Say whaaaat? I know what you're thinking: this seems like an odd recipe to post in the middle of December. But stay with me! In these months dominated by warm, heavy, comfort foods, it can be nice to throw in a light, refreshing taste of summer once in a while. And check out the colors, red and green! Doesn't that just scream Christmas? Alright, alright that might be stretching it a bit. Don't get me wrong, I love this kind of simple, fresh salad in the summer but we've also really been enjoying it on a weekly basis this winter. The crisp cucumber is complimented with a tangy white wine vinegar dressing. I use oregano, but change it up however you see fit - dill, parsley, basil, etc. Those cute little Persian mini cucumbers are also awesome to use. The tomato isn't necessary if you can't find good enough ones out of season. Just wait for the summer months to throw them in!
PS - come join The Garden Grazer on Instagram 🍓 and share a pic if you make this! I love seeing what you guys cook up.
Vegan, gluten-free
Ingredients
2 large English cucumbers
1/2 onion
2-3 tomatoes
{For the dressing}
3 Tbsp. white wine vinegar
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 tsp. oregano
1/8 tsp. salt
Directions
Make the dressing: add all ingredients to a small bowl and whisk to combine.
Slice the cucumbers and onion. Dice tomatoes, removing excess juice. Place in a bowl.
Add the dressing and toss to coat. Salt/pepper to taste if needed.
Best if refrigerated for at least an hour to let the flavors combine.
Variations:
Add some honey/agave to the dressing for sweetness.
Toss in a little minced garlic.
For a punch of spice, add red chili pepper or cayenne.
{Printer Friendly Version}
Ingredients
2 large English cucumbers
1/2 onion
2-3 tomatoes
{For the dressing}
3 Tbsp. white wine vinegar
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 tsp. oregano
1/8 tsp. salt
Directions
Make the dressing: add all ingredients to a small bowl and whisk to combine.
Slice the cucumbers and onion. Dice tomatoes, removing excess juice. Place in a bowl.
Add the dressing and toss to coat. Salt/pepper to taste if needed.
Best if refrigerated for at least an hour to let the flavors combine.
Variations:
Add some honey/agave to the dressing for sweetness.
Toss in a little minced garlic.
For a punch of spice, add red chili pepper or cayenne.
{Printer Friendly Version}
I made this yesterday for lunch but with cherry tomatoes! This is my absolute favorite salad and I too eat it all year round!
ReplyDeleteHi Courtney! Yay - glad I'm not the only one ;) Cherry tomatoes would be awesome too! Lots of sweetness and flavor packed into those little puppies, yum!!
DeleteI could eat this all year around. At home we just simply call it "tomato salad". We season it with olive oil and lemon juice cause we don't use vinegar. Sometimes we also add roasted bell pepers.
ReplyDeleteHey Telma! Lemon juice and roasted bell peppers sound AMAZING! Trying your variation next time - thanks! :D
Deletethis looks so cool and refreshing! YUM!
ReplyDeleteHope you love it!
DeleteYes I will love it all the morning beautiful thanks you baby girl Nanny kim just beautiful lady
DeleteI just made this and it is delicious! I agree with having something a bit lighter during the winter months. Thanks for this simple, easy, yummy recipe!
ReplyDeleteHi Nicole! So glad you tried it and enjoyed it! Thanks for the message :) Take care!
DeleteI just made this.. Amazing!!! Fresh!!! Love it.
ReplyDeleteI used dill instead of oregano.. I also added feta cheese. Yummmm!
Hi Carly! That's awesome - so glad you loved it! Dill goes perfectly with this!! :)
DeleteMy stomach doesn't like raw onions, so I normally take spring onions and top it off with fresh koriander or mint leaves....this is such a versatile basic salad!
ReplyDeleteUnderstandable! Raw onions are strong! I love your version of this. Spring onions make just about everything better :) Thanks for the message!
DeleteDo you have any idea how many calories are in it? Trying to watch my calorie intake and wanted to know if this was a good choice! Thanks for the delicious recipe!
ReplyDeleteHi Kaley!! I don't provide nutritional stats, but if you'd like to calculate your own you can try this website:
Deletehttp://caloriecount.about.com/cc/recipe_analysis.php
I've heard it's pretty straightforward and easy to use. Hope that helps! :)
Can I substitute white vinegar or apple cider if I don't have white wine vinegar?
ReplyDeleteSure! The taste will be slightly different of course but those would work. You could also use red wine vinegar if you have that! Hope you enjoy :)
DeleteThis is a very Russian-feeling recipe. Cucumber salads are a very popular side dish there. If you substitute the oregano with fresh dill like the poster did above, it's pretty much a spot-on match. This is a great light side dish for heavier main courses like pilmeni, which are stuffed dumplings something like perogi that they eat with globs of sour cream. Good post.
ReplyDeleteGreat thoughts Tom - thanks for sharing!
DeleteI love cucumber and onion salad, so I thought I would like this. I followed the recipe exactly, but I thought it was bland. Any ideas to give it more flavor?
ReplyDeleteHi Amy! Oh no! This definitely shouldn't be bland - I'd suggest adding a little more vinegar or more salt to taste if you need to. Fresh herbs would also give a great flavor boost!
DeleteAdd some sunflower seeds. The Bi-lo I shop at has small bags of shelled sunflower seeds for 1.00 each. There are so many different ways this salad could be made, if you grow your own vegetables like we did this year, you are looking for different ways to eat them without getting bored. I suppose I will look into canning a few things.
ReplyDeleteGreat thoughts! Sunflower seeds would be a nice addition :)
DeleteHow long does it stay good for in the fridge?
ReplyDeleteHi Ashlee! In our house it's always eaten within a couple days, but I'm guessing it'd still be good for 5-7 days! :) Hope you enjoy!
DeleteCall me silly but I really cannot stand the skin on the cucumber, can this be made without that?
ReplyDeleteHi! Not silly at all! Should be just as great without those pesky skins ;)
DeleteLooks very good. Excited to garden this spring and make this delicious snack. Thanks for sharing!!
ReplyDeleteHi Jenn! Yay!! I'm getting so excited for summer garden veggies too :) Hope you enjoy this one with your fresh produce!!
DeleteSo so soooo good. I am eating this as I'm typing this review. It's so refreshing, fresh, tasty and everything good. I love this salad recipe. Thank you so much for sharing
ReplyDeleteAww thanks for the sweet comment! So glad you're enjoying :) I make this one all the time - so quick and easy!
DeleteHow about adding radishes?
ReplyDelete(Sounds great either way)
Hey Fred! That'd definitely be an awesome addition - great idea!
DeleteI made this salad for todays dinner......yum!
ReplyDeleteHi Linda! Fantastic to hear you enjoyed! Wishing you a beautiful rest of the week! -Kaitlin
Delete