First Tomatoes of the Season: Recipe for Mustardy Summer Salad

The first tomatoes of the season in front of the Mortgage Lifter plant, June 2011.

On Monday I harvested the first of our tomato crop.  We had just four small cherry tomatoes fully ripened on the vine, but they were so beautiful and fragrant that I took a photo of them and decided to make a salad in their honor.

This salad not only showcased our first home-grown tomatoes of the season, it also used up the leftovers from yesterday's dinner.   I used a LOT of mustard in the dressing for this salad because my husband is mustard-crazy, but I've included a more modest amount in the recipe below.

Mustardy Summer Salad, June 2011.

Mustardy Summer Salad
Serves 2 (although can easily be doubled or tripled)

Ingredients:

• 1 cup steamed green beans-- still slightly crunchy, chopped into 1 inch pieces
• 1 large tomato (or a cup's worth of cherry tomatoes) chopped into bite-sized pieces
• 1 ear corn, cooked and sliced off the cob (keeping pieces as large as possible)
• 2 T fresh parsely, chopped
• 3 T feta- crumbled
• 1 t Dijon mustard (you can certainly use less)
• 2 T white balsamic vinegar or apple cider vinegar
• 6 T olive oil
• 1/4 t sea salt
• fresh ground pepper to taste

Instructions:

• Place green beans, tomato, corn, and parsley in a small bowl
• Make dressing in a small bowl or leftover mustard jar by mixing Dijon mustard, vinegar, olive oil, salt, and pepper in a small bowl and mix (or shake) to combine
• Just before serving, top vegetable mixture with dressing and feta and gently mix to cover all ingredients
• Enjoy immediately