summer heirloom double tomato salad.

for family events, i usually offer to bring one dish (in this instance, caprese salad which we did on crostini this time) and then, like on sunday, end up bringing a green salad, triple fruit crumble, kalamata tapenade with black pepper crackers and fresh fig plate with walnuts and honey. i planned to bring just the caprese, but our kitchen was bursting with food, so there it is. five dishes (six, if you count the garlic miso pickles i made for the birthday girl). since i'm a vegan, my family requests that i bmof (bring my own food), so i opted for a green salad. however, when i got to the site of the party, it was 94 degrees and despite the best efforts of our cooler, the lettuce wilted and browned. therefore, i improvised this salad instead.

summer heirloom double tomato salad

4-6 heirloom tomatoes, chopped (this season, i'm kind of in love with white queens and german greens — hey! that rhymes!)
1 cup fresh basil, torn
1 cup sliced hearts of palm
1 tbsp. lightly-toasted pine nuts
freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 tbsp. tomato dressing (recipe follows)

mix all ingredients, except pine nuts, together gently. top with pine nuts. serve at room temperature.

tomato dressing

1 heirloom tomato, chopped
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 tsp. red wine vinegar
1 tsp. dijon mustard 
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1/4 tsp. sea salt

place all ingredients, except olive oil, in a blender. process until smooth. while blender is running, add in olive oil until emulsified. serve at room temperature. refrigerate unused portion for up to one week.

photo credit: sustainable table.