Y’all, this is summer good eats, right here!  A few weeks ago we were at a local eatery, and their salad for the night was heirloom tomatoes and artichoke.  This is my take on their delicious salad!

To make my version of a tomato and artichoke salad, you will need:

1 can of artichoke hearts, drained and quartered
Tomatoes of your choosing in an equal amount to the artichokes.  I used quartered cocktail tomatoes, but plum tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, hothouse tomatoes, heirloom tomatoes would all work perfectly; just cut them into manageable pieces
1/8 -1/4 cup olive oil (I like to use basil olive oil)
1 tsp dried basil or 2 tsp fresh chopped basil
1 tsp dried parsley or 2 tsp fresh chopped parsley
Salt and pepper to taste

Mix the artichokes and tomatoes in a serving bowl.  Drizzle with the olive oil.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Add the basil and parsley.  Mix so that the tomatoes and artichokes are coated.  Refrigerate for at least an hour to chill the salad and marinate the vegetables.  It is delicious!

Serve this as a side or main course!  This cold salad is refreshing and light which makes it a perfect summer salad and a great way to use your garden fresh tomatoes (if you are lucky enough to have them!).

For variation, add chicken, cubed fresh mozzarella, chopped butterhead (or your favorite mildly flavored) lettuce, and/or cold shrimp.