Simple salads are the easiest thing to do – obviously, since it’s called simple – but also the easiest way to stay on the diet track. Because lets be real, it’s almost May which means summer is knocking at our doors and that means tank tops, shorts, the beach. No leggings under dresses … eek. So having salad around to keep your eating in check at this point is a must. Hope you get to have this vegan and gluten-free Spring Into Summer Salad too.

This salad doesn’t need much, the dressing can be made ahead and kept in the fridge so you can just keep eating  healthfully. The dressing? Well thank goodness for Giada and her Food Network shows because I get tons of inspiration from her. I’ve seen her do this technique a couple of times and it always seemed weird, but I was thinking about this salad and how I didn’t want a lot of extra liquid from the tomato on the bottom of the bowl – which is what happens when you cut a tomato because all that juice just ends up being a watery pool on the bottom and no real value. But grating the tomato? What? Yes, you heard me. I grated two large Roma tomatoes and used those as the base of the dressing for this simple salad. I was a little leery that grating them would add too much of the skin, but it didn’t. The flesh of the tomatoes made it thick, but the dressing wasn’t a thick one, it was still loose and liquidy. Adding the flavoring just enhanced the tomato flavor and just yum! Simple ingredients with flavorful dressing. Love.

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Start by grating your tomatoes and putting into a small bowl and add the rest of the dressing ingredients to get incorporated. Then just slice your zucchini and onion thinly, mince up the cilantro, dump on your cherry tomatoes, slice the avocado, then just dump it all into a bowl and enjoy. If you’re going to make to eat it for the week? Just make the dressing and store in the fridge – add more tomatoes to make more dressing. Then just slice a zucchini when you need it, dump on a little minced onion, a couple of cherry tomatoes and a little avocado and there you go.

Spring Into Summer Salad,

2 Large Zucchini, halved and sliced thinly
1/2 Bunch Cilantro, minced
1 Cntr Cherry Tomatoes
1/4 Red Onion, sliced small
1 Avocado, halved and sliced thinly

Dressing
2 Large Roma Tomatoes, grated
1 Lime, juiced
1 Tsp Star Balsamic Vinegar
1 Tbsp Star Red Wine Vinegar
1 Tsp Black Pepper

1. Grate the tomatoes on a box or straight grater. Dump flesh into a bowl with the rest of the dressing ingredients and mix. Set aside.
2. Halve the zucchini and slice thinly and dump into a bowl.
3. Chop the onion and add to the zuc along with the cherry tomatoes.
4. Mince the cilantro and halve and slice the avocado and add to the rest.
5. Pour the dressing and mix gently.
6. Enjoy!