Delicious & Easy Tomato Cucumber Salads

Photo and Recipe f rom Nancy Andres

 

An easy to assemble tomato cucumber salad is a refreshing dish that combines fresh tomatoes and crunchy cucumbers, and is often enhanced with onion and garlic, fresh herbs, and a light dressing. It's perfect for simple, relaxing summer meals and can be prepared quickly without any cooking.

I savor this type of salad in late summer, because it’s refreshing, colorful, and takes full advantage of Mother Nature’s Bounty, by featuring veggies when they are at their peak.

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Tomatoes:

Photo and Recipe from Nancy Andres

Tomatoes are juicy and sweet when ripe, and usually bright red, but can be yellow, purple, orange, deep crimson, or even black.

Tomatoes are low calorie, a good source of several essential nutrients including vitamin C, potassium, and lycopene, a plant-based antioxidant linked to improved heart health, cancer prevention, and protection against sunburns. Read Tomatoes 101: Nutrition Facts and Health Benefits for details.

 

Cucumbers:

Cucumbers are a form of green vegetable that grows on a vine, and technically classified as fruit from the same family as watermelons and pumpkins. There are many varieties of cukes from Kirby, to garden, to English. Cucumbers are native to India, and have a slight melon-like taste or slightly bitter one. Use whatever variety is freshest for the recipes below.

A ½ cup serving of cucumber (raw and sliced or chopped) is about 19 calories. Cucumbers contain small amounts of vitamin K and vitamin A and are about 95% water. For more see Cucumber Health Benefits, from the WebMD website.

Onions, Scallions,  Garlic, and Shallots:

Add a chopped red or sweet yellow onion or scallions, and garlic or shallots. One or more of these veggies add a lively dimension to any salad. Pick your favorite in-season organic produce to add to your late summer salad, both for good flavor and eye appeal. Don't forget to season with salt and pepper to taste.

Fresh Herbs:

Fresh Herbs including basil, parsley, dill, and even cilantro are summertime herb  favorites,  as each adds a refreshing note to most any salad. Pick one or add all of those you enjoy.

Vinegar and/or Lemon Juice:

Red Wine Vinegar, Apple Cider Vinegar, Balsamic Vinegar, or White Vinegar are used as a salad dressing base. I find lemon juice more palatable. Vinegar has a sharp, more potent acidity, while lemon juice provides a fresh, citrusy tang. Lemon juice is often used in lighter dishes and dressings, whereas vinegar is commonly used for pickling and sauces. 

Keep on Scrolling to See a

Collection of Tempting Tomato

Cucumber Salads

Each one is Different from the

Others, yet all are Winners!

  

First up is Jessica, an award-winning photographer, videographer, and home chef! She's a wife, a new mom, and excited to meet you. There are over 1000 recipes at her website, Jessica in the Kitchen, so there’s plenty for you to choose from. 

Here's her recipe for "Cucumber and Tomato Salad." It incorporates vegan feta cheese in the salad, giving the recipe a Grecian flair.

Photo and Recipe from Jessica Hylton

Next to share is talented food blogger Judee Algazi, with her rendition of "Lemony Israeli Salad with Cherry Tomatoes and Cucumbers." 

Look for more of Judee's posts at Gluten Free A-Z Blog, where her vegan lifestyle puts the focus on nutrition, wellness, and personal development. 

Photo and Recipe from Judee Algazi

 

Last but not least is yours truly, Nancy Andres, creator and wellness blogger at Colors 4 Health, the place where colors and a healthy lifestyle intersect.

 

 🍅Delicious & Easy Tomato

 Cucumber Salad🥒

Photo and Recipe from Nancy Andres

 

My recipe for Delicious & Easy Tomato Cucumber Salad is colorful, easy to assemble, and features in-season organic produce. I selected each fruit, vegetable, legume, or bean for its good taste, eye-appeal, and health promoting benefits. Delicious & Easy Tomato Cucumber Salad can be served as a side dish or a light main course.

Ingredients:

Note: If one type of tomato, cucumber, or onion isn't available or not at its peak of freshness, choose another

2 large organic beefsteak tomatoes

1 organic English cucumber, washed and sliced thin

1 small organic zucchini, washed and sliced thin

1 large organic yellow sweet pepper, washed and cut into bite-sized pieces

4 scallions, cleaned and sliced thin (both white and green parts) and a handful of red onion sliced thin

3 cloves fresh organic garlic, peeled and minced

2 cups fresh organic parsley, washed and chopped well

1 cup fresh organic dill, washed and chopped well

1 15 oz. can organic white beans that are rinsed and drained (I used great northern beans, but feel free to use any type of white bean you like. If necessary, substitute a 15 oz. can of lentils that have been rinsed and drained)

 

Oil Free Dressing:

1 cup lemon juice

1 or 2 T Maple Syrup

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1T Italian Seasoning Blend

 

 

 What to Do:

1. Gather and prep all ingredients as outlined above. Put them in an air tight glass container with cover and refrigerate for use within that day.

