Summer Tomato And Blackberry Salad Recipe

If you're craving the fresh taste of summer and don't want to spend much time in the kitchen, this tomato and blackberry salad has you covered. It's bursting with sweet juicy blackberries and grape tomatoes, crisp and crunchy corn, delicate zucchini ribbons, sharp red onion, and meaty pistachios. Some salty feta cheese, creamy avocado, and a mustard dressing finish this salad off for the ultimate summer concoction that can be enjoyed for a light lunch, a fancy side, or a bright and unusual potluck dish.

Wellness coach and recipe developer Miriam Hahn brings us this recipe and says, "When berries are in peak season I love adding them to salads for that delicious pop of sweet. It's also a nice change to make a salad without greens. Here we've got a mix of textures and flavors, and no one will miss the green leafies!" Keep reading to get introduced to a summery salad you can enjoy year-round.

To make this recipe, head to the produce area and pick up zucchini, blackberries, cherry or grape tomatoes, red onion, avocado, and fresh basil. You'll also need some corn, and you can use frozen, canned, or fresh off the cob (no need to cook it).

Then head to the dairy aisle and grab some feta cheese. Dairy-free feta works fine if you're going for vegan. Then put some pistachios in your cart or any nut or seed that strikes your fancy: Just looking to add some crunch to the salad here. To make the dressing, check your pantry for olive oil, apple cider vinegar, maple syrup, Dijon mustard, salt, and pepper.

Cut and discard the ends of the zucchini.

Using a "Y" peeler, peel the zucchini to create ribbons. Discard the first few thin strips.

In a large bowl, add the blackberries, tomatoes, corn, and red onion.

Add the zucchini ribbons and pistachios.

In a small bowl combine the olive oil, vinegar, maple syrup, Dijon mustard, salt, and pepper.

Add the feta cheese and dressing to the salad ingredients and toss.

Peel and chop the avocado.

Slice the basil.

Top the salad with the avocado and basil.

Serve the salad.

In this recipe, we are creating thin zucchini ribbons, but since zucchini is the king of versatility, there are several other ways to prepare it for this salad. If you have a spiralizer, you can make zucchini noodles by using the spaghetti noodle blade, and they will add an interesting texture element to the salad. Grating the zucchini is also a great option. You can do this by using the grating blade on a food processor. This is the flat disc blade with holes in it, not the standard "S" blade. If you don't have a food processor, a hand grater works also.

Two other options just involve using a knife. The first is julienne cut. Just cut and discard the ends of the zucchini and position it vertically in front of you. Cut ¼-inch long slices, then stack up the planks and cut again into thin ⅛-inch strips. Another option is to give the zucchini a simple dice, and lastly, you can cut the zucchini into half moons by cutting the zucchini in half lengthwise, then slicing each half horizontally into half-moons of your desired thickness.

If you want to prep the salad ahead of time, there are a few easy steps. To make the salad a day or two in advance, prepare the zucchini using your preferred method. Get the tomatoes and blackberries washed and store them in an airtight container lined with a paper towel. The corn can be cut from cobs or thawed and kept in a container in the fridge. Make the dressing and store that in the fridge in a sealed container also. When you're ready to serve the salad, add the ingredients you have prepped to a large bowl with the remaining components, and toss with the pre-made dressing.

If you want to make the salad earlier in the day, make the dressing and store it in a sealed container in the fridge. Then combine all of the salad ingredients except the avocado, and basil in a large bowl, cover, and store in the fridge. Then right before serving take the bowl out of the fridge and toss with the dressing. Then top with the freshly cut avocado and basil.