Tomato Avocado (Bacon Optional) Sandwich

August brings the amazing versatile tomato - with all its glorious varieties and colours.  In my garden this year I have 10 varieties of tomatoes in different sizes and colours including reds, yellows, pinks, greens (green zebra), and browns.  Even with 13 plants, we still don't have enough tomatoes for everything we want to do with them such as drying or canning.

My current favourite tomato is the Green Zebra - a small tomato with yellow and green stripes when ripe.  It has a slight lemon taste to it.  I eat it like an apple, at least 2 to 3 a day.

From burgers to salads and sandwiches, tomatoes take a lead role in August. The most popular tomato based meal in our household is the very famous

Tomato Lettuce Avocado  (Bacon Optional) Sandwich

- your favourite sandwich bread, toasted
- 1/4 avocado, sliced or spread on toast
- lettuce leaves
- tomato slices
- bacon slices (optional)
- olive oil (for drizzling)
- sea salt and pepper

Layer avocado, lettuce, tomato slices, and optional bacon on toast and drizzle with olive oil.  Season with sea salt and pepper and enjoy as breakfast, lunch, supper or snack. Serve open faced, or as a traditional sandwich.

Other great tomato based recipes can be found at www.101cookbooks.com.  Following are recent posts:

http://www.101cookbooks.com/archives/tomato-tarte-tatin-recipe.html

http://www.101cookbooks.com/archives/heirloom-tomato-salad-recipe.html

Guacamole

Guacamole is so easy to make that I delegated the task of making it to my son when he was eight or nine. 

Guacamole is based on avocado - a nutritional powerhouse of vitamins, minerals, good fats and phytonutrients.

I usually serve it with organic corn chips or add it to homemade tacos or fajitas.

Basic Guacamole Recipe
1 ripe avocado
juice of 1/2 a lemon
1/4 teaspoon sea salt

Cut avocado lengthwise along the pit and twist it open.  Remove the pit and scoop out the flesh with a spoon.

Mash avocado with a fork, add lemon juice and sea salt.  Done.

You can always add onion, tomato, cilantro, and garlic to it, but the basic recipe is fabulous as is.

Avocado Kale Salad

This is a great way to prepare kale, which is highly nutritious but difficult to eat raw for most people.  The kale is massaged with the rest of the ingredients – this wilts the kale and makes it easier on digestion and really tasty. Serves 2 as a meal, 4 to 6 as a side dish.

1 head kale, thick centre stem removed, sliced fine and then chopped further with a large knife
1 ½ tablespoon lemon juice 1 – 2 teaspoon sea salt 1 – 2 avocados, halved, flesh scooped out of peel 1 ½ tablespoon olive oil ½ red onion, sliced thin 1 tomato, cubed ½ red pepper, chopped 6 to 10 black olives, pitted and chopped

In a large salad bowl, toss together kale, salt and lemon juice, using your hands to squeeze as you mix to wilt the kale. Add avocado and oil.  Massage into kale until avocado is creamy.  Add tomatoes, onions, peppers, and olives and toss.  Serve immediately.  Keeps for up to 2 days in an air tight container.