one of our favorite things to do on the weekends is have picnics in our backyard- music, beers, good food, sunshine. it’s the best way we relax. a few weeks ago we got a salad from lemonade that was so amazing that i had no choice but to recreate it and add it to our summer rotation. and in doing so i learned just how easy it is to make your own sundried tomatoes, and how insanely tasty they are compared to the store-bought kind. you must make this sald.  must.

the what:

11 ripe vine grown organic tomatoes (or 3/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes)

2 tablespoons of basil, finely chopped

2 cups of cooked red quinoa, chilled

1 cup of halved cherry tomatoes

1 1/2 tablespoon walnut oil

1 tablespoon mirin (rice vinegar)

1 tablespoon agave syrup

1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar

sea salt

olive oil

the how:

slice vine ripened tomatoes in half, scoop out all seeds and slice into 3/4 inch pieces

place on pan for baking with skin side down and sprinkle liberally with sea salt 

let the slices sit with the salt for 10 minutes, it will help to dry out the pieces and shorten your baking time

preheat oven to 150 degrees (i used a toaster oven since our conventional oven didn’t go that low)

drizzle olive oil over slices and bake for 6-8 hours, or until they have dried out!  * these can be stored in a jar with olive oil and used on sandwiches, in pasta dishes, on salads, with  couscous… they’re perfect with pretty much anything! 

place the sun-dried tomatoes in the fridge to chill.

for the dressing: in a small mixing bowl combine walnut oil, mirin, agave syrup, apple cider vinegar and 1 tsp of sea salt

in a medium serving bowl combine quinoa, cherry tomatoes, basil, 3/4 cup of chilled sun-dried tomatoes, and dressing.  mix well.  serve immediately, preferably at your own backyard picnic. enjoy!