While our sukkah is still up (too hot to take it down), it definitely feels like a time of transition for me. My eldest daughter Gabriella is off to Israel to begin her masters’ degree in social work. My middle daughter Alexandra is off to New York for her senior year of college.

I will miss going for coffee with my girls every morning, I will miss their banter and I will miss having them with me in the kitchen. They are my best helpers.

Even though my three girls will not be here with me, I will continue making their two favorite salads. Both are so light and satisfying, fresh and flavorful!

The first is an arugula and mixed baby greens salad studded with meaty garbanzos, silky hearts of palm and creamy avocado. The shallot dressing is light and tangy and so delicious. The second is made with heirloom cherry tomatoes and a ball of creamy burrata, with a dressing of good quality extra virgin olive oil and freshly squeezed lemon juice.

While the house will feel quieter, I’ll be grateful for the blessings of having my granddaughter and my nieces and nephews close by. And I’ll feel very virtuous eating fresh salads.

—Sharon

After weeks of holiday feasting and heavy meals, the new Jewish year is a perfect time to reset, to nourish our bodies with food that is wholesome and still tastes delicious. Sharon and I are both passionate about the art of salads. For us, a good meal always starts with several salads.

California has been experiencing a long hot summer and that has meant exceptional tomatoes. Wandering through the weekly farmers market, I found tomatoes in every shape, size and color. It’s October and they keep coming. I went overboard and bought far too many tomatoes, but not a single one went to waste. Sitting in the hot sukkah, everyone at the table appreciated the juicy and refreshing flavors of these sweet, firm tomatoes.

Growing up in a Sephardic home meant we never used store-bought dressing. My mother always made it fresh, with olive oil, lemon, salt and pepper and it went on just about everything. Like my mother, my Friday night salad has all the ingredients of an Israeli salad, but I jazz it up with preserved lemon and kalamata olives. For this salad, I like to add dried oregano to the lemon and olive oil dressing.

Depending on the salad, my mother sometimes added garlic or herbs, or a spoonful of Dijon mustard. I love to do that, too. It is especially good on crispy salad greens.

For a great dressing, the formula is simple: 3 parts oil, 2 parts vinegar or citrus juice, and 1 part flavoring, such as honey, shallots, soy sauce or mustard. Once you know the ratio, you never need a bottle again.

For this tomato salad, I wanted to bring out the natural fresh flavors of the tomatoes. So I made a dressing of finely chopped shallots, olive oil, red wine vinegar, lemon juice, a touch of honey (to soften the acid of the vinegar), dried oregano, salt and pepper.

I sliced tomatoes of every size and variety and left the small teardrop tomatoes whole, then arranged everything on a white platter, like a painting. Sometimes the best thing we can do is let the produce speak for itself!

Later, when the guests were gone, I ate the few leftover tomatoes on the platter and  I sipped the leftover dressing right off my plate.  It was that good!

—Rachel

Tomato Salad with Shallot Vinaigrette 

1-2 pounds tomatoes, assorted colors, sizes

1 large shallot, finely chopped

1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

2 Tbsp red wine vinegar

1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice

1 tsp honey

1 tsp dried oregano

Salt and pepper, to taste

1 Tbsp capers (rinsed)

Whisk the shallot, olive oil, vinegar, lemon juice, honey, oregano, salt and pepper. Let the dressing sit for 30 minutes, so the shallot mellows.

Slice the larger tomatoes, halve the smaller ones and leave the small teardrops whole.

Arrange the tomatoes on a white platter, mixing colors and shapes. 

Sprinkle capers over tomatoes.

Spoon the dressing over just before serving. 

Arugula Salad

1 10-ounce bag baby greens and arugula

1 ripe avocado, diced

1 15-ounce can garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained

1 14-ounce can hearts of palm, drained and sliced into thin rounds

1 shallot, finely minced

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon lemon juice or white wine vinegar

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

Salt and black pepper, to taste

In a small bowl, whisk together the minced shallot, olive oil, lemon juice (or vinegar), Dijon mustard, salt and pepper until smooth.

Place the baby greens and arugula, garbanzo beans and hearts of palm into a large salad bowl.

Gently fold in the diced avocado.

Pour the dressing over the salad, toss gently to coat the greens and serve immediately. 

Sharon Gomperts and Rachel Emquies Sheff have been friends since high school. Their cooking and storytelling project has grown into a devoted following on Instagram @sephardicspicegirls and on Facebook at Sephardic Spice SEC Food.sephardicspicegirls.com/full-recipes.