The Family Table: Quick, delicious and simple summer salad
I can recall as a youngster, playing outside in what felt like the endless days of summer.
There was swimming, sleeping out on the deck, running through the neighborhood or walking through the woods. I无毛视频檓 pretty sure the words, 无毛视频淚无毛视频檓 bored无毛视频� never passed my lips. Perhaps that was because I was so thankful that I wasn无毛视频檛 sitting in a classroom.
One of the highlights of my summer was always 无毛视频渉elping无毛视频� in my parents无毛视频� garden.
I put quotes around helping because that无毛视频檚 what my dad kindly called it. In reality, it was more like me picking what I wanted to eat at any given moment, handing it to him and asking him to clean it.
My favorite to pick, clean and eat were garden onions (or scallions as proper chefs call them). I ate those the way some kids ate candy 无毛视频� one after another. My breath must无毛视频檝e been amazing, but at the time, I was ignorant of that concern.
Actually, until I was well into adulthood, I didn无毛视频檛 realize that, from June-August, most people didn无毛视频檛 keep a glass of water in the fridge with trimmed garden onions to grab as snacks.聽
Second to my love of the onions was my love of tomatoes: straight off the vine, ripe and juicy.
Those garden fresh tomatoes and onions, along with cucumbers, made up one of my favorite simple summer dishes.
My mom used to toss them with sour cream, salt, pepper and herbs. It was a staple on our dinner table once the garden was in full production, and I always looked forward to its fresh taste.
No matter how much she made, it never quite felt like I ate enough.
Now that we have our own garden, I look forward to making it for my family in the summer. I tweaked the recipe a bit and use Greek yogurt in place of sour cream. I like the creaminess better, plus I无毛视频檓 more likely to have plain yogurt on hand than I am sour cream. And depending on whose at home to eat it, I sometimes add a tablespoon of well-cleaned, minced jalapeno (the only pepper we seem able to effectively grow).
Sometimes the simple things are the best, and with this quick and easy summer salad, that无毛视频檚 definitely the case!
Tomato Cucumber Salad
1 陆 cups of cherry tomatoes, halved (or 2 large tomatoes cut into bite-sized pieces)
1 cucumber, sliced
4 garden onions, whites and greens thinly sliced
1 tablespoon minced jalapeno (optional)
1 cup plain Greek yogurt
Juice from 陆 a lemon
2-3 tablespoons minced fresh dill
1 clove of garlic, grated
1-2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
Whisk together the yogurt, lemon juice, grated garlic and olive oil. Add a splash more of olive oil if you prefer a thinner dressing. Stir in dill, and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper as you prefer. Pour the dressing over the tomatoes, cucumber and onions and gently stir. Refrigerate for about 30 minutes before serving. I really love this mix served over lettuce, as a more traditional salad. Add a little protein, and you无毛视频檝e got a great work lunch!