Summer Ripe Tomatoes!
No matter how you serve them up, juicy, ripe, delicious, tomatoes are tops in our book. We love using tomatoes that are canned in the winter, but during the summer they manage to slide into breakfast, lunch and dinner easily.
There’s nothing better than a plate full of the ripe beauties, just sprinkled with a little goat cheese, salt, balsamic and Italian seasoning. The zesty spice adds just the right pop of savory flavor to the sweet, messy fruit.
Italian seasoning is a mixture of dried basil, thyme, oregano, and often a little marjoram, basil’s softer and sweeter “cousin”. Its reminds of us the aroma and tastes of the Mediterranean and it works great with fresh tomatoes, as well as in your favorite red sauce. The herbs pack a potent nutritional impact to the dish as well. Marjoram was used by the Ancient Greeks and known as the herb of peace, harmony, and happiness. That is probably because it made them feel so great after eating it with the high levels of Vitamin A and C in it! Although dried herbs do not have the same high levels of some nutrients, they do still rank in the ORAC scale which means the antioxidants are kept intact during the drying process.
Super Easy Summer Tomatoes
2 Cups Spinach or Basil
4 – 5 Ripe Summer Tomatoes, sliced
1/2 Cup Crumbled Goat Cheese
2 TB White Balsamic Vinegar
1 TB Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 Tsp Italian Seasoning
½ Tsp Sea Salt
¼ Tsp Freshly Ground Black Pepper
Layer the spinach on a large platter, top with the tomatoes and goat cheese. Drizzle on the vinegar and oil, sprinkle with the Italian seasoning, salt and pepper. Serve up to an appreciative audience!