Whether they come from your own garden, a green-thumbed neighbor, or an overly ambitious trip to the local market, you might be facing a mountain of late summer produce. By the waning days of summer, cucumbers and tomatoes give one final push that often finds us with more produce than our salad habits can contend with.
If you're swimming in summer produce, here are some of our favorite recipes to help use up those fresh picks.
Cucumbers
These marinated cucumbers can be made with any cucumber variety in your garden, perfect as a cold side for grilled fish, chilled noodle salads, or to top steamy white rice.
This plant-forward dip turns your cucumbers (and bonus: tomatoes!) into a creamy, vibrant dip full of fresh herbs. Scoop it with celery sticks, seeded crackers, or fluffy pitas.
Kh'yaaf b'Lubban (Chilled Cucumber and Yogurt Soup)
A classic pairing of yogurt and cukes, this Lebanese soup is served chilled for a refreshing lunch or first course of an al fresco summer dinner.
Tomatoes
This recipe calls for canned tomatoes, but you can use your fresh garden tomatoes instead! Peel and seed the tomatoes first, if you prefer. And if you spare tomatoes, make a double or even triple batch of sauce to freeze for colder days!
Tahini and Tuna-Stuffed Tomatoes
Stuffed tomatoes are one of our favorite ways to showcase sweet summer tomatoes. This tahini and tuna filling is creamy and rich, but it's only one of endless possibilities. Chicken or egg salad, chickpea salad, or even guacamole can fill your small tomatoes for a cocktail party bite or bigger tomatoes for a poolside lunch.
Corn and Tomato Salad with Basil Vinaigrette
This is the kind of salad perfect to make on Sunday for all-week grazing and mix-and-matching. Bring to work for a fresh lunch snack, scoop on top of a green salad, layer into wrap and sandwiches, or toss with grilled shrimp for dinner. It just gets yummier as the tomatoes marinate in the vinaigrette.
Tomato, Mozzarella, and Basil Galette
This savory tart is made with a cornmeal dough, adding a layer of flavor you didn't know pizza was missing! We love it for breakfast, lunch, or dinner (and every moment in between), and we bet it'll be a hit with little foodies, too. Make a double batch and freeze the second galette after it's fully cooked and cooled. Wrap it up tight and refresh in the oven before serving for a nice and crisp dough.
