Cucumber and Tomato Dill Salad with Smoked Salmon & Feta

A light and fresh salad with cucumbers and tomatoes tossed in a lemon dill vinaigrette then topped with smoked salmon and feta.

Lemon and dill pair well with salmon.   I often cook salmon with lemon and dill so I decided to put together a salad that would combine these flavors with smoked salmon.  I love the different textures of crisp cucumbers and juicy tomatoes in a Tomato and Cumber Salad and dill pairs well with cucumbers too.  So I thought this salad would be a perfect way to compliment the flavors I associate with salmon.  It turned out great. This salad is light and fresh with bright flavor and a perfect saltiness.  It's great as a side salad or light lunch, but you don't have to add smoked salmon if you don't have any.  It is great on its own or even served alongside grilled salmon for a Labor Day cookout.

Cucumber Tomato Dill Salad is great for a Labor Day cookout  [Tweet this]  

Cucumber and Tomato Dill Salad

Prep time:  15-20 minutes
Servings:  4-6

Ingredients:

1 pound grape tomatoes halved
2 cucumbers seeded peeled and chopped
2 Tbsp minced red onions
1 lemon, juiced
2 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp dry dill
Salt & pepper to taste
Smoked salmon
Feta

Toss together the tomatoes, cucumbers, and onions until well mixed.

Then, mix the lemon juice, oil, and dill and pour over the vegetables.  Add just a little salt and pepper to your taste.  Toss well to combine and let set in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

Serve cold or at room temperature with smoked salmon and feta.

Makes 4-6 servings.

Enjoy.

For more fresh light salads check out:

Simple Carrot and Cucumber Salad

Greek Salad              -

Tomato and Cucumber Salad

Linked to:  2 Cup, J&J, Lou Lou Girls, Tickle My Tastebuds, Whimsy, Wonderful, full Plate, Freedom, Foodie Friends

Follow Joy Bee's board Joybee Whats for Dinner blog posts on Pinterest.

Read more ...

Tomato and Cucumber Salad

A light and fresh salad of crisp cucumbers, juicy tomatoes, and crunchy pistachios tossed in a sweet creamy lemon dressing.

This is a delicious, fresh, light, and simple salad.  I had seen many variations of this salad on all sorts of blogs and had to try my own version.  It's great with just the tomatoes and cucumbers, but I wanted it to be a bit more filling so added pistachios (I also love the crunchy texture they add).  A simple lemon juice dressing was the obvious choice for this salad and since I added pistachios I also decided to add a little honey.  I love honey with pistachios.  I also had a little Garlic & Fine Herbs Boursin cheese left from something else I made so I added that to the mix too.  It made a delicious combination. I had this salad to accompany a snack platter for a light dinner and leftover salad made a great lunch.

This is a delicious, fresh, light, and simple salad. [Tweet this]

Tomato and Cucumber Salad

Ingredients:

4 roma tomatoes, seeded and chopped
2 cucumbers, seeded and chopped
1 lemon, juice of
1 cup roasted pistachios
1 Tbsp honey
1 Tbsp Boursin cheese (optional)
Salt to taste

First mix together the dressing.  Juice one lemon and to the juice add honey and Boursin.  Mix thoroughly.  Or you could use Honey Lemon Oregano Dressing.

Toss together the tomatoes, cucumbers, and pistachios.  Then toss everything in the dressing.  Add a little salt to taste and let sit for up to 1 hour for the flavors to meld. It can also be refrigerated for a day or two.  Beware though, after too long the pistachios lose their crunchiness (but I still enjoy the texture of them they just become kind of chewy).

Makes about 4 servings.

Enjoy.

Check out Honey Lemon Oregano Dressing, mentioned above, in:

Lamb Salad

For more light and fresh salads check out:

Greek Salad

Tropical Fruit Salad

Pigeon Pea Salad

Linked to:  Best of the Weekend, Show off, Pretty Pintastic, Treasure Box, 2 Cup, Teach Me, Lou Lou Girls, Tasty, create and share, Full Plate, Freedom, Foodie Friends

Follow Joy Bee's board Joybee Whats for Dinner blog posts on Pinterest.

Read more ...

Cucumber Finger Sandwiches

Simple and delicious finger sandwiches made with cucumbers sandwiched between creamy cheese and soft bread.  An easy afternoon snack or an elegant party food.

