Minted Tomato, Pepper, Feta Salad with Baby Kiwi (Secret Recipe Club)

by Dorothy Reinhold on February 25, 2013


Print This Post Print This Post Minted Tomato, Pepper, Feta Salad with Baby Kiwi on Shockingly Delicious

Have you ever had mint with tomato and feta in a salad? Me either, but I was game to try it when I saw the idea.

The beauty of the Internet is you can spelunk inside the brains of other like-minded people, and find inspiration in what they post on their blogs. This is particularly fun for home cooks, as we careen from one delicious blog to another, scampering into the kitchen when we find something particularly intriguing.

So it was with this salad idea. I knew I had a box of yellow cherry tomatoes (the best choice for winter months, since they are good all year around, not just in summer), and mint growing in a pot on my kitchen sink garden window. Good enough! Let’s go!

Minted Tomato, Pepper, Feta Salad with Baby Kiwi on Shockingly DeliciousBut first I was tempted by a few other things on this blog, Eat Live Blog, penned by Renee Hirschberg, who lives and eats well in New England. Renee is quite the force, having founded the 250-strong community called the Boston Brunchers. She travels the region doing restaurant reviews and frolicking in the fall leaves for her travel posts.

I loved the idea of her Deconstructed Stuffed Peppers, and her Baked Spinach Arancini (rice balls) look divine for the lunch box, after school or maybe even an appetizer. I wanted her Gourmet Pizza Rolls while I was watching the Oscars last night, or perhaps her Crispy Chickpeas.

But her Veggie Salad with Mint won the day, and I did my own riff on it, using yellow cherry tomatoes instead of red large tomatoes, a raw goat’s milk feta, baby bell peppers, and adding some delicious baby kiwi for a sweet pop and dressing it with a zippy freshly pressed olive oil.

Minted Tomato, Pepper, Feta Salad with Baby Kiwi on Shockingly DeliciousIt rescued a winter day, in style!

Recipe: Minted Tomato, Pepper, Feta Salad with Baby Kiwi

Summary: A beautiful, healthy and fresh tomato salad with the unusual and delicious hint of mint.

Ingredients

  • 1 teaspoon finely minced fresh mint (this will take a couple of sprigs)
  • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (I used Calolea Olio Nuovo Fresh Pressed)
  • 1 tablespoon Meyer lemon juice
  • 1 small shallot, finely minced
  • Pinch kosher salt
  • Grind of black pepper
  • 6 ounces cherry tomatoes, cut in half (about 23 tomatoes) (I used NatureSweet Sunbursts Golden Tomatoes)
  • 6 mini bell peppers, stemmed, seeded and chopped
  • 8 baby kiwi, cut in half
  • 2 ounces feta cheese, crumbled (I used Redwood Hill Farm Raw Milk Goat Feta)

Instructions

  1. Add mint, oil, lemon juice, shallot, salt and pepper into a large salad bowl and whisk to combine.
  2. Add in tomatoes and pepper and stir to combine. Add kiwi and feta and stir gently to combine (kiwi needs to be treated tenderly!).
  3. Serves 4.

Source

Adapted from Eat Live Blog.

Baby kiwi

Baby Kiwi on Shockingly DeliciousBaby Kiwi are delightful tiny, sweet, fuzzless versions of full-size kiwi, available February through mid-March (sourced from New Zealand), and September through mid-October (sourced domestically), in high-end markets. Here’s an introduction to baby kiwi, including a few ideas on what to do with them! Melissa’s Produce sent the baby kiwi for recipe testing.

Variations

If you like the looks of this salad, you might also like this Fruit Salad with Tomatoes.

Preparation time: 15 minutes
Diet type: Vegetarian, Vegan (if you leave out the feta)
Diet tags: Gluten free, Raw
Number of servings (yield): 4
Culinary tradition: USA (Nouveau)

I was assigned to explore Eat Live Blog as part of Secret Recipe Club, and today is our reveal day.

I’ve made a number of delicious dishes from Secret Recipe Club over the months. Here’s a list of what else I have chosen to make from others’ blogs for reveal days, and what they have chosen to make from Shockingly Delicious, in case you want to choose something from these lists as your own inspiration in the kitchen.

Readers, you can see what other cooks in the Secret Recipe Club made this month, right below here in the array of photos. Click any of them to be transported to that particular recipe!

{ 16 comments… read them below or add one }

xcath143x May 12, 2013 at 8:39 pm

You have this listed as Vegan, but it is not Vegan with Feta Cheese as an ingredient. Just an observation.

Reply

Dorothy Reinhold May 12, 2013 at 8:58 pm

Xcath,
You are quite right! Thank you, and I have made a notation in the recipe. It will be delicious without the feta, so that is an option for people who would like it to be vegan.

Reply

Kirstin February 26, 2013 at 10:36 am

This looks so beautiful..and the ingredients so interesting. Great choice…makes if feel a little more like spring or summer.

Reply

sallybr February 26, 2013 at 8:28 am

Such a colorful salad! A real shout to spring (I am more than ready for spring…)

Hope you had fun on Reveal Day, the best way to deal with a Monday, if you ask me 😉

Reply

Dorothy February 26, 2013 at 10:23 am

Sally,
I agree! SRC makes that Monday bearable!

Reply

Kate@Diethood February 25, 2013 at 8:33 pm

Where I come from, (Macedonia) we eat this salad every single day in the summer. 🙂 It’s delicious and refreshing.

Reply

Dorothy February 26, 2013 at 10:24 am

Kate,
Macedonia, huh? Just goes to show you that we are all connected…by food!

Reply

Christine February 25, 2013 at 4:50 pm

I would have never thought to pair these foods together, but man, does it ever look good! Spring certainly cannot come soon enough!

Reply

Shari, The Saucy Gourmet February 25, 2013 at 2:12 pm

WOW, this salad looks so wonderful, so fresh. Can’t wait to try it!

Reply

Dorothy February 25, 2013 at 3:08 pm

Shari,
It IS, and you MUST!

Reply

April @ Angel's Homestead February 25, 2013 at 12:59 pm

What a bright pop of color to enjoy on these cold dreary days we’re having right now. This salad sure made me long for summer.

Thank you so much for being a member of the Secret Recipe Club, and sharing your cooking talents with us.

Reply

Dorothy February 25, 2013 at 3:12 pm

April,
It is MY pleasure to be a part of Secret Recipe Club!

Reply

Sarah E February 25, 2013 at 11:31 am

Ooh that sounds like a fantastic salad. I love the mini bell peppers. They are so juicy 🙂

Happy Reveal Day!

Reply

Dorothy February 25, 2013 at 3:13 pm

Sarah,
Yeah, those mini bell peppers have a more tender skin, and they DO seem more juicy!

Reply

Renee {Eat.Live.Blog.} February 25, 2013 at 10:55 am

Thanks for all the kind words! This salad is one of my very favorites and really can be adjusted for the season. I love the idea of including kiwi!
This was my first month in SRC, so thank you so much for the great introduction!

Reply

Dorothy February 25, 2013 at 3:10 pm

Renee,
It was good fun to explore your blog in February, and I really enjoyed the salad. I love adding fruit to otherwise savory salads.

Reply

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