Fresh, ripe tomatoes, vine-ripened and fully sweet! One of the best foods of the year… and they’re gluten-free. Most of the year my husband doesn’t care much for tomatoes except “in” something, like in a sandwich or in a salad. When we have fresh, vine-ripe tomatoes, though, he’ll even eat them plain.

After I’ve served enough of them plain, or with a little salt and pepper, then I start wanting a little dressing on mine. That’s when I mix up some gluten-free tomatoes in vinaigrette, adding a little chives is good.

Lately I’ve been trying some of my old favorites with agave nectar instead of sugar. The vinaigrette works nicely with that change. While I like the olive oil taste in this, it really isn’t needed, so if you want to leave out the oil, you might not even notice it.

My mother used to make a dressing with only vinegar and sugar, which was great with tomatoes. Even simpler, my mother-in-law often served fresh tomatoes with just a sprinkle of sugar. Does that count as dressing? Whether it does or not, it was a popular way to serve fresh tomatoes when she was young.

Now, though, to update those with a healthier sweetener, I’m trying agave nectar. That would qualify for Slightly Indulgent Tuesdays over at Amy’s Simply Sugar and Gluten Free.

Here’s how I recreated this vinaigrette dressing with fresh tomatoes and agave nectar or honey.

Tomatoes in Chive Vinaigrette

Prep Time: 10 minutes Cook Time: 1 hour Total Time: 1 hour, 10 minutes Makes 2 – 4 servings Serving Size: 1/2 cup

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon Agave Nectar (organic raw) or Honey

1 teaspoon Olive Oil (optional)

2 tablespoons Chives, minced

¼ teaspoon Sea Salt

dash Black Pepper, fresh ground

2 tablespoons Balsamic Vinegar, or Vinegar of your choice

2 cups Tomato, vine-ripe, cut in thin wedges

Directions:

Mix in bowl; the juices of the tomato will dilute the dressing some, so don’t be too shy about having a bold flavor at the start.

Cover and chill for an hour or two to let the flavors mingle.

Serve.

For variety, you can also add up to a half-cup of other vegetables to marinate with the tomatoes, like thinly sliced onions or green peppers, quartered artichoke hearts, ripe olives, or cucumbers, for example.

This is a whole foods gluten-free recipe that is also dairy-free, egg-free, nut-free and refined sugar-free, and it’s also suitable for a paleo diet.

What do you like for adding to a salad like this?