Cool as a Cucumber

Whoowee! It is HOT in Southwestern Ontario. We are in the middle of a serious heat wave with no relief in sight.

When it's hot like this, I have absolutely no desire to cook and all I crave is lots and lots of water, fruits,  veggies and barbecue! There's nothing like a cold juicy slice of watermelon or some fresh tomatoes and cukes to make my day!

Yesterday I came across a vegetable stand that was selling English cucumbers at 3 for $1. That's a steal and I couldn't pass it up! I only bought 3, but I was tempted to buy 6 or 9 because I've  had a serious craving for a cucumber salad. This salad is so easy to whip together and it's the perfect side to any barbecued meal.

Cool as a Cuke Salad
Serves 6 as a side salad

Cool, refreshing and super tasty!! The cukes and onion soak up the flavour of the vinegar to make a tangy and fabulous salad.

3 English cucumbers, peeled and thinly sliced
1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
2/3 c white wine vinegar (regular white vinegar would also work)
1 tbsp fresh dill
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp sea salt
pepper to taste

Place your cucumbers and red onion in a bowl.

In a small mixing bowl, combine the vinegar, dill, olive oil, salt and pepper. Whisk together.

Pour the dressing over the cucumbers and onion and mix until well coated.

I love how the dill fancies this salad up!

Cover and refrigerate for at least one hour.

Remove from the refrigerator just before you're ready to eat. Serve and enjoy!

Cool, refreshing and delicious! This is a perfect summertime salad.

What do you crave when the temperatures are super hot?

Enjoy your Sunday evening,

Andrea

Veg-tastic White Bean Salad

I am constantly craving cool, fresh fruit and veggies during the hot, humid months. This year has been no exception especially during the heat wave we've been experiencing this week. Earlier in the week I made a salad filled with chickpeas and fresh veggies and today I've whipped up a white bean salad with lots of veggies for my lunch. I love to add beans or lentils to my salads to up the protein factor, so that I stay full and satisfied all afternoon. There's nothing worse than coming home from work on an empty belly ~ that's a recipe for disaster because I immediately start searching for something to munch on, which often is some sort of unhealthy snack food like Derek's half eaten bag of chips! The protein also gives me a much needed boost of energy, so that I can avoid that 3 p.m. lull.

Tina posted a white bean salad on her blog recently and I knew I was going to have to make my own similar version. This salad is super easy to make and can very easily be customized to your tastes and to the ingredients you have on hand. I  like to make this at the end of the week when I need to use up produce that is about to go bad ~ I hate throwing good food out!

Veg-tastic White Bean Salad

Serves 2

Feel free to add any veggies, herbs and spices that you like to this salad - it can be easily customized to suit your tastes! A great salad to make a day or so ahead and take to work for lunch. It's filling, delicious and full of lots of healthy goodness.

1 19oz can of white beans
1 heaping c of your fave veggies, diced (I used asparagus, yellow beans, yellow pepper & zucchini)
1.5 tbsp of your fave fresh herbs (I used fresh parsley, rosemary and chives from my herb garden - dried would also work but don't use as much)
2 tbsp white wine vinegar
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
salt & pepper to taste

Drain and rinse your beans and place them in a medium-sized mixing bowl.

Add your chopped veggies, fresh herbs, olive oil and vinegar. Mix well.

Check out those gorgeous herbs ~ grown with love by moi :-)

YUMMY!

Add salt and pepper to suit your tastes.

Refrigerate for at least an hour before serving.

Enjoy!

Now how easy is that? This salad can be made in just a few short minutes and it's fabulously delicious to boot!

What type of beans to you prefer to add to your salads?
Do you have a favourite summertime salad?

Have a happy Friday ~ the weekend is almost upon us!

Andrea