kale and remove inner stem. Tear kale into small pieces, or keep as a long leaf, depending on the look you want. I’ve done both, but bite size pieces are less messy to eat and easier to store.

2. Add to a large bowl, drizzle with olive oil and toss with your hands, so each leaf is coated evenly:

3. Spread on a baking sheet and sprinkle with sea salt and pepper:

5. Bake until crispy, around 25 mins. Remove from oven, sprinkle with cheese and place back in oven until the cheese melts.

Eating your vitamins never tasted so good. These probably won’t last very long in your kitchen. But if they do, store in a airtight container, for up to 4 days in the fridge.

*The volume of kale will reduce to half after they are cooked.

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November 18, 2011 · 8:43 pm

Thanksgiving Thoughts {and Recipes}

Thanksgiving.

Let’s talk about it. And the approaching holiday season as well.

For most, Thanksgiving marks the time of the year where people let themselves go. The 5-7 lb creep as the year comes to an end.  For some, even the anticipation of holidays coming makes them go off the deep end with their food, workouts and health in general.

People freak out because holidays mean food, and lots of it.  While the dieters and calorie counters out there get sent into a tailspin over the “heaviness” or high calorie count of holiday food, I actually think that traditional holiday food is a great thing. I love this time of year, especially Thanksgiving (weird, right? I love food if it’s not obvious). Most Thanksgiving food is  nutrient dense, real food that has been around longer than we have. Turkey, mashed potatoes, root vegetables, cranberries  & pumpkin for the pie? All seems real to me (same goes for your body when you digest it- it can actually recognize it and use it as energy).

So, enjoy it.

Every last bite.

And then, {after leftovers of course}…..be done with it.

I’ll give you a tip here. Just because it’s holiday season, doesn’t mean that every day from Thanksgiving through New Years is a holiday.

But most of us treat it like so. Just like the rest of the year, there is room for all the things you love and enjoy- baked goods, pies and desserts, wine and your special Starbucks drink. Just not every day, multiple times a day. Then, they are no longer “treats” but necessities to make it through the day.

Enjoy your food and savor it.  Don’t beat yourself up about it.

Pick the treats that you love and and savor those too. Don’t beat yourself up about those either. Just enjoy it.

But, a word to the wise- don’t get in the routine of having whatever you want, at whatever time, because it’s this time of year or because there is more of it around, because that will always be the case. As helpful as it would be for all of that stuff to disappear, its just not going to happen. So learn how to navigate it instead.

And, in more occasions than we probably care to admit, the real treat can be not having the dessert. Especially if you don’t care about it.

And let’s not forget that holiday season is not all about the sugar and flour based foods and alcohol, although some people easily forget that.  Some of the best veggie dishes I know of are in season this time of year, so it is possible to still eat great, healthy food that makes you feel good the next day too.

In honor of the upcoming Thanksgiving week, I thought I’d share my 2 favorite side dishes- Golden Crusted Brussel Sprouts & Nutmeg Spiked Delicata Squash. I can’t get enough of either one of these at the moment.

Here’s to a happy & healthy Thanksgiving..and whole holiday season ahead!

Golden Crusted Brussel Sprouts with Shallots & Rosemary Recipe:

Golden Crusted Brussel Sprouts with Shallots & Rosemary

Ingredients:

Brussel Sprouts

1-2 Shallots (optional)

Rosemary

Sea salt + pepper

Parmesean cheese (optional)

1. Wash and trim ends off brussel sprouts. Slice in half. Remove skins from shallots and slice into crescents.

2. Add brussel sprouts to a large bowl. Drizzle with olive oil and toss with rosemary, sea salt and pepper and toss to coat completely.

3. Heat olive oil in a large skillet and turn to medium heat, not too hot. Place brussels cut side down on skillet and cover to cook for a 5 min or until they begin to soften.

4. Uncover pan, turn the heat up, and let the cut side turn a golden brown. Then, add your shallots and toss around.

5. Serve hot with a fresh grating of parmesean cheese.

recipe adapted from Heidi Swanson

Nutmeg Spiked Delicata Squash Recipe:

Nutmeg Spiked Delicata Squash

Ingredients:

1-2 delicata squash

oragnic, extra virgin, unrefined coconut oil

nutmeg

sea salt

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 400. Cut off ends of squash. Stand up on cutting board and slice lengthwise into two halves. Scoop out seeds with a spoon.

2. Place squash halves flesh side down on cutting board. Slice into half-moon shapes.

3. Melt a few TB coconut oil on the stove. Add generous amounts of nutmeg with some sea salt. Cinnamon is a great addition as well as cloves.

4. In a large bowl, add the squash pieces and toss with the coconut-nutmeg mixture.

5. Roast and toss half-way through until each side browns nicely.

Yes, you can eat the skins. They taste even better the next day if you have leftovers, or for as easy appetizer, thread several squash pieces on skewers.

