How to Use the Plants from Your Garden in a Tomato with Avocado Salad Dish and Other Recipes

The plants in your garden will be maturing quite soon and you will have a lot of fresh foods for use in your kitchen and this includes creating dishes like Tomato with Avocado salad or a Greek Salad with a hummus recipe for dipping pita bread. As soon as your vegetable garden has started producing food for you, you should have recipes that make use of fresh herbs to create your herb dressing. You can also use some fresh vegetables in very imaginative ways as well. Some recipes are listed below to give you the most enjoyment when it comes to salads and salad dressings.

When your tomatoes start to give up dozens of their fruit give some away, but better yet here are some recipes, and a great one for Tomato with Avocado salad, that you can use for your family or a weekend get together along with other people you know such as family or friends.

** ~Dress Up~ your Tomatoes with an Herb Dressing**:

Use three or four of your fresh tomatoes, peel them if you wish and slice them any thickness you want. Then slice some Red Onion or Vidalia Onions to place on top. Snip some of your fresh herbs like, basil and oregano. In a screw top jar, add a cup of olive oil or vegetable oil (or use half of each for flavor.) Then drizzle in 2 tablespoons of a flavored vinegar (balsamic, tarragon, garlic, sherry, or raspberry – change it up for variety). Add your fresh herbs. Let the flavors blend for about 1-2 hours before using, and shake well before adding to the salad. Next, sprinkle salt and pepper onto the tomatoes and dress with your Herb salad dressing. Here again, get creative, use fresh sliced mozzarella or grated parmesan on the tomato salad for another variation in using your plants from your garden.

You could use tarragon dressing to make the tomato salad a little different. Use the same basic ingredients but from your kitchen garden substitute one tablespoon tarragon leaves and 2 teaspoons of snipped chives for the basil and oregano. Here you should only use tarragon vinegar.

Regardless of the nature of herbs you that you choose, garnish the plate with fresh sprigs of the herb for added interest and color.

**A Chinese Tomato with Avocado Salad**

If you want a taste that is completely different, you should make your Tomato with Avocado salad along with five spice Chinese powder. You won’t have the Chinese powder but you can easily find it in a lot of grocery stores. Spices tend to have the power to create flavors which are subtle or powerful and the Chinese powder recipe easily proves this.

First peel and slice about 4 tomatoes then do the same thing to two ripe avocados. You can add some cucumber slices and make a bed for the salad out of romaine leaves or any leaves available for this purpose in your vegetable garden.

When you are done preparing the salad you can make the salad dressing with? Of cup of olive or vegetable oil (or half of both). You can then use two tablespoons or tarragon or white vinegar. Add 1 teaspoon of Chinese five spice powder, a tablespoon of finely chopped basil, &teaspoon of both lemon juice and salt, mash a clove of garlic, a pinch of dry mustard and black pepper and add it to your screw top jar along with all the other ingredients. You can then mix well and refrigerate it for at least two hours before serving over the salad. Here again use fresh herbs or the tomato peel twirled into a rose shape for garnishing the plate.

**A Green Chinese Salad, Greek Salad or Lentil Salad with Vegetables**

Let’s move away from tomato salads to a Green Salad, a Greek Salad and a Lentil Salad with Vegetables. The first is a delicious crunchy green salad which can be paired with a protein like chopped eggs or slices of grilled chicken or a starch, perhaps diced potatoes or chick peas to make a full meal.

**A Crunchy Green Chinese Salad**

For green Chinese salad you will need 1 cup of Chinese salad leaves or any vegetable garden salad makings which you have grown, or which you have on hand with you. Then you can chop one green pepper with the ribs removed, 3 tablespoons of lovage or fresh spearmint, finely diced celery and spring onions or ramps sliced diagonally. After you’re through with this you can mix it all together.

Your salad dressing will be a mayonnaise based mixture. Put four tablespoons of mayonnaise into a screw top jar with 2 tablespoons of orange juice, the grated rind of an orange, 2 tablespoons of fresh chopped parsley, 1 teaspoon of sea salt and 2 cloves of garlic finely chopped. Shake vigorously and chill for several hours before serving. Put a pretty garnish on each plate and you have a perfect summer meal.

**A Cool Greek Salad with Feta Cheese and Pitas with Hummus**

Nothing is more refreshing on a hot summer day than a cool Greek Salad. Start off by thinly slice a cucumber from your garden patch, chop your tomatoes coarsely, and toss them all together with 1/2 to 1 cup of feta cheese (Greek cheese found in your dairy aisle), and a dozen or so of Greek black olives. You can easily dress this with 1 clove of garlic chopped finely, 3 tablespoons of your fresh basil also finely chopped, 1 tablespoon each of lemon juice and olive oil (use only olive oil here), and some grinds of black pepper. You should then mix everything well and serve the salad on arranged beds of sprouts. After this you can serve it with hot crusty bread or for real treat heat some pita rounds and serve the salad with warm pita quarters and the following hummus recipe.

Hummus Recipe:

1 12-oz cans garbanzo beans

1 clove garlic

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

2-3 tbsp tahini sauce (sesame paste) found in ethnic sections or gourmet stores

Juice of 1 small lemon

? Tsp salt

Drain 1/3 of the water from the can of garbanzo beans into a small bowl. Set aside for later use. In a blender, mix together the garbanzo beans with the remaining can water and the rest of the ingredients. You can blend everything together for 1-2 minutes until a smooth, slightly fluid paste is formed. If you so desire, you can add a small amount of the saved can water and blend to create a more fluid consistency.

**A Lovely Lentil Salad with Vegetables from Your Gardens**

The last summer salad on our list will use fresh lentil sprouts and veggies from your vegetable garden.

You need 1? Cups of fresh lentil sprouts, one large red pepper diced with ribs removed, cup of broccoli and cauliflower flowerets each, and 1/2 cup of sliced mushrooms of your choice. You will also need dressing with kick so, in your screw top jar mix 2 tablespoons of sesame oil, 2 tablespoons of cider vinegar, 1 tablespoon of freshly grated ginger, 2 tablespoons of orange juice and 1 teaspoon of soy sauce. You should then shake the dressing until it has been properly and then you can pour it over the salad. If you want to add seeds or nuts to the salad for additional protein, you can do so as well as it is the perfect salad for this kind of thing.

These are five great summer salads which help you make use of plants that come from your garden. If you grow edible flowers like nasturtiums, you may want to add them to your garnishing collection as well. With your imagination and the different plants available in your garden you can create some great cuisine from the comfort of your kitchen.

Darren Williger is an over-caffeinated, low carbohydrate eating, winemaking enthusiast who writes for PlantWebsite.com, MiniGarden.com, and ContainerGardening.Net.

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