labuznik

In an attempt to eat more fresh and seasonal fruit & veggies, I recently threw ingredients together and was pleasantly surprised at the tasty outcome.

I have become a fan of small round sweet cherry tomatoes.  I buy the ones that come in a square plastic container of both red and yellow.  With the mantra “what grows together, goes together” I decided one day to make myself a light salad with the tomatoes including feta cheese, roasted pine nuts, freshly chiffonade basil and a drizzle of olive oil to coat.  After my first version of the salad, I realized it needed a splash of balsamic vinegar for a touch of acid and a sprinkle of pepper (feta provided the salt).

As I’m sure this is not a new culinary combination, I was rather pleased with myself for throwing together such a tasty salad.  The possibilities are endless.  Just yesterday I swapped out the tomatoes and used tomatillos instead.  I also added diced English cucumber and red pepper in addition to the basil, pine nuts and dressing.  I had never worked with tomatillos before and assumed they were a green version of the tomato.  Yes, and no.  I probably would not use them again as I did in this salad as they were to acidic and weren’t really harmonious with the cucumber, red pepper, and other components.  But hey, I’m learning!

Moving on to something sweet.  I adore papaya, it’s my favorite fruit and at $4 per papaya, I’m not eating very many.  The other day while I was shopping I decided to splurge and get one.  Last night I spooned some 2% Greek yogurt into two bowls, placed 4 slices each over the yogurt and drizzled with honey.  Holly cow!  You can’t get much healthier than that!  And I was surprised at how good it was.

Another version with Greek yogurt is to add glazed walnuts and drizzle with honey.  It’s like a super healthy Sunday . . . well sort of . . . if you close your eyes . . . and try really hard to imagine it.

What are your favorite throw together dishes?  How about a favorite flavor combination?  I’d love to hear!  Tell me your story!

Bon Appétit!