Simple Tomato Cucumber Salad

While wandering through one of our local farmer’s markets the other day, I was impressed by the sea of fruits and vegetables that came in all colors of the rainbow.  I was lucky enough to stumble upon a bunch of different types of organic cucumbers at an incredible price; some were shaped a bit funny– like the burpless ones, the pickling cukes looked spectacular, and the regular old cucumbers were crisp and scrumptious.  After I filled my bag with this fabulous produce, the friendly farmer was gracious and said to me, “Thank you for buying organic,” to which I replied, “Always.”  He smiled at me, I smiled at him, and I was on my way home to make something cool for dinner during this heatwave we’ve been experiencing.  I love farmer’s market season… :0)

I am guessing that most people are at least familiar with making or eating a tomato cucumber salad.  The salad that I made with my farm-fresh produce came out so delcious and was so simple to make, I figured that I would post it, in case there is someone out there who hasn’t tried making this sensationally simple salad before.  For those that are familiar with this easy-to-prepare dish, I hope this will inspire you to get into the kitchen and create a tasty meal for you and the ones you love.

Basic Ingredients:

3 large cucumbers, sliced or diced (whichever YOU prefer)

4 roma tomatoes or 3 large vine-ripened tomatoes, sliced or diced (whichever YOU prefer)

1 small red or white onion, diced

1 large avocado, diced

2 garlic scapes, sliced, or 1 clove of garlic, pressed 

A handful of fresh basil, chopped

Extra-virgin olive oil

A large pinch of Celtic sea salt

***USE ORGANIC OR WILDCRAFTED INGREDIENTS, WHEN AVAILABLE***

 To Prepare The Salad:

1.  Slice, dice, chop and/or press the cucumbers, tomatoes, onion, avocado, garlic scapes/garlic and basil; place in a glass or ceramic bowl. 

2.  Drizzle the olive oil over the mixture (use your judgment as to how much olive oil you want in your salad) and throw in a large pinch of Celtic sea salt.

3.  Stir the salad,then it sit and marinate for at least 15 minutes.

4.  Enjoy!

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          *  If you look closely at the picture of my Simple Tomato Cucmber Salad, you will see a few extra ingredients swimming around in the salad.   I happened to have some raw shelling peas in my fridge, and I added those to my salad.  Other ideas would be to add some diced red bell pepper, chopped daikon radish or even some cubed summer squash or zucchini.  Be adventurous and try adding in additional raw veggies.

          *  Another ingredient that makes a fabulous addition to this salad are sprouted mung beans.  Sprouts of any kind are super nutritious, delicious, and some of the freshest food that you can eat!

          *  Try adding in a tiny bit of nama shoyu or umeboshi plum vinegar for a saltier taste.  You could even sprinkle the salad with dulse for some extra nutrition.  If you are adding any of these three ingredients, be sure to omit the Celtic sea salt, as they already contain salt.

          *  Add in a dash of cayenne pepper, a sliced jalepeno pepper or red pepper flakes for a spicy twist.

          *  Drizzle a tiny bit of balsamic vinegar over the salad for a special treat!

Have an inspired and delicious day!