My Favorite Summer Salads

There is nothing better in my book than being able to go out my front door and pick fresh tomatoes and peppers. In fact, my husband has caught me standing in front of my tomatoes, eating the tomatoes right off the vine. Hey, they are good!! To me, they are better than candy. I don't have a large garden by no means, just a few tomatoes, banana peppers, a cayenne pepper bush, fresh basil, chives and sage. A rather eclectic mix I guess.

There are 2 salads that I love to make, so I thought I would share them with you. 

The ingredients for the first salad are;

Fresh Blueberries  

Cherry Tomatoes, I like a mixture of varieties. This year I grew the red and the orange.

1 Banana Pepper, I like the hot variety

Toasted Pine Nuts

Feta Cheese, I like Bulgarian Feta the best 

Romaine Lettuce

I simply tear up my lettuce, sprinkle on the tomatoes, then the peppers, blueberries, feta and finally the pine nuts and serve with fresh ground sea salt and ground black pepper. I love the mix of the sweet blueberries with the spicy peppers with the creamy feta. I serve the salad with a raspberry walnut vinaigrette. And shame on me, I do not make my own. For those of you here in America, try the Newman's Own brand. It's my favorite.  

The second salad that I love is beyond simple. A friend of mine grows heirloom tomatoes. They are so rich in flavor. She too has caught me in her garden eating a tomato like it was an apple.
For this salad, I simply slice the tomatoes and arrange them on a plate. Sprinkle the tomatoes with fresh ground sea salt, and a little red pepper. I then chop a small hand full of fresh basil and sprinkle it over the tomatoes. The next layer is crumbled feta and chopped fresh chives. I then sprinkle on a good quality olive oil and about a tablespoon of balsamic vinegar. I top it off with a little fresh ground black pepper and I have lunch! I like to serve the salad with a piece of French bread as the sauce that is left on the plate is too good to leave behind and the French bread is perfect for sopping it up.

If you have a favorite salad concoction, let me know. I'd love to give it a try!