Our Favorite Summer Dinner

This beautiful platter of summer vegetables and feta cheese has become one my husband and I's favorite summer dinners. It is so easy to do and tastes wonderful. This is a great way to showcase all those amazing heirloom tomatoes available right now at the farmers market. Make sure you use a good quality feta cheese. The one I use is a sheep milk feta made in Israel. I buy it at Trader Joe's, and it is delicious (and free of hormones, even better!!). The secret here is to keep it simple and to season to taste, that is why there is no recipe, just guidelines. Let the vegetables and cheese speak for them selves. I consider items such as high quality extra virgin olive oil and good vinegars to be seasonings, so they should be added to personal taste. We usually eat this with toasted baguette, toasted whole grain country bread, or with whole wheat pita bread. You can put the platter together ahead of time, just do not season the tomatoes until last minute, including the drizzle of olive oil.

Our Favorite Summer Dinner

For the Tomatoes

-Heirloom tomatoes of all kinds, sliced or cut into wedges

-Chopped fresh basil

-High quality extra virgin olive oil

-Salt and fresh ground black pepper

Decoratively place the cut tomatoes onto a big platter. Drizzle with good extra virgin olive oil, and sprinkle with chopped fresh basil, salt, and fresh ground black pepper.

For the Feta

-1/2 block of sheep milk feta, sliced

-High quality extra virgin olive oil

-Sprinkling of red chili flakes

Place the feta slices next to the tomatoes, drizzle with olive oil, and sprinkle with red chili flakes.

For the Green Bean and Cucumber Salad

-Steamed green beans, cut into thirds (probably about 1/2 pound)

-1 cucumber, thinly sliced

-1/4 cup of quartered kalamata olives

-Drizzle of red wine vinegar (probably about 2-3 tablespoons)

-High quality extra virgin olive oil (about 3 tablespoons)

-Salt and fresh ground pepper

Toss the green beans, cucumber, and olives together. Drizzle with red wine vinegar and olive oil. Season to taste with salt and pepper, and adjust vinegar and olive oil to desired taste.