Cucumber Tomato Salad

So, I know I have already shared a couple cucumber salad recipes with you all (here and here) but Noah and I are big cucumber fans and we go through quite a few every week. Because of this, we are always looking for new ways to eat them and this is our current favorite. My mom whipped this up one night when we were over for dinner and it was amazing and so simple.

And the ingredients are ones I almost always have on hand. I don’t think I have to tell you how much I love those kinds of recipes!

The recipe recommends making this two hours before you are going to serve it but it is soo much better the next day so if you have the time, mix it up the night before so that it has time to marinate and soak up the delicious dressing.

This is going to be my official summer side dish. Delish!

Cucumber Tomato Salad

3 English cucumbers, washed and thinly sliced
3 medium tomatoes, washed and diced into bite size chunks
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
1/2 cup vinegar (I used plain ‘ole white but red wine vinegar would be really tasty too)
1/4 cup sugar
1 cup water
1/4 cup oil (veggie or canola)
2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. course ground pepper

Place cucumbers, tomatoes and onions in a medium sized bowl. Add vinegar, sugar, water, oil, salt and pepper to a mason jar or some container with a tight seal. Shake until thoroughly combined. Pour over veggies and stir to combine. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours (preferably overnight) before serving.

Chicken Enchilada Salad

Remember the enchilada sauce from Wednesday? I told you I would be bringing you a unique meal idea to use the sauce with and this is it! I have been eating a lot of salads this summer and this recipe was at the top of my list to try. I changed up the ingredients a bit to suit our taste and add even more variety and texture throughout the salad. I totally have a thing for black beans and corn together so I had to add those to the lineup.

This salad has creaminess from the avocado and black beans, crunch from the tortilla strips and corn and spice from the enchilada sauce. The chicken (which you could replace with ground beef if you prefer) completes the salad and keeps you full for much longer.

As you can see, I had my little sous chef helping. He also loves corn and black beans so he kept sneaking those cute little hands in the bowls.

Chicken Enchilada Salad
recipe adapted from Fresh Express

1 head iceburg lettuce, washed and cut into bite-sized pieces
1 cucumber, cut into small cubes
1 avocado, diced
1 basket cherry tomatoes, cut in half
1/2 cup corn
1/2 cup black beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup mixed yellow and white cheese, grated
2 green onions, sliced thinly
2 chicken breasts, cooked and hand-shredded
1/2 cup enchilada sauce
Tortilla strips, cripsy onions or crispy jalapenos, to taste
Your favorite creamy Ranch or Buttermilk dressing

1. In separate bowl, toss chicken with enchilada sauce. Set aside for 10 minutes.

2. Place lettuce into large salad bowl. Add in tomatoes, cucumber, avocado, green onions and toss together.

3. Place mixed salad onto 4 individual plates.

4. Top the salad with the enchilada chicken and sprinkle 1/4 cup cheese on top of each salad.

5. Drizzle on your favorite creamy dressing.

Quinoa Salad with Black Beans and Corn

Do any of you have one of those foods that your significant other just won’t eat? No matter what you do? Quinoa is one of those things that Joel will not go for in any shape or form. I knew the Quinoa Black Bean Patties would not go over well with my carnivore husband but I went for it anyway. I thought maybe a Quinoa Salad would be a middle ground that he possibly enjoy. Well, he still didn’t give it a try. I should have known when there was leftover macaroni and cheese in the fridge.

Well I enjoyed this very much. I was originally just planning on mixing in the corn and beans but then I saw a cucumber in the fridge and thought it might be a good addition. Turns out that it totally made the salad for me. This was so simple to throw together and consisted of ingredients I always have on hand. Plus, it’s good for you so it can’t get much better than that!

Quinoa Salad with Black Beans and Corn

1 cup quinoa, uncooked
2 cups water
1 (15 oz.) can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 (15 oz.) can corn, drained
1/2 English cucumber, peeled and sliced thinly into half moons
6 Tbsp. Italian dressing (I like light balsamic vinaigrette)
1/4-1/2 cup crumbled feta

1. Rinse quinoa thoroughly in a fine mesh strainer. Meanwhile, bring the water to a boil. Add quinoa, reduce to medium and boil, covered, for 12 minutes or until water is evaporated. Remove from heat, fluff and let sit with lid for 15 minutes.

2. Place cooked quinoa in a bowl and allow to cool.

3. Once cool, mix in black beans, corn, cucumber, Italian dressing and feta. Refrigerate.