Heirloom Tomato Salad with Hearts of Palm

Summer is absolutely my favorite time to cook. And let’s be real, it’s also the easiest. With the farmer’s markets overflowing with beautiful fruits and vegetables it is hard to not be inspired. And the great thing about summer’s bounty is, it really doesn’t need much else to it. Compared to fall and winter time where we are braising and slow roasting. Summer is meant for quick, easy meals that let the ingredients shine, and give us more time to relax and play! 

Now that tomatoes are making their presence in the garden and at the store, I eat them as often as I can. This salad is one of my favorites and takes just minutes to make up. And the best part is, leftovers hold up in the refrigerator for a few days without getting wilted and bruised. 

Have you tried Hearts of Palm before? I love it, especially in salads. It adds extra protein and heartiness to any salad. They come from the center core of the palm tree, and has a similar taste to artichokes, along with a crunchy texture. Hearts of Palm are very high in fiber, and can often work as a meat substitute.

For this recipe, I used Reese Specialty Foods Hearts of Palm, which has a really nice flavor and crunch. I slice them, tossing gently as some will fall apart, which is ok! Toss them with sliced heirloom cherry tomatoes, red onions, a little bit of red wine vinegar, salt, pepper, and really good olive oil. Topped with fresh basil. Mozzarella cheese, the really small balls, would be good in this too!

I would love to hear, have you tried Hearts of Palm? What are your favorite recipe?

And make sure to enter their summer sweepstakes for a chance to win a KitchenAid mixer, a $100 gift card to the grocer of your choice and a Reese prize pack! As well, be sure to use this link for special offers to purchase Hearts of Palm from Reese Specialty Foods.

Heirloom Tomato Salad with Hearts of Palm
Serves 4

1/4 of red onion, diced
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
2 cups heirloom cherry tomatoes, halved
1 15oz can Hearts of Palm, sliced into 1/4” rings
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
1/3 cup fresh basil, bigger pieces hand torn 

Place diced red onion in a large bowl with red wine vinegar while you prep the other ingredients. Add the cherry tomatoes, and sliced hearts of palm, toss together gently. Season with salt and pepper, and drizzle with olive oil, gently tossing one more time. Top with fresh basil and serve. 

* I like to give the salad another quick drizzle of olive oil (the good kind!) before serving. And sprinkling with flaky salt and a good amount of fresh pepper. 

This Blog post was sponsored by Reese Specialty Foods. Thank you for supporting.