Day 134: Pepper & Tomato Salad ♥

Today's easy-easy rainbow salad, a mix of colorful chopped bell peppers, tomato and cilantro all tossed/enhanced with bright lemon and cilantro. Very Weight Watchers Friendly, just PointsPlus1. Low Cal. Low Carb. Gluten Free. Paleo. Not just vegan, "Vegan Done Real".

Fast, fresh, easy. Perfect for a light lunch or a weeknight supper.

This isn't a salad to groan over, exclaiming its deliciousness. But it's one to make again and again, especially when peppers are cheap and summer tomatoes are ripe.

RECIPE for PEPPER & TOMATO SALAD with LEMON & CILANTRO

Hands-on time: 15 minutes
Time to table: 15 minutes
Makes 5 cups

1 bunch cilantro (for green color)
1 large tomato, cored and chopped (for red color)
1 yellow pepper, chopped (for yellow color)
1 orange pepper, chopped (for orange color)
3 green onions, chopped or 2 tablespoons finely chopped onion
Zest of a lemon
Juice of a lemon, about 2 tablespoons (a key ingredient, don't skip it!)
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar (or to taste)
1 teaspoon olive oil
Salt & pepper to taste

Avocado & lemon slices, for garnish, optional

Rinse the cilantro, shake hard and then let drain into the sink while preparing the salad. (In a rush? Spin off the water in a salad spinner!) Cut off and discard the stems, then chop to yield about 1 cup.

Combine with the remaining ingredients in a large bowl. Serve immediately.

ALANNA's TIPS & KITCHEN NOTES
BALANCE With just a teaspoon of olive oil, this is a "sharp" salad, just the "ultra light" I was going for today. For something a little more balanced, add a half teaspoon of sugar and use more olive oil.
COLORS For a rainbow of red-green-yellow-orange, use the tomatoes and peppers as specified. But really? Any mix of peppers will do.

TODAY'S VEGETABLE RECIPE INSPIRATION Adapted from a now-defunct blog called In My Kitchen.

NUTRITION INFORMATION Per Cup: 31 Calories; 1g Tot Fat; 0g Sat Fat; 0mg Cholesterol; 4mg Sodium; 6g Carb; 2g Fiber; NetCarb4; 3g Sugar; 1g Protein. WEIGHT WATCHERS POINTS: WW Old Points 0 & WW PointsPlus 1

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MORE TOMATO SALADS: WORTHY OF GOOD SUMMER TOMATOES

~ Never Take a Good Tomato for Granted: Twelve Favorite Tomato Recipes ~
~ Old Liz's Old-Fashioned Cucumber & Tomato Salad ~
~ Fattoush (Traditional Middle Eastern Salad) ~
~ Jerusalem Salad ~
~ more tomato recipes ~
from A Veggie Venture

~ Favorite Summer Salad Recipes ~
~ Panzanella ~
~ Fresh Corn & Tomato Salad ~
~ Zucchini Spiral "Noodle" Salad ~
~ more tomato recipes ~
from Kitchen Parade, my food column

COOKING IN SEASON: THIS SAME WEEK ACROSS THE YEARS

Turkey on Pita with Tomatillo Sauce Veggie Burritos with Cilantro Sauce (< Meatless Monday pick!) Tomato-Tomato Roasted Nopalito Tomatillo Salsa Pepper & Tomato Salad Baked Parmesan Tomatoes Tomato Gazpacho (< every summer, so good!) OOO Zesty Green Beans Summer Borscht Roasted Baby Eggplant Halves with Herbs Old Liz's Old-Fashioned Cucumber Salad (< Pinterest loves this!) Homemade Blueberry Vinaigrette Tomato Platter with Olives & Feta (< easy + pretty!) Cool-as-a-Cucumber Avocado Soup Chilled Zucchini Soup Shooters Roasted Eggplant with Pomegranate & Buttermilk-Yogurt Sauce

A Veggie Venture is home of "veggie evangelist" Alanna Kellogg and the
famous asparagus-to-zucchini Alphabet of Vegetables.

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