Tomato Salad

I kept thinking of ways I could use all the tomatoes and okra I bought at the farmer's market on Saturday, and then it hit me....

This is the famous tomato salad from Hot and Hot. It's on the list of top 100 dishes to eat in Alabama before you die, and it is one of the best things you'll ever eat in your life.

My mom and I cooked some corn and black eyed peas, fried some okra, and boiled some potatoes (just because we had them). We decided to omit the bacon and chive dressing from the recipe. However, lima beans would have been a welcome addition.

I wanted my tomato salad to be more of a "salad salad" with lettuce, so I covered the bottom of my plate with crunchy romaine, stacked my tomatoes, threw all of the other ingredients on top, and drizzled with balsamic vinegar + EVOO.

That was not the most instructive recipe I've ever given, but I basically just assembled a lot of veggies on top of lettuce. That's why I love salads. They're so quick and easy to throw together, and it's such a great way to pack in a ton of produce. People always complain that salads aren't filling enough, but if you make them big enough and add all the right ingredients, salads can make a very satiating meal.

Here's what I came up with:

So what I made didn't look exactly like the salad pictured above, but it served as good inspiration.

 Not bad, right?

This is an awesome Southern summer salad, and it will not disappoint!