I do not like salads.  There, I said it!  You will not find many salad recipes on this site because I simply do not enjoy eating them most of the time.  I really feel like I am eating rabbit food.  It’s the whole lettuce thing.  If I do eat a side salad with my dinner, I use an herb mix of greens because I really hate lettuce salads (even Romaine!).  I’ve tried all kinds of recipes, all kinds of toppings and all kinds of dressings and I really cannot get behind a salad way of life.  If you are a salad lover, I consider you an exotic and interesting creature.  I don’t judge, you simply perplex me.  Wouldn’t you rather join me for a burger (veggie or meat)?

I’m going to be sharing a salad recipe with you tonight.  It’s a lettuce-free salad that is delicious and perfect for hot weather.  It is something that, in the Southeastern U.S., every grandmother makes for picnics and Sunday dinners in the summer.  It is a dish that is perfect for those insanely hot, humid summer days.  My mom used to make it and now I make it.  I have yet to find a person who doesn’t love this dish and I encourage you to give it a try on a miserable hot day when it is too hot to cook.

Cucumber Tomato Salad

(My Recipe)

1 small onion, thinly sliced

2 medium cucumbers, peeled and sliced

3 cups chopped tomatoes

Vinaigrette:

1 lemon (use both the zest and juice)

2 Tblsp. apple cider vinegar

1/2 cup light oil

1 tsp. dried parsley flakes

1 tsp. dried oregano

1 tsp. dried basil

A pinch of salt (use only a pinch!  Any more will draw out all of the water in the veggies and you will end up with a soup and not a salad!)

1/2 tsp. black pepper

If you’ll notice a couple of things; I used grape tomatoes today.  This doesn’t need to be typical.  I’ve used regular globe tomatoes, Roma tomatoes and cherry tomatoes.  Honestly, I prefer the firmer flesh of a grape tomato for this dish, but any tomato is perfect.  Also, I do not use Hot House Cucumbers that are so popular these days.  I guess some people have a problem with the thick skin of a regular garden cucumber, but I find that silly.  I love these blue-collar cucumbers.  I slice them and eat them sprinkled with salt (skin on) and I skin them and make cucumber-yogurt sauces for pita sandwiches.  They are perfectly delicious and should not be disrespected.

Start by chopping your vegetables.

Try to slice your onions so that they are so thin that they are translucent.  Since this is a raw salad, nobody wants to bite into a big chunk of raw onion.  And yes, this is a regular white onion.  I’ve tried scallions and red onion and really, white onion is best.  This is a blue collar dish and should be appreciated for just that.

I only peeled the cucumbers.  I didn’t seed them.  It’s ok.  Cucumber seeds are ok.  Ok?  People have to stop butchering the cucumber!  Also, the extra water is needed in this dish.  It’s why I split all of the tomatoes and don’t remove the seeds.

See?  Split in half and still containing seeds.  Mmmmm….I love grape tomatoes.  Ok, moving on.

Put all of your chopped vegetables in a large bowl and set aside.  Put all of the vinaigrette ingredients in a medium bowl, whisk until combined, and pour over the vegetables.  Toss lightly to coat.  Cover and refrigerate for at least two hours.  This is one of those dishes that are better the next day rather than fresh.

While this salad is perfectly pleasant at room temperature, it really shines as a cold salad.  The freshness of the cucumbers and the light vinaigrette really offer some relief on miserably hot days.  I hope you try this on your next hot day.  Enjoy!