I like combining colors and texture and flavors. Iceburg lettuce rarely comes into our home because it is just bland and tasteless. My favorite salad base is either the Organic Baby Herbs or the Organic Baby Spinach. I don’t mind the other mixes either, it is just those are my favorites.

Once I have the base I like to add whatever is interesting, on sale or smells wonderful in the produce aisle. I just start picking up things. The other day I picked up this combination:

The base is the baby herb salad. I added strawberries, blackberries, Tuscan melon, cubed Fontina cheese, and a raspberry key lime dressing that is amazing.

Serve this with baguette or black olive bread. A light, crunchy dessert like  lemon-snaps will compliment this perfectly adding both crunch and repeating the flavor of the citrus.

Tuscan melon is very sweet, similar to a cantaloupe. You can use any combination of fruit in this dish, whatever is ripe and looks the best.

Raspberry Key Lime Vinaigrette

• 1/4 cup Raspberry jam (seedless is best)
• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
• 3 tablespoons Key lime juice (you can buy the juice in the juice aisle, or use Key limes when they are in season.)
• 1/4 cup sugar
• Pulp from 1/4 inch of vanilla  bean
• 2 Tbs walnut oil
• Pinch of salt

1. Make this one day ahead if possible so the vanilla will have time to infuse the dressing.
2. Warm jam in the microwave until it is a liquid. Add the rest of the ingredients and shake well.
3. Store in refrigerator

Yield: about one cup

image:Marye Audet

Post from: Baking Delights

One of the best tastes of summer to me was always my mom;s tomatoes vinaigrette.  They were an awesome side dish but I loved them the best spooned on a thick hunk of sourdough as a sandwich.

Incredibly easy, this only works with fresh, ripe, never-been refrigerated tomatoes. Nothing else will do.  For best flavor make it the day before and allow it to mellow out in the fridge. Serve it icy cold with ANYTHING and you have a meal.

The hardest thing about this is waiting for it to be done…for me the other hardest thing was figuring out the measurements.  I have never measured, just poured and stirred.   It is largely a matter of taste on the vinaigrette, by the way. DOn;t be afraid to add more or less sugar or pepper.

6 very ripe tomatoes, cut in chunks

3 onions sliced

1 c cider vineger

3/4 c white sugar

1 tbs cracked black pepper

pinch of salt

Mix together, taste for seasoning and cover. Place in refrigerator for 24 hours.

Image:Morguefile 

Post from: Baking Delights