By Gale Barber
There’s nothing quite like a cool, refreshing salad, especially on a hot summer evening. This recipe is light, easy to prepare, and can be made ahead of time and refrigerated until you’re ready to serve. It goes well with any meat or can be served as a main dish accompanied with a fresh homemade loaf of whole wheat bread. It’s a colorful accent to any table!

Yield: 4 Servings
1 large red tomato, quartered
4 large eggs, boiled, peeled & quartered
1/4 purple onion, sliced lengthwise
8 fresh basil leaves

Dressing:
1/3 cup olive oil
3 teaspoons raspberry vinegar
1 teaspoon raspberry syrup
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon cracked pepper
Whisk and set aside until ready for use

Quarter the tomato, then slice each piece into 3 pieces until you have 12 pieces of tomato. Quarter each egg lengthwise. Thinly slice the onion. With kitchen scissors, cut the basil leaves into small pieces. Arrange the tomato, eggs and onions on a serving platter and sprinkle with basil. Whisk and drizzle dressing over salad 5 minutes before serving.
Follow these directions and it will taste like mine.
Optional: Decorate with several whole basil leaves.

The Secret:
In winter months, when home grown tomatoes are not available, I use Roma tomatoes.