Radish and Cucumber Salad with Citrus Dressing

As I seek to eat healthier, well, salads seem to be added to the menu. I never liked those ones at the restaurant. A bowl of lettuce with a grape tomato and 3 slices of carrot on top. Not a big lettuce fan, I prefer spinach, if I have to have some kind of a leafy green. I had posted a spinach, feta and strawberry salad that is really easy and delicious. But this post is about my Radish and cucumber salad with citrus dressing, it’s easy to make and a healthy delicious side.

I used to think that the definition of a good salad was as many different ingredients as possible in the bowl; some leafy green, egg, beets, a couple of cheeses, chick peas, those little baby corn you can get in a can, maybe some cubed ham, the list goes on. Well, that’s all well and good, but it becomes expensive and takes forever to make. Now I want my salad to be easy, a side I can throw together, maybe three or four items, sit on the side of the plate to compliment the main dish.

Whenever I go to the store at this time of year, I’m greeted with an absolute cornucopia of fresh fruits and vegetables. Ok, I’m at somewhat of an advantage, I live in South Florida. But, these days, fresh fruits and vegetables are pretty much available year round, no matter where you live. Grown in one place, and, shipped to another, we live in a global economy. On this particular trip, I want to put together a light summery salad. Cucumbers are on sale as are the vine tomatoes, I see a package of rosy red radishes, and, a nice red onion for the taste and color.

When it comes to making the salad, it has to be easy. I mean, it’s a side, it’s not the main dish, just a couple of minutes to chop up some vegetables and throw them in a bowl. My local store even sells chopped onions and tomatoes in little containers if you want a short cut. Personally, I’m kind of old school, I like to do my own chopping. When I dice my tomatoes, I remove the seeds, just leaving the outer flesh. You don’t get this in store chopped containers. But there are always options to excuses, that’s all I’m saying.

When it comes to cucumbers, the two most popular are; English, or the long ones, and, American Slicing, which are slightly shorter and fatter. For this salad I’m using the latter. They’re refreshingly delicious. But, if you have an English Cucumber just sitting in the fridge, well, go ahead and use it. It’s not going to ruin the salad, I’ve always been a fan of using what you have rather, than making a special trip to the store.

Prep is easy, as with anything you’re going to eat without cooking, make sure to wash. I wrote a post on safe food prep, there’s some good stuff in there. Dice the onions small, red onions are pretty flavorful, large chunks can be a little off putting. When comes to the tomatoes, cut in half, and remove the center with the seeds, a teaspoon works great for this. Now dice them too. Remove the tops and tails from the radishes, slice in half then into thin slices. Finally, the cucumber, slice into quarters lengthwise, then cut into thin slices. The general idea is to not have any large chunks of anything. Put everything into a bowl and mix well.

Now for the dressing. There are many options here. As always, I like simple and healthy. A squeeze of lemon juice and a little coarse ground pepper works fine for me. Between the cucumber and the citrus, it makes for a very light salad. But as usual, the options are endless, serve on the plate, or in a separate bowl. Either way, enjoy my radish and cucumber salad with citrus dressing, and thank you for reading.