I've been making a caprese cous cous salad a lot lately. I use pearl cous cous, then marinate some diced tomatoes in olive oil, garlic, a little balsamic and a little red wine vinegar then toss with the cous cous, chopped fresh basil, and cubes of fresh mozarella. It's good warm or cold!

Tomato raita: chopped fresh tomatoes + thick yogurt + crushed roasted peanuts + salt + minced herbs (mint or cilantro). Add a minced hot pepper if you like.

We're having a hot one in NJ, too! It's so frustrating that just when the veg is juicy and abundant, it's too hot to cook! The other night I made this...Tomatoes, chickpeas, pesto, and lightly toasted bread cubes. With a bit of mozzarella, over a bed of baby arugula. Very hearty, very tasty! I did sautée my tomatoes a bit, but I hadn't planned on it, and it's not necessary, especially if your tomatoes are lovely and ripe.

I have this recipe my grandma use to cook for me. She will cut some tomatoes and some onions, mix them up with some olive oil, a bit of cinnamon, some lemon jus and a bit of salt. She used to serve it with fried chicken and French fries....just delicious.
You can get some organic cinnamon here http://www.regenerativenutrition.com/shop-product.asp?prod=176&autocomplete1=Cinnamon&button=Go

Peel and dice tomatoes, let them marinate in garlic and olive oil (30 min), then toss with arugula and hot pasta (I like it with linguine) - it's best if you let it sit and come to room temperature before you eat it but it's also decent out of the refrigerator if you have leftovers. - great for picnics as an alternative to a traditional pasta salad.

Caprese omelettes, requires the stove but shouldn't heat things up too much.

Palestinian Salad - chop tomatoes, cucumber, olives, lettuce, and then dress with salt, lemon or lime juice, olive oil, and chopped fresh mint or dried mint. I make mine very tomato heavy, and I sometimes add other veg. It's really good, especially with sandwiches.

@aninhas -- that's my signature pasta salad!!! i always include a big handful or two of basil, sliced into thin ribbons.

the marinated tomato/garlic/oil/basil mixture is a great base for pretty much any pasta/grain/bean salad. start with the base of tomatoes marinated in a mixture of minced garlic, oil and thin ribbons of basil, and add any pasta/grain/bean/veggies/cheese your little heart desires-- always delicious and refreshing

Slice big, beautiful, ripe tomatoes thick. Sprinkle each slice with salt and pepper, both sides. Smear some nice, soft white bread with mayonnaise. Drizzle a touch of balsamic vinegar on one slice. Pile tomatoes on slice, top with other slice. Devour, preferably by yourself - these things tend to get messy.

For extra deliciousness add perfectly cooked, room temp bacon and crisp iceberg lettuce.

My favorite absolutely no-cook sumer meal is this chopped salad, which highlights tomatoes (diced large ones if you don't have grape or cherry), corn, and lots of other vegetables that are exceptionally fresh this time of year. With the beans, it's pretty much a whole meal as-is, but you can add some shredded chicken from a storebought rotisserie chicken if you want more protein.

Of course, there's always tomato sandwiches!

Pan Amb Tomaquet - Catalan Tomato Bread. Toast thick crusted bread slices until golden. Rub the toast with a garlic clove. Cut a tomato in half and rub the cut half on to the toast until if looks like the toast is wet with tomato juices and pieces. Drizzle with a good extra virgin olive oil and a little salt. I had this in Barcelona almost every day for lunch/dinner. It's delicious and easy to make.

I like to simply chop up some tomatoes, fresh garlic, basil and toss it together with a little olive oil and a sprinkle of salt. Let sit for about 30 minutes. Then toss with some pasta. Yum.

Chopped tomatoes, fresh corn kernels, red onion, jalapeno, garilc, cilantro, cucumber, lime juice, salt, pepper. Ridiculously cheap to make. Good with chips, better over pasta, best with a spoon!!

I absolutely LOVED this capellini with tomatoes and basil as a no-heat pasta sauce. I've made it several times since, and it's so quick and easy.

I make a ton of pico de gallo this time of year, and it always gets eaten one way or another - often the last 1/4 or so gets added to smooshed avocado for guac too.

I also make tons of this simple salad of tomato, basil, balsalmic, olive oil, and sometimes chunks of mozzarella and/or chunks of bread. Such a nice complement to grilled meats, and so refreshing. So similar to caprese, which is also a favorite in our house.

Thanks guys! I especially love the chopped salads, bread salads and the Latin-inspired recipes. I'm kinda over pasta, but it may be time to make some fresh pico!

I love a simple side of tomatoes, avocado, and basil with a little balsamic or fresh lemon juice. yum! Another favorite, tomatoes, watermelon, mint and shaved fennel topped with a light drizzle of evoo and of course s+p.

I'm a fan of slices of tomatoes cooked in a skillet and served up with eggs as a breakfast food.

I also make slow-cooked greenbeans with tomatoes this time of year. It's stove-top so things don't get too warm and it's delicious if the fog is rolling in (Yay, San Francisco summers). Chop an onion and cook it in olive oil until it's soft (or in bacon grease if you have bacon. It adds a nice flavor) then throw in as many diced tomatoes as you like and cook them until they give up their liquid a bit. Toss in a bunch of greenbeans (I usually use about 4:1 beans to tomatoes but you could lean more heavily towards the tomatoes) and a large amount of red wine vinegar. Don't be shy; this is what makes or breaks the recipe. Salt to taste and let it all simmer until the beans are soft but not mushy and most of the liquid has evaporated. If it doesn't taste awesome, try adding more vinegar. I use somewhere between 1/4 and 1/2 cup when I make four large servings of this. It's tasty as dinner with crusty bread and a fried egg on top. Plus, the leftovers store in the fridge beautifully and reheat well, too.

I am a fan of peach, tomato and mozzarella salad. You also can't beat corn and tomato salad. Yay summer.

Cold tomato soup, and all of its gazpacho-y variations, is a great way to use up a lot of ripe tomatoes. In the morning I peel beefsteak or cherokee tomatoes, chop them roughly, and put all the tomatoes and their juices in a bowl with flavorful olive oil and sea salt. By dinnertime the tomatoes have released even more juice, enough so that we just eat as is like a chunky soup or puree for a smoother, creamier texture. Options:
- add basil, balsamic reduction, and chunks of garlic-rubbed grilled bread
- add cream and toasted cumin and/or mustard seeds
- add avocado, roasted chiles, lime, and sour cream
- add finely diced veggies for gazpacho

I'll suggest something that I believe every Estonian loves and it's very simple and lovely in the summer.

Chop up the tomatoes, mix with sour cream, salt, pepper and spring onion. Simple as that and you have a nice cold 'salad' of sorts. You can eat this alongside almost anything. I love it on its own. Very filling but lovely.
You could also chop up tomatoes and cucumbers (or pickles) and mix them with cottage cheese. Salt, pepper & some cumin and of course spring onion, basilicum or similar. (if you are a fan) lovely to eat, some toast goes well alongside it or perhaps a nice fried egg.
Very cooling in the summer and sufficiently filling. Alongside that, minimal number of dishes & takes 5 minutes to prepare.

Hope you give one of these a shot!

Grape tomatoes cut in half. Lots of pine nuts. Lots of olive oil. That's it. This recipe was given to me by an Italian acquaintance, and it is a winner every time we have a neighborhood potluck.