Description
Mediterranean-inspired cucumber tomato salad delivers fresh garden flavors with crisp vegetables and tangy dressing. Herb-infused ingredients combine perfectly for a light, refreshing side dish you’ll savor all summer long.
Ingredients
Scale
- 2 large cucumbers, thinly sliced
- 2 cups/473 mL cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
- ½ cup/120 mL sour cream (or Greek yogurt for a lighter version)
- 2 tbsps/30 mL mayonnaise
- 1 tbsp/15 mL white vinegar (or lemon juice)
- 1 small red onion, thinly sliced (optional)
- 1 tbsp/15 mL fresh dill, chopped (or 1 tsp/5 mL dried dill)
- 1 tsp/5 mL Dijon mustard
- ½ tsp/2.5 mL garlic powder
- Salt, to taste
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Vegetable Preparation: Delicately slice cucumbers into translucent rounds, removing skin if preferred. Dice tomatoes into uniform cubes and julienne red onions to create a balanced texture and flavor harmony.
- Dressing Creation: Whisk sour cream, mayonnaise, lemon juice, garlic powder, and dried dill in a ceramic bowl. Incorporate salt and pepper, calibrating seasonings to achieve a balanced, zesty profile.
- Salad Assembly: Gently combine prepared vegetables in a spacious mixing vessel, ensuring ingredients are evenly distributed without compromising their structural integrity.
- Dressing Integration: Pour creamy mixture over vegetables, employing a delicate folding technique to coat each component thoroughly, preserving the produce’s pristine appearance.
- Flavor Infusion and Chilling: Refrigerate salad for 30-45 minutes, allowing ingredients to marinate and develop a cohesive, sophisticated flavor profile. This resting period enables dressing to permeate the vegetables, enhancing overall taste complexity.
- Final Flourish: Garnish with freshly chopped parsley or additional dill immediately before serving, introducing a vibrant aromatic element and elevating the dish’s visual presentation.
Notes
- Prevent Watery Salad: Salt cucumbers for 10-15 minutes before mixing to draw out excess moisture, ensuring a crisp, non-soggy texture.
- Customize Creaminess: Adjust dressing thickness by adding more or less sour cream and mayonnaise to match your preferred consistency.
- Herb Freshness Boost: Use fresh dill instead of dried for a more vibrant, intense flavor profile and enhanced aromatic quality.
- Dietary Modification: Swap full-fat dairy with Greek yogurt for a lighter, protein-rich version suitable for health-conscious individuals.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Lunch, Appetizer, Snacks
- Method: Blending
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 5
- Calories: 140
- Sugar: 4 g
- Sodium: 300 mg
- Fat: 10 g
- Saturated Fat: 3 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 7 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 10 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 3 g
- Cholesterol: 15 mg