Tomato & Avocado Salad w/ Chorizo

Summer usually makes me think of one thing - fresh homegrown tomatoes from the garden. Growing up I was spoiled by an abundance of fresh produce every summer thanks to my grandma's massive garden. I've always lusted after the perfect tomato, and as I've grown up, I've never been able to find a store bought one (even in season) that tasted anything like the ones from my grandma's garden. Last year I introduced my family to all varieties of heirloom tomatoes - purple, red, pink, green, yellow, orange, zebra striped, etc. They couldn't believe how delicious all the new varieties were. Unfortunately, not everyone was excited for the "weird" tomatoes. I am sad to report, when I got home from vacation I learned they only planted varieties of the red tomato we all know. That's okay! I was sad for a minute, but I'm going to make it through because I've been dreaming of this salad since I saw it in a magazine over a month ago.

I'm not really sure who is responsible for this delicious creation, so I have no one to give credit to for this beautiful salad. I'm sure you can easily cut this recipe down, but at this size it's enough for 4.

Tomato Salad w/ Chorizo & Avocado

Salad:
4 beefsteak tomatoes, sliced thin
1/4lb chorizo, thinly sliced & cut into strips
1 avocado, peeled and diced

Dressing:
3T olive oil
1T wholegrain mustard
1 orange, juice & zest

1. Arrange the sliced tomato around the edges of a serving plate and pile the others in the middle.
2. Heat a non-stick pan and add the chorizo sliced. Pan fry for 3-4 minutes until crispy. Drain fat and scatter on top of tomatoes.
3. Scatter the avocado and basil on the top as well.
4. Whisk together the oil, mustard, orange zest, and juice together. Season with salt & pepper to taste. Drizzle over the top of the salad.

This salad is super simple and very tasty. I served it with big chunks of crusty bread to soak up the leftover juices from the tomatoes.

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