2. Get a salad dressing bottle that has a cover (a glass jar with cover will serve just as well) and pour all salad dressing ingredients into it. Cover and refrigerate dressing until ten minutes before mealtime. Then, take out the dressing bottle and let it sit on kitchen counter.

3. Take all prepped veggies out of refrigerator about 10 minutes before you're ready to serve the salad. Place prepped veggies into a medium-sized salad bowl. Get tomatoes and wash and cut them into bite-sized pieces. Add tomatoes to other veggies. Shake dressing in the covered bottle, until well blended. Then pour and fold dressing into salad.

4. Serve portions of salad in individual salad bowls or salad plates, or on a dinner-sized plate either alongside soup, a sandwich, veggy burger, or crusty whole grain bread. Recipe serves approx. 4-6 people.

Photo and Recipe Nancy Andres

Delicious & Easy Tomato Cucumber Salad is full of brightly colored veggies, protein-rich beans or legumes, and light, lemony dressing. You'll want to make it often for no-fuss lunches, picnics, potlucks, and more! 💖

Photo and Recipe Nancy Andres

Thanks for checking out this post. Before you go, please comment below and then reach out to my fellow bloggers to comment on their contributions too. We love to hear from you, so thanks in advance.

Have you ever eaten a salad that didn't contain lettuce? Did you enjoy it? What veggies are your go-to ones, and do you eat salad every day? Please share. 

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Great Red Foods for Heart Health-Part 2

Selecting and eating nutrient dense red fruits and veggies helps protect and improve heart health. Eating an assortment of colorful produce, legumes and beans, nuts and seeds, and whole grains each week is key to meeting our nutritional/energy needs.

This is Part 2 of this series on red as a color indicator for heart health.

Look below for tips and ideas about red foods that pack a color-rich punch, and ways each contributes to enhancing heart health.

Note: This post is provided for entertainment and informational purposes only. For medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment, consult a professional.

The first red powerhouse food is

Cherries: Cherries are loaded with polyphenols, a plant compound. This substance protects the heart from cell damage, and reduces inflammation. Some studies indicate those who gained polyphenols in their diets from foods like cherries had a lower risk of heart disease. Cherries are also an excellent source of potassium, which regulates blood pressure and helps maintain a healthy heart. See "6 Colorful Summer Fruit Superstars" for more about cherries.

Tomatoes: Bright red tomatoes can be enjoyed raw or cooked. Cooking tomatoes increases the availability of lycopene. Lycopene is a powerful antioxidant, and it can reduce oxidative stress or inflammation. It protects against atherosclerosis (plaque buildup in arteries). It improves endothelial function by helping blood vessels function (dilate), and potentially lowers blood pressure and reduces oxidation. Other heart boosters in tomatoes include potassium, vitamins B and E, and flavonoids. Add a drop of olive oil to tomato sauce, and cook (simmer for at least a half hour). A small amount of healthy oil (fat) makes it easier for your body to absorb the nutrients in tomatoes.

Red Apples: Red apples are crunchy fun food, and consuming one or two raw whole apples a day (including the skin) can reduce the risk of stroke, high blood pressure, obesity, and heart disease. The antioxidants, especially quercetin found in the skin, can help lower LDL (bad) cholesterol and reduce inflammation. Apples provide soluble fiber which helps lower LDL cholesterol, and  antioxidants like flavonoids and potassium, which reduces plaque buildup, lowers blood pressure, and protects blood vessels from damage. See “Tempting and Easy Baked Apple Recipe,” for a simple yet tasty recipe made from apples. 

Red Peppers: Red pepper may be called bell peppers, red bell peppers, or sweet peppers, and have a sweet yet earthy taste. They are fully mature versions of the more bitter green bell peppers. Capsicum or hot chili (or chilli) peppers have a spicy flavor. When it comes to preventing heart disease, spicy foods may be exactly what your body needs. Studies show that capsicum in hot peppers can reduce inflammation and decreases your chances of getting heart disease. 

Red radishes: Radishes are a good source of dietary nitrates, which the body converts to nitric oxide. Nitric oxide relaxes and widens blood vessels, a process called vasodilation, which helps lower blood pressure. This spicy flavored round red-skinned veggie is rich in dietary fiber, and helps manage high cholesterol and is beneficial for overall cardiovascular health. Radishes contain potassium, an essential mineral that plays a vital role in heart function and helps regulate blood pressure by improving the body's electrolyte balance. A study published in the Journal of Functional Foods found that radish extracts can reduce inflammation and have anti-atherosclerotic effects. This suggests they may help prevent plaque buildup in arteries, a condition that can lead to heart disease.

In case you missed it, see 5 additional red food powerhouses in  Great Red Foods for Heart Health-Part 1.

Incorporating a variety of red fruits and vegetables into your diet is a great way to support a healthy ticker. 

How many of these red foods do you eat and how often do you eat them? Please comment about that below.

How do you like to prepare your favorite red fruit or vegetable? Please share your ideas  below.

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