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

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Mushroom Spinach Tomato Pasta

Linguine noodles in a light white wine and garlic sauce tossed with mushrooms, spinach and grape tomatoes.

Pasta is an easy go to recipe when I don't really feel like spending too much time or thought on dinner.  I always have some kind of pasta in my pantry and if I don't it's sold at the corner store (that is only 1 block away). White wine sauce is a very simple sauce for pasta that tastes great and doesn't require much time and few ingredients.  Yes, opening a jar/can of pasta sauce is probably easier but I don't like to use store bought pasta sauce and I don't can my own...and sometimes I don't want a tomato based sauce.  I love white wine sauce because it is flavorful and light (it doesn't sit heavy in your stomach it may or may not be any lighter in calories than other sauces but I like to think it is).  My basic white wine sauce is made of olive oil, shallots, garlic, and dry white wine (my favorite is Pinot Grigio) then I just toss in whatever I happen to have on hand.  In this case it was mushrooms, spinach, and tomatoes.  This dinner takes less than 30 minutes (the longest part for me is waiting for my ancient electric stove to boil water...I rent so I can't just get my dream stove).

Mushroom Spinach Tomato Pasta

Ingredients:

3 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp minced shallots
2 Tbsp minced garlic
1 cup sliced mushrooms
1/4 cup vegetable broth or water, optional
1/2 cup halved grape tomatoes
1 large handful baby spinach
1/2 cup white wine
1/2 pack linguine, cooked al dente
Parmesan
salt
pepper

Heat olive oil over medium heat in a large skillet.  Add shallots, garlic and mushrooms.

Cook until fragrant add the broth/water if the pan gets to dry then add the tomatoes.  Let the tomatoes begin to blister and soften slightly then add the spinach, wine and salt to taste.

Continue cooking until the wine reduces by about half and add the cooked pasta.  Turn off the heat, cover the pan, and let sit for 5-10 minutes.

Toss and serve with parmesan and fresh cracked pepper.

Makes 2-3 servings.

Enjoy.

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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.

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