This time of year tomatoes really start to take shape in the summer garden, as well as I find an immense variety to choose from at the local farmers markets.

I got the inspiration for this particular summer tomato salad from a fresh garden haul pick of tomatoes, a few cucumbers and fresh basil, all great flavors that I married together with chunks of avocado, citrus and other ingredients for an amazingly fresh flavored summer salad.

Sometimes the best inspiration for your real food meals can come from having your own garden.  Whether you have one pot, one garden bed, or acres on a farm, your fresh daily & weekly food hauls can inspire creativity in the kitchen.  Fun stuff… and as the old saying goes: “gardening is cheaper than therapy and you get tomatoes”.  Agreed!

This recipe is easy and really fast to make!  It’s paleo & vegetarian/vegan-friendly, ReBoot-friendly (week 1+), gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free and 100% real food ingredient-approved.

Ingredients:

2 cups cherry tomatoes or variety of small tomatoes (see picture above of what I picked)

2 big heirloom tomatoes

2 avocados

3-4 big cucumbers (or 5-6 smaller ones. you can use same variety or different- notice the green and round ball yellow cucumbers above)

1/2 – 1 cup fresh basil leaves (I used the basil flowers as well- see purple flowers above)

Dressing:

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 lemon, halved & juiced

1/2 teaspoon pink salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

Directions:

1.  Start by prepping all your foods.

For tomatoes:  slice different shapes and sizes. I halved the cherry tomatoes, as well as added some whole. I sliced big chunks out of the two big heirloom tomatoes.

For cucumbers: sliced & quartered.

For basil:  add whole leaves, chop some.

For avocado:  dice in different size big chunks.

See close up picture below showing variety of all.

2.  Add everything to a big bowl.

3.  Add your dressing ingredients all over.

4.  Toss everything gently with your hands so that all of the elements in the salad are coated evenly.

5.  Taste for salt and pepper and serve.

Really fast, easy, and beautiful salad that screams fresh, summer flavors.

Serve as a side dish with almost any meal, enjoy as a light main entree, even a great al fresco appetizer with a glass of wine. For meal prep & leftovers this was great for about 3 days in the fridge… it’s still good thereafter, just can get a tad “soggy”.

Total Ingredients Cost:

Not much at all as the bulk of ingredients came from the garden (avos & dressing ingredients are store-bought), but all the organic ingredients combined if store-bought would probably run around $10 and can easily serve 4-8 people depending on size of serving (picture just above shows piled high on a serving platter).

With garden-to-table ingredients, about $0.25 – $0.50 cents per serving.  Store-bought, about $1.50 -$2.00 per serving for local, organic sustainable ingredients.

Buon Appetito!