I’m not the kind of person to wish away a season, but when I look at this vibrant, gorgeous Tomato Salad on Yogurt, I can’t wait for summer. And by the way, we are halfway through April, which means we’re almost halfway through the year, which means we’re very close to summer, which means before we know it, we’ll be shooting fireworks on new year’s eve. A very scary thought, indeed.
For me, a lot of that time will be spent developing recipes and eating, so I guess there’s no reason to freak out. Life’s good. And I hope life’s treating you well, too. I hope there’s been many great dishes this year and your belly has been full. And in case you’re wondering what’s like being a recipe developer, part of it involves coming up with recipe names. Sometimes it’s easy and straightforward, and sometimes the best you can do is Tomato Salad on Yogurt. I could’ve gone with Tomato and Cucumber Salad on Zesty Spicy Yogurt, but that’s giving The Woman in the House Across the Street from the Girl in the Window, so I had to make some editorial choices.
As much as it hurts not being as poetic and descriptive in the title, I think the shorter name represents the simplicity of the salad: chopped vegetables on a bed of yogurt.
For day-to-day cooking, I tend to lean towards fresh ingredients and simple dishes. I like incorporating as much fresh, nutritional foods into my diet as I can, and I know sometimes that requires more work and more trips to the grocery store. I’ve been thinking more about this after listening to this week’s FluentlyFoward episode on nutrition theories. If you enjoy podcasts in general, celebrities and pop culture (my guilt pleasure), FluentlyForward is a great listen. Hosted by Shannon, who is so smart and witty, the episodes are usually juicy and fun, but sometimes they’re about conspiracy theories, and those are fascinating.
I urge you to listen to this week’s episode on the food pyramid. It’s important to know where your food comes from and the people who make those decisions for us. Who gets to decide what we should or should not eat, the kind of products being sold to us, what goes into a ketchup bottle. The episode is eye opening, a reminder we should all be having more conversations about the kind of information and food being fed to us.
This tomato salad is just a good example on how you can have whole foods that doesn’t taste or look boring, and that doesn’t require a lot of effort. You barely need a recipe, eyeballing works every time. The Greek yogurt adds a good amount of protein, and by incorporating layers into it, you end up with a very well-rounded dish that tastes zesty, spicy, and a little bit sweet. I love this salad, and it goes to show that as long as you have good olive oil, hot honey, and flaky salt, you have the building blocks of a great dish.
Tomato Salad on Yogurt
2-4
servings20
minutesIngredients
4 tomatoes, cut into wedges
4 Persian cucumbers, peeled and sliced
8 radishes, cut into wedges and halves
olive oil
1 cup Greek yogurt
1 lemon, zest and juice
2 cloves garlic, grated
hot honey, for drizzling
salt and black pepper
flaky salt
parsley, for garnishing
Directions
Add chopped vegetables to a bowl and drizzle with olive oil. Season with salt and pepper, and set aside.
In a separate bowl, add the yogurt, garlic, half the lemon zest, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Whisk until smooth.
To serve: Spoon the yogurt onto a serving plate, then use the back of a spoon to push it out to make a thick edge around the outside. Spoon the vegetables into the centre. Drizzle with olive oil and hot honey. Scatter over the lemon zest, parsley, and a grinding of pepper.
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