Cool Cucumber Salad

Cucumbers to me always say summer.  They are always so cool and refreshing and really help lower your internal temperature, especially when the heat is on outside.   They are also very healthy for you.  They are full of vitamins and minerals such as potassium, and vitamin C and they are very low in cholesterol and calories, since they are 96% water.  I made a cool cucumber salad for our Celebration Feast, The Celebration Feast, for my husband’s hockey team’s victory dinner for winning their division championships last season.  It is a salad my husband grew up with, coming from a very German family, and it is one of his favorite salads.  It is a typical German salad, and the German name for it is Gurkensalat.  All my German cookbooks say to add just a wee bit of sugar to help cut down the acidity from the vinegar, but my husband prefers it without sugar, since that is how his mom made it while he was growing up.  For the most part though, when I make it, I win, and the sugar goes in more so than not.  And it is only a tiny bit of sugar anyway, so it is hardly even noticeable.  And of course, I have added my own twist to it, so the recipe has my own signature on it, which is very typical for me.  Some recipes call for sour cream to be added, however I do not add the sour cream.  I prefer it lighter and fresher.

This is a very simple salad with just a few simple ingredients.

Making the dressing.

Cucumber Salad

3-4 cucumbers, peeled and seeded, sliced thin

1/2 red onion, sliced very thin

2/3 cup grape tomatoes, cut in 1/2

1/3 cup apple cider vinegar

1 TBSP sugar

2 TBSP black pepper

dash of salt

1 TBSP fresh dill, chopped

1/3 cup olive oil

Mix the cucumbers, onions and tomatoes together and set aside.  Then mix the vinegar, sugar, dill, pepper, salt, and olive oil together and pour over the vegetable mixture.  Chill and serve.  Some people like to add a little sour cream as well to give it a creamy consistency.  I do not add the sour cream, but that is another option.  if you are adding sour cream, add 1/2 cup.

To seed the cucumbers, just take a spoon and slide it down the middle of the cucumber.  The seeds just roll right out.  This is a very easy process.