Using Plants From Your Garden In A Tomato With Avocado Salad and Other Recipes

Plants from your garden will be maturing verystarch, perhaps diced potatoes or chick peas to
soon leaving you with an abundance of freshmake a complete meal.
foods for great culinary uses like Tomato with**A Crunchy Green Chinese Salad**
Avocado salad or a Greek Salad with a hummusFor your green Chinese salad you will need 1 cup
recipe for dipping pita bread. When your vegetableof Chinese salad leaves or any vegetable garden
garden starts to produce for your table, yousalad makings you have grown, or you have on
should have recipes using fresh herbs for an herbhand. Chop one green pepper with the ribs
dressing, and vegetables on hand to use them inremoved, 3 tablespoons of lovage or fresh
the most imaginative ways. Here are somespearmint, finely diced celery and spring onions or
recipes to give you maximum enjoyment oframps sliced diagonally. Mix together.
great salads and salad dressings. Be creative, useYour salad dressing will be a mayonnaise based
these as just examples and add a few personalmixture. Put four tablespoons of mayonnaise into
touches, consider your vegetable garden as aa screw top jar with 2 tablespoons of orange
living cuisine capable of any number of new twists.juice, the grated rind of an orange, 2 tablespoons
When your tomatoes start to give up dozens ofof fresh chopped parsley, 1 teaspoon of sea salt
their fruit give some away, but better yet hereand 2 cloves of garlic finely chopped. Shake
are some recipes, an especially super one forvigorously and chill for several hours before
Tomato with Avocado salad, that you can useserving. Put a pretty garnish on each plate and
for your family or a weekend get together withyou have a perfect summer meal.
neighbours and friends.**A Cool Greek Salad With Feta Cheese And
** ~Dress Up~ your Tomatoes with an HerbPitas With Hummus**
Dressing**:What is more refreshing on a hot summer day
Use three or four of your fresh tomatoes, peelthan a cool Greek Salad? Thinly slice a cucumber
them if you wish and slice them any thicknessfrom your garden patch, chop your tomatoes
you want. Then slice some Red Onion or Vidaliacoarsely, and toss together with 1/2 to 1 cup of
Onions to place on top. Snip some of your freshfeta cheese (Greek cheese found in your dairy
herbs like, basil and oregano. In a screw top jar,aisle), and a dozen or so of Greek black olives.
add ¼ cup of olive oil or vegetable oil (orYou will want to dress this simply with 1 clove of
use half of each for flavour.) Then drizzle in 2garlic chopped finely, 3 tablespoons of your fresh
tablespoons of a flavoured vinegar (balsamic,basil also finely chopped, 1 tablespoon each of
tarragon, garlic, sherry, or raspberry - change itlemon juice and olive oil (use only olive oil here),
up for variety). Add your fresh herbs. Let theand some grinds of black pepper. Mix everything
flavours blend for about 1-2 hours before using,well and serve the salad on arranged beds of
and shake well before adding to the salad. Next,sprouts. Serve with hot crusty bread or for real
sprinkle salt and pepper onto the tomatoes andtreat heat some pita rounds and serve the salad
dress with your Herb salad dressing. Here again,with warm pita quarters and the following
get creative, use fresh sliced mozzarella or gratedhummus recipe.
parmesan on the tomato salad for anotherHummus Recipe:
variation in using your plants from your garden.1 12-oz can garbanzo beans
You could use tarragon dressing to make the1 clove garlic
tomato salad a little different. Use the same basic2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
ingredients but from your kitchen garden2-3 tbsp tahini sauce (sesame paste) found in
substitute one tablespoon tarragon leaves and 2ethnic sections or gourmet storesjuice of 1 small
teaspoons of snipped chives for the basil andlemon
oregano. Here you should only use tarragon½ tsp salt
vinegar.Drain 1/3 of the water from the can of garbanzo
Whichever herbs you choose, garnish the platebeans into a small bowl. Set aside for later use. In
with fresh sprigs of the herb for added interesta blender, mix together the garbanzo beans with
and colour.the remaining can water and the rest of the
**A Chinese Tomato With Avocado Salad**ingredients. Blend for 1-2 minutes until a smooth,
For an entirely different taste and presentationslightly fluid paste is formed. If desired, add small
try making a Tomato with Avocado salad withamount of the saved can water and blend to
five spice Chinese powder. You won't be growingcreate a more fluid consistency.
the Chinese powder but you can find it in most**A Lovely Lentil Salad With Vegetables From
grocery stores. Spices have the power to createYour Gardens**
subtle or powerful flavours and this recipe usingAnd our last summer salad will use fresh lentil
the Chinese powder will prove it.sprouts and veggies from your vegetable garden.
First peel and slice about 4 tomatoes. Do theYou will need 1 ½ cups of fresh lentil
same to two ripe avocados. You can add somesprouts, one large red pepper diced with ribs
cucumber slices and make a bed for the salad outremoved, ½ cup of broccoli and cauliflower
of romaine leaves or any leaves you have grownflowerets each, and 1/2 cup of sliced mushrooms
in your vegetable gardens.of your choice. You will want a dressing with kick
After you have prepared the salad make theso, in your screw top jar mix 2 tablespoons of
salad dressing with ½ of cup of olive orsesame oil, 2 tablespoons of cider vinegar, 1
vegetable oil (or half of both). Use twotablespoon of freshly grated ginger, 2 tablespoons
tablespoons or tarragon or white vinegar. Add 1of orange juice and 1 teaspoon of soy sauce.
teaspoon of Chinese five spice powder, aShake the dressing until well combined then pour
tablespoon of finely chopped basil, ½over the salad. This is a perfect salad to add
teaspoon of both lemon juice and salt, mash aseeds or nuts to for additional protein.
clove of garlic, a pinch of dry mustard and blackSo there you have five great summer salads to
pepper and add it to your screw top jar with allhelp you use plants from your garden. Don't
the other ingredients. Mix well and refrigerate atforget that if you are growing any edible flowers,
least two hours before serving over the salad.like nasturtiums, to add them to your garnish. Use
Here again use fresh herbs or the tomato peelyour imagination and the different plants from
twirled into a rose shape for garnishing the plate.your garden for an unending, delicious, living cuisine.
**A Green Chinese Salad, Greek Salad or LentilBon Appetit and Happy Gardening!
Salad With Vegetables**Copyright © Mary Hanna, All Rights
Let's switch gears from tomato salads to a GreenReserved.
Salad, a Greek Salad and a Lentil Salad withThis article may be distributed freely on your
Vegetables. The first is a scrumptious crunchywebsite and in your ezines, as long as this entire
green salad which can be paired with a protein likearticle, copyright notice, links and the resource
chopped eggs or slices of grilled chicken or abox are unchanged.