I just recently became obsessed with cucumbers.  I used to hate them and now I love them (but I still won't eat them plain).  I started using cucumber slices to dip in hummus, then on pita sandwiches, and finally with bread and cheese.

Love #cucumbers? Try #CucumberFingerSandwiches  [Tweet this]

I've always heard of cucumber sandwiches in books and on TV.  People serve them as finger sandwiches for tea or at funerals.  I always thought it would be gross but one day I had a couple cucumbers in the fridge and half a loaf of homemade Light Wheat Bread on the counter and decided to put them together.  I added some Herb & Garlic Boursin cheese and wow.  I had delicious snack sandwiches for the afternoon.  I'm sure this would be great with any type of spreadable cheese and any soft bread (I think that homemade bread is more filling than store bought because it is generally more dense).  The main thing is they are simple and delicious and, if you cut them into nice shapes, fancy enough for a party.

Simple & delicious #snack: Cucumber #FingerSandwiches  [Tweet this]

Cucumber Finger Sandwiches

Ingredients:

Cucumber(s), sliced
Bread slices
Boursin cheese (any flavor)

Cut the crusts off the bread slices if you prefer.  Then spread one side with cheese.

Place cucumber slices on top of the cheese and top with another slice of bread (I spread cheese on the top slice of bread too).

Cut into wedges or any finger sized shape you like.  You could even use cookie cutters to make even more fun shapes.

Enjoy.

Linked to:  Best of the weekend, Snickerdoodle, 2 Cup, Lou ou Girls, Teach Me, Tasty, Tickle my Tastebuds, Merry Mon, Wed Roundup, Cook Craft Share, Full Plate, Freedom, Foodie Friends


Follow Joy Bee's board Joybee Whats for Dinner blog posts on Pinterest.

Read more ...

Cucumber Bites

Crisp, fresh, cucumber slices on baguette spread with cheese.

I first saw this simple appetizer on google plus from +Sara Zenner (Bitz & Giggles).  She topped the cucumber slices with fresh dill that looked amazing.  I didn't have fresh dill so I tried to sprinkle on some dried that just doesn't look as good (oh well).  She also used cream cheese while I used Boursin.  I love Boursin and keep it regularly stocked in my freezer--I don't know if you are supposed to freeze it but it doesn't seem to hurt it.  These cucumber bites are so easy to put together, it takes no time, you just slice, spread with cheese, and top with cucumber slices.

This snack/appetizer would be nice to serve at any party and I believe it's even nice to have as a football snack.  I know most people think of wings, bacon, chips, and heavier fare when it comes to football snacks but in my opinion if you can pick it up and eat it while watching the game it's okay.  My husband didn't mind, and actually enjoyed, eating these during the game.  If you wanted to make these more filling maybe you could add a slice of sandwich meat to the combo.  It's nice to have something relatively healthy to mix with the beer and chips.  So put this appetizer out with your gameday spread and I think you will be pleasantly surprised that it gets eaten and enjoyed.

Cucumber Bites

Modified slightly from Bitz & Giggles recipe

Ingredients:

Multigrain baguette, sliced
Boursin cheese, at room temperature (for easier spreading)
1 cucumber, sliced
Dried dill

Take each slice of baguette and spread it with some cheese (I used the garlic and fine herb flavor).  Then top with a cucumber slice or two (depending on how big your baguette is).  Lastly sprinkle with dill.  Easypeasy.

Enjoy.

Linked to:  Pretty Pintastic, Best of the Weekend, See ya in the Gumbo, Merry Mon, Two Cup, Tasty Tues, Tickle my Tastebuds, Wonderful Wed, Wed Roundup, Cook Craft Share, Full Plate, Eat Create, Freedom Fri, Foodie Friends, Food on Fridays potluck


Follow Joy Bee's board Joybee Whats for Dinner blog posts on Pinterest.

Read more ...

Tzatziki

A deliciously cool and refreshing yogurt dip/sauce made with cucumbers and dill.

Tzatziki is one of my favorite Greek condiments.  Most often I've had it in gyros or with lamb and pita as a dip.  It is super flavorful and delicious with plenty of cool cucumber and yogurt.  This was my first attempt at making tzatziki and it was very simple and delicious.

