Vegan Tomato Stack Salad
Tomatoes are fancy y’all. Beautiful ripe summer tomatoes excite me. I wanted to make something more elegant with tomatoes I bought this weekend. There is a restaurant in town, Hot and Hot Fish Club, that is know for it’s stacked tomato Salad. The Hot and Hot Tomato Salad is just one of those iconic dishes that Birmingham is known for. This restaurant will happily accommodate vegetarians. I have enjoyed the seasonal veggie plate there a few times before but the dish they are best known for the Hot and Hot Tomato Salad is not veggie friendly due to bacon, field peas cooked with ham hock, and a buttermilk dressing. So with these beautiful summer tomatoes staring me in the face I was inspired to make a vegan tomato stack salad that is similar to this classic southern dish.
Vegan Tomato Stack Salad
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter beans
- 2 cups okra chopped
- 2 or 3 Large tomatoes
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 1 tsp fresh oregano chopped
- 1/2 tsp fresh thyme chopped
- 1/4 cup cornmeal
- 1 tbsp flour
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 handful micro greens or lettuce for garnish
Instructions
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Bring a salted pot of water to a boil. Add the butter beans and boil for 30 minutes or until tender. Once cooked drain and set aside.
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While the beans are cooking you can pan fry the okra. First in a large ziplock bag combine: 1/4 cup cornmeal, 1 tbsp flour, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp black pepper. Then add your chopped okra and shake in the cornmeal mixture until well coated.
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Heat 2 tbsp of vegetable oil in a cast iron skillet. When the oil in the pan is hot add the okra. Discard any excess cornmeal mixture. Fry the okra for 8 to 10 minutes. Stir every couple of minutes. It will take on a darker golden brown almost burnt color. When the okra is done let it cool on a paper towel covered plate to soak up any excess oil.
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Next you need to whip together a quick dressing. Mix together: 2 tbsp olive oil, 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar, 1 tsp oregano, 1/2 tsp thyme, dash of salt and pepper.
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Slice the tomatoes with a bread knife. The slices should be a quarter to a half inch thick.
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To build the vegan tomato stack start by layering about 1/2 cup of butter beans. Then add tomato slices on to that base. Add okra around the base. Top with a small handful of micro greens or lettuce. Finish by drizzling the balsamic vinaigrette dressing over the tomato stack.
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