Light and Fresh Tomato Basil Pasta

Remember that summer salad I blogged about on Monday?  Well that was the precursor for this lovely dish at our house this past Saturday night.  I picked up some fresh grape tomatoes and basil on that same trip to Jaemor Farms in hopes of putting together a simple and fresh pasta dinner fit for the blazing temps that weekend.

I typically think of pasta as a heavier dinner option, but the lack of a thick cream sauce keeps this light while allowing the bright flavors of the tomato, basil and garlic to really stand out.  Just because the ingredients list is super short doesn't mean this dish is short on flavor.

This pasta is filling enough on its own, but it's also the perfect palette for any protein you might want to add.  Fish or chicken would pair wonderfully with the flavors already present.

Enjoy!

Summer Salad with Corn, Tomatoes, Avocado and Chickpeas

I'm not sure about where you are, but here where I live in Georgia it hit the upper 90's this past week.  Ugh.  I hate to be a negative Nancy, but unless there is a body of water (i.e. lake, pool, ocean, or heck, even a sprinkler) nearby I don't enjoy temps that hot.  You're sweaty by 9:00 in the morning if you dare venture outside and your car doubles as an oven in which to toast your morning bagel.

On days like these I want something light to eat.  Filling, but light.  

Enter this summer salad.

On Saturday the hubs and I stopped by Jaemor Farms (a-mazing local farmers market for those not familiar) and they had tons of fresh produce just begging to be adding to some yummy dish.  So of course I obliged :)

We picked up some grape tomatoes, avocado and corn that I paired with some chickpeas from home for the most delicious, light and refreshing summer salad.  This bowl of fresh goodness is topped with a honey lime dressing that brings out all of the bright flavors of each and every ingredient but at the same time isn't overpowering in and of itself.

Serve this dish as an appetizer when hosting your favorite friends or as a side dish.  Then keep it to snack on late at night.  Or in the afternoon.  Or right after lunch even though you're not really hungry anymore.  [Guilty.]

Cornmeal Fried Green Tomatoes

Fried green tomatoes are one of those things that I unfortunately did not try until I was a full grown adult.  And by full grown adult I mean I didn't try them until I was 25.  Yikes!  I know, I know.  For a Southerner that's basically a cardinal sin.

But when I tried them if was as if I'd finally seen the light.  I've had several versions of fried green tomatoes:  some with relish, some with goat cheese, some with a spicy sauce on top.  While I love all of these twists, I'm pretty partial to a nice helping of good ole plain fried green tomatoes.  They're so delicious in and of themselves that I don't really need anything paired with them in order for me to enjoy them.

My version below is made with cornmeal instead of flour.  I find that it gives the tomatoes a nicer crunch.  I also like a lot of pepper in mine to give them a bit of a kick.

Check out those big chunks of black pepper :)  mmmmm

And who knows, I might experiment and feature different versions of this dish with some relish or cheese, but for right now these will do just fine :)

Serve these up as a nice side dish or as an appetizer.  Easy and tasty!