Summer Salads: Vegetable Ribbon Salad

I love making salads, whether it's a traditional tossed salad, pasta salad, fruit salad, you name it.

Now, I'm really not a big tomato fan, and neither is my husband. But we grew tomatoes in our garden this year, and we're bound and determine to use them. Although I'm still acquiring a taste for raw tomatoes (it's been a slow process!), I have actually become accustomed to them in some foods like tacos and salads. Earlier this year, I posted a recipe for Tomato & Avocado Salad, made with two ingredients that a year ago I wouldn't be caught dead eating (tomatoes and avocados), but put the two together, and it's actually quite delicious. Even my husband likes it.

Another salad I've come to enjoy making this summer is Vegetable Ribbon Salad. I got the original recipe from a Pampered Chef cookbook, but I don't stick to the original recipe each time. In fact, I make it slightly different every time, depending on what we've picked from the garden, and what I feel like doing at the time. Basically, it's a very versatile salad that you can "make your own."

Here's tonight's version:

Vegetable Ribbon Salad

Start off with a squash such as zucchini or summer squash. All our zucchini plants died off, so it was summer squash for us today. If your squash is large and the skin is tough, use a vegetable peeler to remove the skin. Scoop out the seeds, then shred the squash into a medium bowl. Take one cucumber, remove & discard the peeling, and still using your vegetable peeler, peel off layers of cucumber into the bowl right on top of the squash, as demonstrated below. You don't need to use all the cucumber, just enough to get down to the seeds.

Then, peel one carrot and chop off the ends. Using a grater, shred the carrot. I like using the small shredder (is that what it's called??) side of the grater. After shredding, add carrots to the bowl.

Core and thinly slice 1 ripe tomato, such as a roma tomato. I wanted to grow romas this year, but hubs planted Big Boys. I did manage to find one small ripe Big Boy, and that's what I used tonight. Place your sliced tomatoes in the bowl, and add a handful of sunflower seeds (no shells, of course).

Mix all ingredients together, place a serving on your plate, then add your favorite dressing. I used a splash of balsamic vinegar and a little bit of balsamic vinaigrette.

Serve and enjoy!