Tomato and Avocado Salad

My tomatoes are ripe!  It's the time I look forward to most during the summer.  Due to the restrictive space of living in a townhouse, as well as all the trees that make the space I do have very shady, last year my husband and I decided to put a garden on our roof.  Luckily our roof is flat, which makes this all possible.  It's been a huge success, and it makes me so happy to see all my little plants creating delicious miracles.

Tomatoes are in full swing at the moment, and I've been picking a handful of cherry tomatoes and one big tomato every other day or so.  Now don't get me wrong, I love them dearly, but you do need to come up with something to do with all this produce when it hits.  I have made my favorite Tomato Basil Tart, and tomato sandwiches, and eaten them fresh with just a sprinkling of salt and pepper.  But otherwise I'm mostly putting my delicious tomatoes in salads.

Of course, I'm out of lettuce at the moment (and the lettuce that is still growing in my garden has gotten bitter and yucky due to the 90-degree weather we've been enjoying), so I had to come up with something else.  I often make a tomato-cucumber salad, but tonight I wanted something a little different.  Fresh, and flavorful, and just a tad creamy.  And ta-da!  This salad was born.

I combined the cherry tomatoes with a regular-sized tomato because I love the contrasting colors, but you could of course use all of one type.  And if you're in a big hurry you can just toss on a little vinegarette dressing and call it good, but I think this is better because it doesn't overwhelm the flavor of the tomatoes.

If you were feeling gutsy, you could also add a little bit of feta, goat cheese, or fresh mozzarella.

This salad was so delicious and light and just perfect on a hot summer day.  Enjoy!

Tomato and Avocado Salad

Ingredients:
1 large tomato
8-10 cherry tomatoes (I used the Sungold variety)
6 large basil leaves
1 avocado
2 Tbs olive oil
2 tsp red wine vinegar
1/4 tsp garlic powder

Toss all ingredients in a bowl.  Let sit for 10-15 minutes to marinate, then serve at room temperature.

Makes 2 side dish servings or one main dish serving.