Happy Thanksgiving All!


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September 28, 2011 · 9:10 pm

{Secret} Cauliflower Mashed Potatoes

Last night, my friend Katelyn came over for dinner.

As dinner was served, we both started laughing. Only at my house would 3 courses of vegetables, all prepared in different ways, be normal for dinner.

Luckily she was a great sport about it all (bless your heart Kate) and even let me experiment a bit with the first round- the unusual purchase of cauliflower that sat on my cutting board. So, here we were. Me + the cauliflower (and the pressure of making it taste good for my lovely dinner guest):

During my staredown, I started thinking to myself. How could I make it seem like we were eating a more of traditional dinner when I didn’t have time to go to the store? Maybe she wouldn’t really notice a meal of all veggies if they were done in the right way- many different textures, temperatures, and tastes (side note-a obvious fail for this particular situation because she was right there in the kitchen with me and she likes vegetables, but you get the point. It didn’t stop me from trying).

Eating vegetables that don’t taste or look like traditional vegetables was my plan of attack, and actually it’s a great trick for everyone to think about.

You could easily trick picky eaters into eating more healthfully. Or get more vegetables in your day, because we all need that. What’s not to love?

Sneaky mc-sneakerson.

So, I started with the cauliflower.

It’s cauliflower moonlighting as mashed potatoes.

You know. The cauliflower with a black mask, leather suit, and cape on. Like the Batman of vegetables. Anyone? Anyone?!

Did that just slip out on my screen? Dear God.

What I really mean is that you can prepare it the same way that you would mashed potatoes, only it’s got a different nutrient profile to it.  And variety is always a good thing when it comes to food, especially for kids and picky adults, who tend to eat the same things over and over again. Nothing against potatoes (which I also love), but this looks like, smells like, tastes so similar, plus it’s in season right now, so it’s very fresh and very cheap. There’s even purple varieties out there this time of year, if you’re feeling crazy. And, it’s the easiest recipe in the world, anyone can do it.

Cauliflower Mashed Potatoes:

Ingredients:

Cauliflower

Sea salt + pepper

Directions:

1. Fill a saucepan with water and bring to a boil (big enough to hold the cauliflower florets once you cut and be submerged).

2. Wash and trim the outer leaves away:

3. Remove stems and cut into small florets:

4. Add the florets into the boiling water and let cook for 10 minutes or so, or until soft enough to sort of mash with a fork.

5. Drain cauliflower. Pour back into saucepan and puree with a immersion blender or dump in a real blender. Add water if necessary in the blender and puree until smooth. Season generously with pepper and a dash of sea salt. If you’re feeling really creative, chopped green onions, chives or garlic would be great too.

Get it while it’s hot.

And wipe that smile off of your face. People will start to wonder why you’re so happy at the table. The picky eaters might even ask for more. Stealth healthy cooking at it’s best people. Enjoy!

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September 13, 2011 · 9:59 pm

The {Superfood} Green Smoothie

It’s detox week next week around here.

That means lots of recipes testing this week.

You lucky ducks.

Amongst the few failures, a perfectly easy, delicious, true superfood (real food) smoothie emerged.

Never tried a green smoothie? They are a  great, easy way to get more of the good stuff in- whether you are detoxing or not. It’s the perfect go-to food, especially on busy days. I’m not talking smoothie shakes with fake, denatured protein powders, extra sugars, mixes or chemicals (many brands do, read your ingredient labels), but ones made of all real food.

Let’s be honest. We all need help eating extra veggies and nutrient dense food. So, a little sneak peak of one of next week’s recipes for the 5 day onvo detox if you’re doing it with me, or on it’s own.

For most, a detox means taking strange pills, starving yourself, or only drinking weird concoctions of liquids. Truly, a detox should be more like a vacation week for your body. Vacations are meant to rejuvenate and de-stress, so you can come back to your life even better, stronger, and more focused than before. We are good about this in society in taking our mental breaks. But what about your body? Your organs, your blood, and your tissues all need the same break, even if you try to do the best you can most of the time.

Eating real, nutrient dense whole foods is the best way to give your body all the good vitamins, minerals and phytochemicals that it needs, in a form that your body can easily absorb. So, naturally, when doing a detox (or just trying to eat better, if you’re starting off more slowly), the best way to go about it is to use real foods over synthetic supplements or stimulants.

4 ingredients- excuse me- 4 of the healthiest real foods in terms of nutrient density per bite- and ice. Did I mention it tastes great too? Now you have no excuses. Oops. So sorry.

Maybe you’ll forgive me when you taste it.

