Tomato-Pickled Onion Salad

The end of July often brings some of our hottest weather of the year and turning on the oven or even the stove feels like a betrayal. So between now and the end of the month, I'll be sharing some excellent salad recipes. Lest you worry you'll be looking at iceberg lettuce and soggy tomatoes, let me reassure you by saying every recipe is brimming with flavor, texture, color, and a selection of stunning seasonal produce that will delight and fuel you for your adventures as summer hits its peak. We begin with a gloriously colorful salad featuring a bevy of cherry tomatoes and crisp pickled onions.

This fantastic salad gets much of its character from some quick pickled red onions. If you don't already have a jar in your fridge, go ahead and make some of those first. Go on … I'll wait.

Back? Good. For the tomatoes, picking a wide variety of colors and shapes in your cherry tomato selection will yield you a gorgeous salad packed with a variety of nutrients. Anyone who has been following along here for a bit knows I'm a fan of eating a rainbow as much as possible and this is an excellent opportunity for just that! I like to add a tablespoon of fire-roasted hatch chiles (I get big jars of them at Costco), but you can skip them if you aren't looking for a touch of heat. I use kalamata olives because I love them, but you can skip them or pick a different variety to make it your own.

I like having this salad as a lunch with a soft pita or bit of crusty bread to sop up the juices when I'm done. If you wanted to make this salad a bit heartier for main dish status any time of the day, consider adding fresh mozzarella pearls or steamed shrimp - or both! It's an excellent summer star.