August Harvest Vegetable Salad with Field Tomatoes, Zucchini

The August harvest brought many vegetables to the table including Ontario field tomatoes, squash, and zucchini. I want to take advantage of the bounty of vegetables we have available to us locally to include in summer and fall meals. This August Harvest Vegetable Salad recipe incorporates many of the vegetables available to us in Ontario in late summer.

I recently tried fennel in a salad and was pleasantly surprised by the added sweetness and kick it added so I was eager to include fennel in my August Harvest Vegetable Salad.

Fennel is naturally crunchy, tastes like licorice and is part of the popular Mediterranean diet. When shopping at the farmer’s market or grocery store, look for a white or pale green bulb with stalks and feathery green leaves. Fennel belongs to the same family as carrots. All parts of fennel are edible. I decided to steam the fennel for a minute or two to soften it a bit for my salad. You may leave it uncooked if you prefer.

The flavour of Ontario field tomatoes beats any of the hot house or other more expensive varieties you’ll find in the grocery store. Ontario field tomatoes are one of the vegetables I anticipate when they first become available in mid-August. Buy a basket of Ontario field tomatoes and make batches of salsa with fresh cilantro and red onion to put in the freezer and enjoy during the coming colder months.

August Harvest Vegetable Salad with Balsamic Dressing

Serves 4

Ingredients

1/2 zucchini
1 Ontario field tomato
1/2 fennel bulb
1/2 cup of Swiss cheese
1/4 cup of walnut halves
4 cups of mixed salad greens

Balsamic Vinaigrette

3/4 cup of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/4 cup of Balsamic Vinegar
2 garlic cloves, minced
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Wash all vegetables.
2. Slice zucchini in thin pieces.
3. Chop tomato in small pieces.
4. Slice fennel in 2″ pieces.
5. Steam fennel for 1-2 minutes, then drain.
6. Slice swiss cheese in 2″ pieces.
7. Add mixed salad greens, zucchini, tomato, fennel, swiss cheese and walnuts in salad bowl.
8. Add 1/4 cup of Balsamic Vinaigrette and toss salad ingredients. Add more Balsamic Vinaigrette according to taste.