Blue Cheese, Please...Hold the Gluten

I am a fiend for homegrown tomatoes. They are vastly different from the mealy, pale tomatoes you find at the store. These glorious reds have flavor, texture and are best eaten raw.

Last weekend at the farmers market, I was gifted another bag of tomatoes (by John, the celiac farmer who loves my pancakes) and then another vendor brought me some of her homegrown beauties to enjoy.

Loads of tomatoes and what to do with these tasty treats?

Gazpacho, yes.

Tomato sauce, check.

Salsa, made that, too.

Since I've already made my "go to" dishes when I have had an abundance of tomatoes, I decided we needed to do something different. Honestly, we love gazpacho, but it's just too early in the season to start despising the sight of it right now...plus, I've got a few quarts of tomato sauce already in the freezer.

As a co-host for a gluten-free ladies lunch earlier this week, I decided tomato salad would be a perfect addition to our wraps, which my fellow co-host was making with gluten-free bread, of course (see the picture of the roasted veggie wrap below the recipe).

Tomatoes and blue cheese are a classic combination that everyone loves, but did you know that most blue cheeses have gluten? So nix that idea. 

But, after making a phone call to my friend and co-host (aka the "Gluten-Free Goddess," The Poundcake Lady or Evil, as I so often call her since everything she makes is gluten-free and oh-so-utterly-divine) she tells me that Boar's Head and Rosenborg make gluten-free blue cheeses. 

So my tomato and blue cheese salad lives after all!

I quickly scored a block of Rosenborg Danish blue cheese and whipped up a fabulous tomato and onion salad with copious amounts of this cheese. Everyone was happy with this gloriously delicious and gluten-free salad.

Did I mention the unbelievable chocolate gelato I made for dessert using coconut milk? Ah, yes, I guess I'll save that for another time.

Buen provecho!

Tomato and Onion Salad with Blue Cheese
The Cowgirl Gourmet

Print recipe

This salad can be made with feta or goat cheese as well. Perhaps add some black olives, capers or even green onions instead of red onion. Play around with the flavors and do whatever you like. The same with the vinegar, try making it with red or white wine vinegar. The best part about cooking is putting your signature on a dish...just let us know what great taste sensations you come up with.

Serves 4

1 lb. of mixed homegrown tomatoes, cut up according to size (cherry tomatoes can be halved, grape tomatoes can be left whole, while regular size tomatoes need to be cut in 1/4's or 1/8's, depending on how big they are)

1/2 cup thinly sliced red onion, with onion slices cut in half
1/2 cup blue cheese, crumbled
1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 Tablespoon balsamic vinegar
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Slice red onion as thin as possible, and then cut them in half and place in medium sized bowl. Sprinkle with a dash of kosher salt and toss to combine.

Next cut up the tomatoes and place in the bowl with the onions. Sprinkle tomatoes liberally with salt (1/4 teaspoon) and toss with the onions.

Pour 1 Tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil over the tomatoes and onion and stir. Add a few grinds of fresh black pepper and let sit at room temperature for 20 minutes while the flavors meld and the juices from the tomatoes begin to make a nice sauce.

Before serving, add 1 Tablespooon balsamic vinegar, liberally crumble the blue cheese and toss everything well to combine.

Taste the salad and if it needs a bit more salt and pepper or you think it needs more balsamic vinegar, add it now.

Serve and enjoy!