Thursday 6 September 2012

Simple Summer Salad

Summer is a time for relaxation. Many people take time off work to spend time with family and friends, travel, or lay in the sun. Summer's a time to forget about worries and take a nap in the afternoon. And let's not forget, summer's hot!

When I am relaxing I don't want to cook big meals, especially big hot meals. But I still want to enjoy yummy meals and new combinations of food. 

This simple summer salad of tomatoes, beets, and blue cheese is a perfect example of what I think summer cooking should be. It's no work, it's cool, and it still tastes great!

Tomato, Beet, and Blue Cheese Salad - serves 4

2 large beefsteak tomatoes
6 golden beets, peeled and cut into wedges
1/4 cup blue cheese, crumbled
2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and pepper

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Toss your beets with the oil and salt and pepper and lay them in a baking dish. Bake for 30 minutes or until soft and ready to eat. (This step can be done in advance on a cool day. You'll just have cool beets for your salad then.)

2. Slice tomatoes and divide slices between four plates. Top with a small pile of beets and finish with crumbled blue cheese. Enjoy!

This simple summer salad idea can be recreated in a huge variety of ways. Try using different kinds of heirloom tomatoes instead of the beefsteak variety, purple or candy cane beets in place of their golden friends, or another kind of cheese.

I'm going to try using a large green variety of heirloom tomatoes, purple beets, and a crumbled goats cheese next!

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