Warm Tomato Basil Goat Cheese Salad

Busy time of year for me. You too? I have several projects in the works--not all about food. I have some exciting things going on with my love of teaching too. Not ready for any announcements, but exciting all the same. Having my mind preoccupied with that makes it harder to come up with new culinary experiments. That is when I am extra glad my Diner System keeps me sane. I was looking at my menu for the week and realized the only testing I am doing is my Among Friends meal planned. Good to know all my old favorites serve us well. Maybe I will get creative again soon when life permits.

This salad really is not a recipe. It is a little different though, and in case you never thought of heating some grape tomatoes for a warm salad, here ya go! I was never too fond of raw tomatoes. I do have a love relationship with small tomatoes sauteed in olive oil, however. They take on a whole new taste. I often serve them as a simple side dish, but tonight, I decided to try a salad. I had seen some inexpensive goat cheese at Aldi and popped it into my cart. So in place of the regular green salad on the menu for tonight, I made this warm, healthy delight. I clipped fresh herbs from my herb garden. I always feel good growing my own. If only the grasshoppers didn't always eat my attempts at growing vegetables. Sticking with herbs this year, I think. I have a small globe basil that is doing great! I am growing lettuce too, and so far that is working well. I just grab a few leaves to pep up our regular iceberg and romaine mix. I pick a few, and my pots put on some new leaves. Loving that. Not sure how they will handle our Oklahoma heat later in the summer. No warm salads then, so I had better enjoy this one now!

Warm Tomato Basil Goat Cheese Salad


(for two, feel free to multiply for more servings)
1 cup grape tomatoes (or cherry)
1/4 cup chopped green pepper
3 tbsp loosely packed basil leaves
2 tbsp fresh chives 
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 ounce goat cheese


Dressing:
2 tbsp vinegar (mine is home made basil flavored vinegar)
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp garlic powder

Heat a saute pan with olive oil. Saute grape tomatoes for 2-3 minutes until they soften, shaking the pan frequently. Set aside. Chop the green pepper and herbs. Add the tomatoes to a bowl, stir in the herbs. Combine the dressing ingredients and pour the desired amount over the salad. Top with chunks of goat cheese and serve.

The goat cheese is creamy and the dressing is tart. The tomatoes pop with flavor. Add any other vegetable you like. The vegetables are almost trivial in comparison! You may have some vinaigrette left over, like we did. It will keep. I like to use leftovers on grilled veggies for lunches. I also like to make tuna salads with vinaigrette instead of mayo. Any more ideas for leftover dressing?