MeatLessMonday Medley of Cherry Tomatoes Salad

This Medley cherry tomatoes salad is always a departure for me, from the almost daily staple Israeli salad we have with every meal.  I make a hugh batch of this medley salad for parties, barbecues or just a small batch for intimate dinner gatherings.  It has a huge wow effect, even when you have scraps left at the bottom of the bowl (see pics:).  It is absolutely critical to have fresh, sweet cherry tomatoes.  As tomato season is approaching, ask the farmer at the farmer's market to taste one.

It is almost as critical to serve it immediately, although as you can see from the pics it is still appetizing and photogenic even at the tail end of the meal. I do not really have exact measurements for this, I take handful of this and that and adjust salt, lemon, basil and green onions according to taste.  Today I was out of basil, the salad was still delicious but trust me the basil adds that final dimension the salad needs. 

Medley of Cherry Tomatoes Salad

Ingredients:

12 oz cherry tomatoes

Handful salted roasted sunflower seeds

4 green onions, white and green parts sliced

Handful julienned basil

2-3 tablespoons canola oil

Salt

Juice of 1/2 lemon or more

Directions:  I cut the stem part of the tomatoes and half (see pic) tomatoes.  Place halved tomatoes in serving bowl.  In a small frying pan, add oil on low/medium heat, add sunflower seeds and toss for few minutes.  Be careful not to over toss them and burn them.  You will smell the fragrance releasing from the sunflower seeds. Pour hot oil sunflower mixture directly on top of tomatoes, it will SIZZLE! Mix! At this point add the green onions and basil. Salt and lemon juice to taste and mix.  Serve immediately!

Note: Add green onions and basil only after you add oil/sunflower mixure to tomatoes, otherwise they will wilt.