Marinated Tomato and Zephyr Squash Salad

This past weekend I went glamping (glamorous camping = glamping) with some amazing, lovely girls whom I absolutely adore. Don’t worry: even if you did follow along on Instagram, I’m going to be doing a whole post about our experience soon! It was such a fun weekend, full of beauty and laughter and the most ridiculous humidity. I honestly don’t think I’ve ever felt humidity like that in my life, but weekends like this are all about new experiences right?

 

Now since we were glamping we did a lot of eating outdoors and it made me think about food that is picnic-friendly. When I was growing up we would meet my dad at a park for a lunch picnic once a week when he was teaching the first summer session at Texas Tech, and I loved the art of eating outside. It really is an art too since you have to think about every aspect of food choices and then actually be OK with eating outside. I looked forward to those lunch dates every week, and have some of the sweetest memories of eating and playing and laughing and being told not to jump in the lake.

 

So maybe now I see where Wes gets it…

 

Anyway.

This gorgeous salad was inspired by eating in the great outdoors and the new fun finds that were at our local farmer’s market. These baby heirloom tomatoes are INCREDIBLE y’all – I’ve never considered myself a tomato lover, but these little ones are doing a great job of changing my mind. Like candy I tell you! And the zephyr squash, besides being gorgeous, is actually a really great texture for this dish. When I talked to the farmer that sold it to me he said that there wasn’t a lot of difference in flavor between this and a standard zucchini or yellow squash – and he was totally right. Completely comparable in flavor.

 

But the texture is a really delicious semi-crunchy texture that just makes this salad irresistible. You could totally sub zucchini or yellow squash, but if you can try the zephyr I say go for it. At the very least it’s just so pretty!

 

This gorgeous salad is so simple to make, completely picnic friendly (if you leave off the cheese – or just keep it in a cooler til you’re ready to use) and so flavorful. It’s like summer in a bowl, and that’s totally something I’m going for these days – humidity and all 🙂

 

Enjoy!

MARINATED TOMATO AND ZEPHYR SQUASH SALAD

• 1 pint grape or cherry tomatoes, halved (I recommend the heirloom variety if you have access)
• 2 cups thinly sliced zephyr squash (zucchini or yellow squash are good substitutes)
• 2 tablespoons good balsamic vinegar
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 clove garlic, minced very finely
• 1 small red onion, sliced thinly
• salt and pepper to taste
• feta cheese or goat cheese (optional)

This is seriously so simple: once you have all the veggies prepped, toss everything together EXCEPT the cheese (if you’re using cheese) and let it marinate for about 1 hour at room temperature OR for 2-3 hours in the fridge. Make sure you check for seasoning right before serving and add the cheese (if you’re using it) then as well. Enjoy!