In the summer, a favorite pastime of mine is visiting the local Farmer's Market and shopping in the warm sunshine. In Muskogee, the farmer's set their fresh-from-the farm produce out on tailgates and card tables, and you can expect everything from carrots and tomatoes to free trees from the Park Service. But on a cold winter day like today, the profusion of colors and lively music are something one can only dream about.
To bring back that fresh-from-the-farm feeling, my next recipe is from Better Homes and Gardens Farmer's Market Cookbook
. This cookbook has 200 cream-of-the-crop recipes that feature over fifty different fruits and vegetables from apples and zucchini to artichokes and sweet peppers.
. This cookbook has 200 cream-of-the-crop recipes that feature over fifty different fruits and vegetables from apples and zucchini to artichokes and sweet peppers.
Per Serving: Calories 182, Total Fat 13g
Yellow Pepper and Red Tomato Salad
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil or salad oil
- 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar (I am substituting apple cider vinegar)
- 1 tablespoon thinly sliced green onion or snipped fresh chives
- 2 teaspoons snipped fresh basil or 1/2 teaspoon dried basil, crushed
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon Dijon-style mustard
- 1/8 teaspoon pepper
- 3 large yellow sweet peppers, thinly sliced into rings (about 3 cups)
- 3 large red tomatoes, sliced
- Spinach leaves
- 2/3 cup crumbled Gorgonzola cheese or blue cheese (3 ounces)
Preparation
Dressing-
1) In a screw-top jar, combine olive oil or salad oil, vinegar, green onion or chives, basil, sugar, mustard, and pepper. Cover and shake well. Chill if desired.
In a skillet-
2) Cook sweet pepper rings, covered, in a small amount of boiling water for 1 to 2 minutes or just till crisp-tender. Drain and cool. Chill if desired.
To serve-
3) Arrange tomato slices and sweet pepper rings on a spinach-lined platter. Sprinkle crumbled cheese atop salad. Shake dressing well and drizzle atop salad.
This is a delicious and gorgeous salad. I feel like it is summertime again. Even though the temperatures seem to be on a permanent downward spiral, summer is always just around the corner. What recipe brings back that fresh-from-the-farm feeling for you?