Ingredients:

1 cup blueberries- fresh or frozen

1/2 avocado

1/2 banana

3 (or more) large handfuls spinach

ice to blend

Directions: Add blueberries, banana and avocado with ice and some water. Add spinach once fruit is pureed and blend together. If you are a (clean) protein powder person, you can add 1/2 scoop as well with some more water.

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August 10, 2011 · 10:42 pm

Summer Roasted Radishes

This is why I should never be allowed to go to the farmer’s market alone this time of year:

Exhibit A:

The sad part?

I am hiding half of it (yes, half) behind the camera.

The best part?

3 days later, it’s all gone.

Even the impulse radishes.

They were so pretty.

I needed them.

You might too.

Roasted Radishes with Butter:

Ingredients:

1 bunch radishes

olive oil, sea salt & pepper to taste

grass fed or organic butter

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400

2. Wash and de-stem radish stalks. Remove bottom tail (I forgot this part):

3. On a foil covered baking sheet, spread the radishes out. Drizzle with olive oil, sea salt and pepper. Roast for 20-25 minutes until they get nice and crispy:

4. Serve with butter (I highly recommend this true french form)-or pesto, hummus, olive tapenade or whatever you have in your fridge. Don’t be scared of real butter, please. It’s very nutritious if you can find the organic version. Feel free to add fresh rosemary, tarragon, garlic or lemon juice to these as well for a more intense flavor.

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June 14, 2011 · 5:56 pm

Italian Zucchini Salad

Q & A: From my inbox this week:

Q: I love going to farmer’s markets this time of year, and it sounds silly, but I never know what to make with the food that’s available there. Any ideas?

A: Yes, it’s not a silly question- because farmer’s market’s are seasonal, not every ingredient in most recipes are widely available at that time, so you have to be a bit creative. A sure bet all summer long are zucchini and summer squashes, so give this Italian Zucchini Salad a try next time: it’s quick, fresh, and has a slight kick to it.  It’s a perfect make-ahead lunch or side dish for light summer dinners, and when you buy it from a farmer’s market, it will be a lot less expensive for the ingredients. What’s not to love?

Ingredients:

1 large zucchini

1 large yellow summer squash

fresh basil (or oregano, tarragon or other fresh herbs)

1 generous scoop organic whole milk ricotta cheese

1/2 lemon

high quality extra virgin olive oil for drizzling

red pepper flakes, sea salt & pepper to taste

Directions:

1. With a vegetable peeler, thinly scrape the zucchini and summer squash into long ribbons:

Zucchini & Summer Squash Ribbons

2. Add the ribbons to a wide bowl. Season generously with sea salt and pepper. Drizzle with your high quality olive oil. Toss and set aside.

3. Roll up basil leaves and snip over the bowl with kitchen scissors- as much or as little as you’d like. Any other herbs are great too:

Zucchini, Squash & Fresh Basil

4. Add a small scoop of ricotta cheese. Season with more pepper. Squeeze a 1/2 lemon over the top:

Zucchini, Squash, Basil & Ricotta with lemon

5. Sprinkle with red pepper flakes (use your discretion of course), toss and serve:

Italian Zucchini Salad, photographed by simplyrealfood

Notes: If you have the time, let the salad settle in the fridge for at least an hour (or overnight) before serving. Other great variations could include fresh garlic, goat or parmesan cheese, roasted baby tomatoes, fresh chopped mint, pine nuts or olives.

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May 13, 2011 · 11:37 pm

Simple Summer Heirloom Tomatoes

Heirloom Tomatoes

photographed by simplyrealfood

In honor of the first farmer’s market’s opening in the area this week,  it’s time for a fresh and healthy appetizer that oozes that sweet summertime feelin’. It can hardly be considered a real recipe because it’s so simple to assemble, but will become a favorite of yours I am sure- even for those non-tomato lovers out there. Perfect for a dinner party or meal all on it’s own.

A throwback to my days living in Rome, these heirloom tomatoes prove to be very much worth the extra cents for such flavor, as all Italians know. High quality ingredients means that you don’t need to use a lot of them for great flavor and presentation.

Mozzarella, goat cheese, a hard crusted baguette, and marinated onions or olives also make great variations.

Ingredients:

Heirloom tomatoes of different shapes, sizes, colors and varieties
Extra virgin olive oil
course ground sea salt & pepper*
chopped basil (optional)

*Fun fact: True sea salt will have a slight pink, gray, or orange tint to it, which is what you want. If it’s glowing white, your salt has been bleached and stripped of most of the natural nutrients. Grain size is just a matter of personal preference, so choose what you like.

Directions:

1. Slice each tomato horizontally in equal sized slices:

2. Arrange tomatoes as you like. Sprinkle with a generous amount of sea salt, pepper and drizzle with olive oil. Add a garnish of chopped basil if you’d like, although it is delicious without:

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