One main component of tzatziki is Greek yogurt.  I didn't feel like buying yogurt so I used strained kefir ("a fermented milk drink"-wikipedia).  I always keep kefir on hand and mostly use it in smoothies or as a substitute for buttermilk in baking but it has many uses.  One of these uses is that it makes a great yogurt like substitute when strained.  You just line a mesh colander with a couple layers of cheesecloth or alternatively, I use an old, thin, white t-shirt rag (that's clean).  Then pour in about 3-4 cups of kefir and let it sit and drain until it is thickened to desired consistency.  I place the colander inside a large bowl to catch the liquid being drained off (this is whey and there are many uses for it too so no point in wasting it).  Usually by the time it is the right consistency it has drained off to about 1/2 to 1/3 the original volume and what you are left with is a thickened kefir of yogurt like consistency.  The flavor is a bit different, maybe more sour, but it works in a pinch.  For more information about kefir check out my Tutorial:  How to Make Kefir.

Tzatziki

Ingredients:

2 cups Greek yogurt or strained kefir
2 cucumbers, seeded and shredded
1 lemon
1-2 cloves garlic, grated or minced
1 tsp dried dill
salt

Place the shredded cucumbers into a cloth lined mesh colander.  Sprinkle with salt and allow to drain for about 10-15 minutes.  Then gather the sides of the cloth and twist it around the cucumber squeezing out even more liquid.

Stir together the cucumbers and yogurt with the juice of the lemon.  Add the garlic (I ran the cloves over a microplaine to make a very fine grate so you wouldn't bite into a big chunk of raw garlic) and dill and mix thoroughly.

Allow to sit in the fridge for at least 1 hour before serving.  Pour off any liquid that accumulates on top and serve as a dip or on sandwiches.

Makes about 6-8 servings.  Enjoy.

Linked to:  Two Cup, Teach Me, Lou Lou Girls, Whimsy Wednesday, Wednesday Roundup, Cook Craft Share, Full Plate, Eat Create Party, Freedom Friday, Pretty Pintastic, Best of the Weekend, See ya in the Gumbo, Much Ado, Tasty Tues, Yuck Stops Here, Plant Based Potluck


Follow Joy Bee's board Joybee Whats for Dinner blog posts on Pinterest.

Read more ...

Dillinger Cocktail with St. Germain

A refreshing cocktail with cucumber, lemon, vodka and St. Germain.

I saw this drink recently on Barefeet In The Kitchen blog.  The cucumber and lemon flavoring a vodka soda sounded great and a new liquor, to me, was used as more flavor, St. Germain.  I've never tried St. Germain, but after reading the comments I had to try it.  I'm glad I did.  The St. Germain adds a sweetness and a floral taste to anything it is added to making any drink taste fancier.  It tastes great.  I had tonic in the fridge instead of soda water, so I used that instead.

Ingredients:

2 lemon slices
3 cucumber slices
Ice
1 shot of vodka
Tonic Water
dash of St. Germain

In the bottom of a glass muddle the lemon and cucumber.  Fill with ice and then pour in a shot of vodka.  Top up the glass with tonic water and add a splash of St. Germain.  Stir, relax and enjoy.

Read more ...

Sardine Salad

A delicious, nutritious and surprisingly filling salad with lettuce, tomato, cucumber, onion and sardines. 

 

Sardines, these small fish are a good source of omega-3s, they have a lower mercury content, and they are typically inexpensive. Also the canned sardines usually still have the bone in and it's soft and edible making them a good source of calcium.

Here is my recipe for sardine salad:

2 cans of sardines (or 2 servings)
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tsp Dijon mustard
Dried oregano, to taste
Juice from 1 lemon

Lettuce, about 3-4 hand fulls
1 cucumber, chopped (bite sized)
15-20 cherry tomatoes, split (or leave them whole if you prefer)
1/2 red onion, thinly sliced

I had sardines packed in tomato sauce, so I drained and rinsed them first. Then I tossed them into my big salad bowl, added the olive oil, and mixed them around breaking the sardines into small pieces. To the sardine mixture I added the mustard, oregano, and lemon juice. I stirred quickly, making a sort of emulsion then, added the veggies and tossed. This made 2 servings.

Such an easy and inexpensive meal; this tasted fantastic. It was not overly fishy, and it was incredibly filling. Because I like bread with salads, I served this with a bagel and cream cheese, but it would also be great with pita and hummus, or on it own. Enjoy.

Read more ...