We have a small garden every year with a few vegetables and
an herb garden that I tend to cook with a lot throughout the year.
I just love
being able to walk out to the garden to grab what we need to make a delicious
meal. Some years we have a great crop and other years it can be a flop. We
have a slopped yard so all our planting is done in raised beds.
What we can’t plant, we purchase at our favorite road side stands from local farmers. On a recent trip to one of our favorite road side stands, I picked up an assortment of vegetables for the week. My eyes immediately are drawn to all the colors of the vegetables. There were several pints of cherry tomatoes, red and yellow in color. So of course, a pint of each of those came home with me. Instead of just popping them in my mouth to snack on, I decided to whip up this salad to eat on for a couple of days. During the summer I could seriously turn vegetarian because I just can't get enough veggies. Am I the only one?
Marinated Cucumber and Tomato Salad
2 pints of
cherry tomatoes (1 1/2 pounds tomatoes, diced)
1 large
cucumber, chopped
5 large
basil leaves, thinly sliced
3
tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2
tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon
sugar
1/2 teaspoon
salt
1/4 teaspoon
freshly ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon
onion powder (optional)
Combine tomatoes and cucumbers in a large bowl. Combine the
remaining ingredients in a separate bowl, whisk until combined. Pour mixture over the
tomatoes and cucumbers and stir until coated. Serve
immediately or cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
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Today is the start of a three day weekend for me. I had high hopes of what I was going to do around the house today so I could enjoy the rest of my holiday weekend. Unfortunately, I can not seem to get myself together today. I am just exhausted and need a break. So I decided to hop on and do a recipe post for you today. I have been meaning to do this all week but I have had a hectic week. So while the laundry is washing away, the dishes are soaking and the toys are thrown all over the house, I am taking a break. It will all be there waiting for me when I am ready to tackle it.
This pasta salad is so easy to throw together and really is yummy. If you are a fan of ranch you will love this. This is a nice change from the traditional italian pasta salad.
I had my little helper in the kitchen again, she loves chopping veggies for me. My cutting board that my dad made me has separated, until I get it fixed its the perfect size for my little chef. I give her a butter knife and she has only nicked herself once or twice. What you do not see is she was chopping these and munching at the same time, so not many cucumbers made it into the bowl! She is a veggie lover like her moma.
Cook the rotini noodles according to package directions. While the noodles are cooking, chop your veggies. Place the cucumbers and tomatoes into a bowl. I add about a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar and season them with salt and pepper. Mix these together and let them sit and marinate in the vinegar and seasonings while the noodles are cooking. This is an optional step, you can just add it all in together if you prefer.
Once the noodles are done, drain and rinse them. Add the noodles to the bowl the veggies are in. Mix these together and then pour the ranch dressing on top. Mix the dressing in until you have the desired consistency you prefer. Place in the refrigerator to chill. Once this sits a while you will need to add more dressing as the noodles soak it up. Shredded cheddar cheese and bits of smokey bacon are a great addition.
Pasta Salad
16 oz rotini noodles, cooked and drained
1 bottle of ranch dressing
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
tomatoes, chopped ( I like to use halved cherry tomatoes)
cucumber, sliced and chopped
salt and pepper to taste
Boil noodles according to package directions, chop veggies and add into bowl with tablespoon of vinegar and seasonings. Once noodles are done add to veggie mixture and pour dressing over and mix well. Chill in refrigerator. Enjoy!
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