If you like tart and tangy, savory and salty flavors, then this is a salad you’ll have to try! I made this Tomato Cucumber Salad with Feta when my friend Greg gave me some cucumbers from his garden. You can’t go wrong combining cucumbers with tomatoes, but when you add in some feta cheese and Kalamata olives, that really gives this salad a special zing!
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If you’re a fan of tomato soup, here’s a great variation to try—Tomato Carrot Soup with Basil. It makes a great soup for any time of the year, especially for spring and summer when fresh tomatoes are available in abundance. So, make it in spring and summer with fresh tomatoes. And during the winter you can use canned diced tomatoes and it would still be great that way!
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It’s nice to have something simple and healthy to eat in the summer. Something a little lighter that doesn’t take too much effort so you can spend more of your time enjoying other fun summer things, especially since there’s not much of summer left!
This is a super-easy sandwich I love and if you have a garden and are growing your own tomatoes and cucumbers, it’s the perfect thing to use them in! All you need are half of an avocado, a little lemon juice, a slice of tomato and some cucumber slices…and a little dash of sea salt. It makes a great summer lunch if you like to eat light during the hot weather!
AVOCADO MASH WITH TOMATO AND CUCUMBER by NancyC
Makes 1 open-faced sandwich
- 1 slice of your favorite bread (I used a whole grain bread slice)
- 1/2 of a large avocado
- 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
- 6 cucumber slices (from a medium-size cucumber)
- 1 tomato slice (from a large tomato)
- dash of sea salt, if desired
In a small bowl, mash the avocado half with the lemon juice until creamy and spread evenly on the slice of bread. Over this, arrange 3 cucumber slices in a row on the upper top third of the bread slice. Cut the tomato slice in half and arrange the two halves next to each other in the middle third of the bread slice, slightly overlapping the cucumber slices. Arrange the last 3 cucumber slices in the bottom third area of the bread, slightly overlapping the tomato slices. Add a sprinkle of sea salt, if desired over the cucumber and tomato slices. Serve immediately.
When the weather gets hot and humid, I hate to turn my oven on. So I make lots of sandwiches and salads! What do you like making when it’s too hot to bake?
Sharing at Fiesta Friday, Weekend Potluck, Meal Plan Monday, Inspire Me Monday.
Throughout the summer, I love eating slices of juicy watermelon, but I thought I’d try something different with it for a change. I found a Watermelon-Cucumber Salad with Feta recipe at Food.com, and it sounded like the perfect thing to try! I omitted some ingredients and added some others, and I really like the slightly sweet and savory combination of tastes this salad has! It’s a great way to use your garden veggies if you’re growing cherry tomatoes and cucumbers, too!
WATERMELON-CUCUMBER -TOMATO SALAD WITH FETA by NancyCreative, adapted from Food.com
Makes 6 servings
- 6 cups watermelon, cut into 1-inch cubes
- 1 medium English cucumber, peeled or unpeeled and thinly sliced or cut into chunks
- 2 green onions, thinly sliced or chopped (chop the green stems and the white part of the onions)
- 1/3 cup Kalamata olives, pitted and sliced
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes
- 2 Tablespoons fresh lime juice
- 1 Tablespoon honey
- 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
- I/2 cup crumbled feta cheese (or you can use a whole 4-ounce container if you want to have extra cheese in your salad)
- 2 Tablespoons fresh mint, chopped (optional)
Combine watermelon, English cucumber, green onions, olives, and cherry tomatoes in a large salad bowl.
In a small bowl, whisk together lime juice, honey, and olive oil.
Add lime juice mixture to watermelon and other ingredients in large bowl; toss gently to coat.
Sprinkle with feta and chopped fresh mint, if using; toss gently again and serve.
Have you made any unique watermelon recipes this summer?
Linked to Inspire Me Monday.
If you have a vegetable garden, you may may have planted some cucumbers and tomatoes. And throughout the summer, there’s a good chance you’ll end up with quite a bit of these because they seem to grow so well in gardens! Here’s a recipe you can use your cukes and tomatoes in…it’s a quick and easy salad with a lightly tangy apple cider vinegar/olive oil dressing. I like this salad because the taste of the dressing is very light and complements the natural flavor of the cucumbers and tomatoes. I found it at Foodnetwork.com–I used grape tomatoes instead of cherry tomatoes and added a little extra sliced onion. I also added a bit more apple cider vinegar for just a slightly tangier taste. If you have large tomatoes, you can cut them into chunks about the size of a cherry tomato.
CUCUMBER, TOMATO, AND ONION SALAD by NancyC, adapted from Foodnetwork.com
Makes 4 to 6 servings
- 1 pound cucumbers (about 2 medium), peeled and thinly sliced
- 2 cups (1 pint) grape or cherry tomatoes, halved (or cut larger tomatoes into cherry tomato-size chunks)
- 1/2 to 2/3 of a medium size sweet yellow onion, thinly sliced
- 2 Tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves
- 1 1/2 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 to 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- salt and pepper to taste
In a large bowl, toss together the cucumbers, tomatoes, sliced onion, and parsley. Drizzle vinegar and olive oil over these ingredients, then add a few dashes of salt and pepper, and toss all ingredients again, coating everything well. Add more salt and pepper to taste, if desired. Let salad stand for about 10 minutes before serving.
Do you have a summer vegetable garden? What kinds of veggies do you like to grow?
NancyC 