I rarely post about salads, but it’s the season of the three B’s: barbeques, beaches, and bikinis. I associate mostly with the first B, but this salad works with all of the above. It balances my summer diet of double scoop ice cream cones at least three times a week.
The original recipe is from Muir Glen Organics, but I had a little fun with it. It’s a fresh, light and simple salad ideal for the warmer weather, but it’s also appropriate to have all year round.
The Muir Glen Organics product line is relatively new to the Canadian market, and this recipe used the Muir Glen Organic Fire Roasted Diced Tomatoes.
When I think of canned tomatoes, I think of “no good” tomatoes (unripe or about to rot), preserved with lots of added salt, and/or sugar, and vinegar. Thankfully this was none of the above.
Muir Glen tomatoes are certified organic and from San Joaquin Valley, which is California’s tomato growing region. They are field grown, vine ripened, picked at peak of ripeness, and canned in 8 hours or less from farm to facility.
The product has to speak for itself though, and it did. The Organic Fire Roasted Diced Tomatoes ingredient list was simple and short (as I like) with organic tomato juice, organic roasted diced tomatoes, sea salt, naturally derived citric acid and calcium chloride. The tomatoes are grilled over an open-flame and while they are naturally a bit tart, I liked how there were no added sweetners and it was a natural product. They still had a bite and the pieces weren’t soft or mushy and the can was not full of juice, but of actual tomatoes.
This is the only The Muir Glen Organics product I’ve tried, and while I used it in a salad, it would work with pastas, pizzas, stews, soups, dips and more. Since the tomatoes have a slight tartness, the sweetness from the red grapes were a great balance. The recipe is very versatile and forgiving, so get creative with it.
Ingredients
1 tsp whole cumin seeds
1 tsp whole brown mustard seeds
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp sugar
1½ tsp kosher salt to taste
2 limes
¼ c olive oil
4 c cooked chickpeas
1 small cucumber
6 radishes
1 small jalapeño
½ small red onion
¾ c red grapes
1 23oz jar Muir Glen Organic Fire Roasted Diced Tomatoes, drained
handful mint leaves
handful cilantro leaves
Method:
1 Toast the cumin and brown mustard seeds in a dry skillet over medium heat until fragrant. Set aside. Zest one lime. Juice two limes. Dice cucumbers, slice radishes and red onion, mince jalepeño, and halve the red grapes. Finely chop mint and cilantro leaves.
2 In a large bowl add toasted cumin and mustard seeds, black pepper, sugar, salt, zest of one lime, juice of two limes, olive oil, chickpeas, chopped cucumbers, sliced radishes and red onion, minced jalepeño, sliced red grapes, drained diced Muir Glen tomatoes, chopped mint and cilantro. Toss all ingredients to combine and transfer to a serving vessel. Taste to adjust seasonings.
Serve immediately.
This was my own little spin. If you have leftovers or too mcuh salad, throw it in a blender in high speed to make a chilled soup. Add more chickpeas for a thicker consistency and more tomato juice for thinner. I also added a tablespoon of tahini (sesame paste) to about 3 cups of salad, and then season with salt and pepper or spices to taste. It’s great with a grilled cheese sandwich for lunch and it’s even good hot. Enjoy!
This post is affiliated with Muir Glen Organics.
