How’s that for a mouthful of salad and my latest craze for fast food lunches? Being the cook book lover and foodie that I am reading recipes is at the top of my list. So I tried an intriguing black bean and sweet potato salad last week from one of the magazines I read. It had an olive oil, balsamic vinegar, garlic, cilantro dressing with chopped tomato in it. How can you lose with some of our favorite flavors?
What I realized after making the salad was that it tasted very much like a tomato bruschetta with added elements. So the next time I skipped the recipe and made my favorite bruschetta mixture with fresh chopped tomato (2 medium), 2 cloves chopped garlic, 2 T. extraordinary olive oil, 2 T. balsamic vinegar, 1/2 cup fresh basil, salt and fresh ground pepper. (Let it stand a while to let the many flavors blend with each other.) This time I tossed it with some leftover cooked quinoa and a can of navy beans and we had another winner.
As long as you have fresh tomatoes, fresh herbs and, of course, fresh garlic the possibilities are infinite.