Tomato Abundance

We are drowning in garden tomatoes here in the north woods. Drowning.

Cooking/meal preparing expert that I am, I wasn't sure what you do with tomatoes other than:
a) Put them on your grilled cheese sandwiches. Or:
b) Ummmm, well that's pretty much it.

Sorry facebook friends, but when I asked what to do with all my tomatoes, you left me sorely lacking. So I turned to Google and found Kalyn's Kitchen, where a couple of years ago, she devoted some time to what people like me should do with a tomato abundance.

I present to you a deliciously scrumptious garbanzo, tomato, and cilantro salad:

It was good and I recommend you all try it. I modified it because I am not a big fan of super spicy things, and as such, I did not have all the spicy ingredients on hand.

Garbanzo, Tomato, and Cilantro Salad with Lime and Chile Dressing
1 can garbanzo beans (chickpeas)
4-5 tomatoes, diced in 1/2 inch pieces
1/2 cup green onion, sliced
1 cup (1 large bunch) cilantro, washed, dried, and chopped coarsely with chef's knife or food processor

Dressing:
2 T fresh lime juice
2 T extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 tsp. ground Chipotle chile powder (I used Ancho Powder, but the recipe says you could substitute with hot sauce)
1/2 tsp. chile powder (mild)
1/2 tsp. ground cumin (I used coriander)
1/2 tsp. onion powder
zest from one lime
salt, fresh ground pepper to taste

*The recipe doesn't call for it, but as Kalyn suggested it and I had a very ripe avocado on-hand, I added it. And it was good.

Drain beans into colander and rinse until no foaming remains. Let drain well. Mix dressing ingredients, then put beans and dressing into a plastic container with a snap-on lid and shake a few times. Let beans marinate in dressing one hour or longer.

Dice tomatoes, place in colander with a small amount of salt and let tomatoes drain 10 minutes while you dice onions and chop cilantro. Combine marinated beans with dressing, tomatoes, green onion, and cilantro and stir gently until well combined. Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve immediately.

It's a very good use of all the garbanzo beans I have in the cupboard. I have a lot, as I have many times told myself I was going to make hummus ... but never do.

Stay tuned to see all the other tomato recipes I'll be trying over the next couple of weeks.