Cucumber Tomato Salad

This salad was so refreshing!  Usually I'm not a very big fan of simple salads like this...they're usually boring and tasteless...but this was awesome!  Letting the vegetables soak in the dressing overnight makes them incredibly flavorful and juicy.  My family ate this with grilled chicken and twice baked potatoes.  Mmmm..such an amazing, healthy meal.  Oh yeah...did I mention this recipe is insanely healthy?  Believe it...it's fat free!  How could something so healthy taste so delicious??

Yield: about 6-8 servings

Ingredients:

• 1 pint cherry tomatoes, cut in half
• 1 large cucumber, peeled and sliced
• 1/2 cup white onion, chopped
• 1 tablespoon white sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1/3 cup cider vinegar
• 3/4 cup water

Directions:

1. In a bowl, combine the tomatoes, cucumber and onion. In a small bowl, combine the sugar, salt and pepper. Whisk in the vinegar and water. Pour over vegetables and toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate overnight before serving.  Serve with a slotted spoon.

Balsamic Cucumber-Tomato-Feta Salad

My cross country/track coach sent me this recipe this past weekend, so I decided to try it.  It seemed way too simple and easy to throw together. And I was really skeptical before making it because of the mint...I'm not really a big fan of mint because it reminds me of toothpaste. I haven't had mint in many dishes either.  However, this salad turned out incredible!! The mint is very subtle and not overpowering at all.  It gives the salad an amazingly refreshing flavor.  I highly recommend using cucumbers and tomatoes that are in season for best flavor.  Refrigerating the dish brings all the flavors together and marinates the ingredients wonderfully.  My favorite ingredient that makes this salad different than other cucumber tomato salad recipes is the feta cheese.  It adds a little oomph of flavor, and pairs so well with the other ingredients. Another thing I love about this salad is that it goes well with almost every main dish.  I served it with my Cheesy Garlic Chicken, found here.  My parents and I love this salad and is now a favorite in our family.  So Coach Collins, if you're reading this, thank you!!!


Ingredients:
3 cucumbers, skinned and sliced

2 tomatoes, diced,

1 onion, chopped

1/4 cup of chopped cilantro

1/4 cup of chopped mint

1/2 cup of crumbled feta cheese

Directions:

Combine all ingredients with a blend of olive oil and balsamic vinegar (good quality for each).  Refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving, stirring after 1 hour.