{Baby Heirloom Tomato Salad: and a couple of salad dressing recipes}

Summary:

I want to share a little secret with you. I’ve recently become addicted to eating grape tomatoes…They are bite size, juicy and sweet…which makes them a perfect addition to any salad. This time I decided to go with a heirloom blend, I’ve never made anything with them before and let me tell you…they are just as good as the grape tomatoes. Plus…they are so colorful!! I mean the pictures I took speak for themselves. Who wouldn’t like to taste this colorful salad? I think it’s perfect for Spring and Summer. It looks so appealing, and the taste..well you’ve got an interesting mix of ingredients. Juicy tomatoes, crunchy cabbage and cucumber, sweet cranberries and yes…banana! The banana slices are an unexpected touch that will please your palate. And to top it off a little bit of herbed goat cheese. I love the creamy sensation of goat cheese, it’s my favorite choice for salads.

Nutrition wise – both the cabbage and cucumber are virtually calorie free since they contain a lot of water! Red cabbage also contains powerful compounds called polyphenols which have antioxidant, anti-cancer and anti-inflammatory properties. It’s also a good source of fiber and vitamins. For more information on its benefits check out my post on red cabbage here. The bananas are packed with electrolytes which makes it a perfect post-workout fruit. So after a workout whip up this salad to help replenish the nutrients that you lost.

Serves: 4

Ingredients:
4 cups of fresh arugula, spinach or mesclun salad
2 cups of heirloom baby tomatoes
1 cup of sliced red cabbage
1 cup of chopped cucumber – roughly 1 medium sized cucumber
1 sliced banana
2 tbsp of dried cranberries
1.5 tsp of herbed goat cheese – optional

Directions:

1. Wash and dry all the vegetables. Slice the cucumber, banana and half of the tomatoes. Chop the cranberries.

2. Arranging the salad: first add the leafy greens, then layer on the cabbage, bananas, cucumbers and baby tomatoes. Add the cranberries and finish off the salad by adding some crumbled goat cheese on top.

3. Serve it with your favorite protein or impress others by making/bringing this salad to your next dinner party.

 

What to pair with this salad? A BASIL VINAIGRETTE. I obtained this recipe, and a couple of other delicious (and healthy) salad dressing recipes from the Women’s Health September 2012 issue. I would like to share them with you along with some tips from the experts on how to preserve home made vinaigrettes.

…what is your favorite salad dressing recipe? Please share it below!