Tomato Cucumber Salad

Are you looking for a fresh summer salad that will make your taste buds burst with pure joy? Perfect! I’ve got your back. My tomato cucumber salad is healthy and simple for those hot summer days. Are you jumping with excitement to know how to make it? Fine, fine. I’ll tell you. Keep on reading!

Benefits of Tomatoes

First, I can’t go on without discussing the health benefits of tomatoes. Did you know that one tomato carries 40% of your recommended daily vitamin C intake? It also contains vitamin A, K, iron, and potassium. Iron is essential in helping with healthy blood circulation, and potassium is necessary for our nerve health. Tomatoes also lower the risk of hypertension and prevent gallstones. To think that these juicy, little, red snacks are so nutritious blows me away every time I eat them. They are a miracle fruit.

Why should you eat cucumbers?

The cucumber is a fruit, which most people don’t know. Even though the flavor might be subtle, the nutrients that you find in them are not! Because cucumbers are full of water and fiber, they prevent constipation and kidney stones. On a hot summer day, the term “cool as a cucumber” is actually a real thing. They help to normalize body temperature and even play a role in controlling your blood pressure. They are very high in water content and great to have if you are trying to drink more water (which, let’s be honest, we should all be doing).

Why Extra Virgin Olive Oil?

A lot of people think all olive oils are created equally. Unfortunately, that is not the case. Extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) is the highest quality olive oil you can buy on the market. There is no chemical processing that takes place. Only mechanical equipment presses the olives into the oil, making it better for you.

When learning about the Mediterranean diet, we often hear about how great EVOO is for heart health, but sometimes people don’t realize that there are anti-cancer properties in it as well. Not to mention, the high amounts of vitamin E found in the oil can help fight off pathogens and toxins that accumulate in the body over time. It provides a gentle detox to the system. Keep in mind that making sure you get the best of the best is essential when working with oils.

Variations

In my tomato-cucumber salad, there are many variations that you can try when creating the dish.

Add dressing if necessary (everything should be done to your taste and preference).

If you want something more acidic, try adding vinegar instead of the dressing, or add it on top of the dressing for an extra punch.

Add some avocado! Avocado changes up the consistency that the tomato cucumber red onion salad has.

Change the herbs around. If you are not a fan of dill, try using basil. It’s delicious with tomato-cucumber onion salad.

If you want to up your green intake, consider using fresh kale that’s washed and massaged. It sounds ridiculous, but it is AMAZING!

If you want some extra protein and flavor, I’m always a big believer in adding some feta cheese. Feta goes great with a tomato-cucumber salad. It’s pretty much a delicious Greek salad without the romaine lettuce.

If the dressing and vinegar don’t strike your fancy, add some balsamic glaze to the salad.

Tips on Chopping the Veggies

After washing the tomatoes, remove the dry parts and begin to slice them into wedges. Once the whole tomato is chopped into wedges, keep it assembled in your hands and slice wedges again going the opposite way. This will leave you with cubes of tomatoes.

When slicing the cucumbers, be sure to cut off the ends and slice them all the way down the middle. Then begin to chop them, so you end up with cucumber halves. Large ones are better to cut into quarters.

Be sure to chop the red onion very finely, so the slices are not too large in your mouth when eating. You want them to be a little bit thicker than the width of a paper.

Lastly, for the dill, remove the stems and chop it very finely.

Tried It?

This cucumber tomato salad is the perfect recipe on those hot summer days when you need a cooling snack. It’s refreshing and simple to make. If you’ve tried the dish and loved it, let me know in the comments below! Tried one of the recommended variations of the salad? Leave a comment below as well, so people can see how you liked it. Want to share how you made this salad your own? Let me know! I’d love to hear how you created this dish.

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