This recipe stems from my days working with Melanie and Taji of Simple Gourmet—way before I had ever heard of paleo. I think one summer we must have had close to fifty groups make a variation of this recipe for their culinary team-building events. Regardless of how many times I’ve made it, I have never tired of it.
This salad pairs exceptionally well with some simple grilled chicken or salmon. And nothing beats tomatoes from your own garden for this creation!
2 pints (1 L) grape, cherry or sungold tomatoes, halved crosswise
1 small shallot, minced
~ zest of 1 orange
2 teaspoons fresh-squeezed orange juice (from the orange you just zested)
1/3 cup (80 mL) olive oil
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped
~ salt and pepper to taste
1 bag arugula, washed
- Place all tomatoes in large mixing bowl.
- Add shallots and orange zest.
- Using a potato masher, mash tomatoes so they release their juices.
- Stir in orange juice, olive oil, red wine vinegar, basil, salt, and pepper.
- Serve on top of arugula.
Variation—You can either serve the tomato orange mixture on top of arugula without any real mixing, or you can toss the arugula with some of the juices from the tomato/olive oil/vinegar mixture, then top with the tomatoes.
