A good substitute for tomato as a side dish

Cafe Society
1

As I posted in my dinner thread last night, I had chicken breast for dinner. For the side, I had sliced tomato and sliced cucumber drizzled with fresh squeezed lemon juice, then chilled a few minutes.

Unfortunately, the tomato was awful. This despite my taking the time to find the most ripe I could at the supermarket.

I had never been a fan of tomatoes until finally tasting them fresh. Since I don’t have a garden, I don’t see my enjoying the local tomatoes anytime soon (maybe once the farmer markets open).

So, I’d like to stick with the simple meat main course, and simple side dish as described above. What other vegetables (or fruit such as tomato) can be suggested? So, cucumber and…? I’m at a loss.

2

Does it have to be raw? If so, I like cucumber and some mild onion mixed with lemon and a bit of yogurt. Add some fresh dill or cilantro, if you like it.

3

I’m hoping for something raw, only because I can’t think of a similar food as tomato, which is bugging me.

I’ve had sliced avocado as a side dish, that’s possible. However, getting good avocados here is just as difficult as good tomato.

Hmmm…

4

Lots of options! Bell or banana pepper, sugar snap or snowpeas, green onions, any number of leafy greens (spinach, arugula, beet greens, mache, watercress, etc.), a handful of soft leafy herbs (basil, mint, cilantro), radish, raw carrot or beet, cauliflower or broccoli… Maybe visit your local salad bar for ideas?

5

I’ve found that the cherry tomatoes, especially the yellow “Sungold” type, that are sold in those little plastic dome things are actually quite acceptable for winter tomato purposes. True, you can’t very well make a BLT out of them, but they do well in tomato cucumber salads and in a bruschetta or salsa.

6

I’m thinking of cooking some red potatoes, then cutting into cubes and let chill. Then drench in lemon juice with the cucumber and a little salt.

7

One good alternative to the pink rocks the supermarket often sells in the winter is canned whole tomatoes.

8

Grape tomatoes also seem to have some flavor even in winter. Still nowhere near a real garden tomato, of course, but you take what you can get.

9

You could do the same with turnips and get a bit more bite.

Also, shaved carrots with some sort of tart or vinegary dressing would bring some sweetness (like a good tomato) without being too sweet. Same thing with jicama.

Watercress or fennel?

10

A fruit salsa might go nice with chicken breast. Chop up a mango and sweet onion, add a little olive oil and maybe a pepper.

11

Thinly sliced raw potato is quite tasty, and no, it isn’t poisonous.

12

This.

Buy grape/cherry tomatoes that are from Mexico, and you’ll get decent tomato flavor in your salad. The ones from the US and Canada aren’t as good; I used to know why but I’m not remembering it right now - it’s something about the competition in Mexico or trade policies or… something. But Mexican tomatoes are the way to go in the winter.

Otherwise, red/yellow/orange bell peppers are good. Red onion is good. Experimenting with different vinegars brings something to the table as well. Try some seasoned rice wine vinegar for a good change from lemon juice, or herbed vinegars. All of this is a very, very common side salad chez Athena, since we almost always have at least two of the veggies I mentioned and vinegar always.

13

Where is the OP located?

Homemade pickled beets would be great as a side dish. As someone mentioned above, cucumbers and onions are excellent with a vinagrette and some crumbled cheese. If you want something similar to a tomato, think about citrus fruits, or melon, or mangoes dressed like a salad.

14

I agree with Labrador Deceiver that citrus fruits would work. Tomatoes are sweet, somewhat tart and soft. Orange or grapefruit segments have at least some of the same characteristics, especially if you remove the membranes. For visual impact you could use blood oranges, if you can find them.

Here is a recipe for blood orange and fennel salad (a classic combination). You can omit the olives. If you use table salt instead of coarse salt, be sure to cut the amount in half (table salt packs more densely).

15

Oh yeah, pickled beets are da bomb. My mother makes them and we always have a few jars around; they’re really easy to make, especially if you start with canned beets, and absolutely delicious.

I like them make with fresh beets better, but it’s one of those thing where canned are about 85-90% as good and about half the work,so I’m fine with those as well.