Tomato, Cucumber and Feta Salad

On several occasions these past few months, I have feared that an apocalypse is nearing the city of Boston, because MAN has the weather been GORGE!  This winter was beyond strange – I think we had a full week of 80 degree weather in March and after last year’s weekly 8-12 inches of snow, even the lightest of flurries didn’t last more than a few hours this year.  We’ve had some rain recently, but personally, I enjoy a rainy day or two – justifying extreme couching and Bravo t.v. watching is a lot easier when the weather is ick.  And, the ‘greenness’ of everything is beyond beautiful!

“BATHING SUIT SEASON?”

For some reason nice weather makes me think of salads – perhaps because the veggies and fruit are so fresh and pretty, I want to use them as much as possible – or because nice weather means that it won’t be long before I have to unlock the safe and blow the 1 inch layer of dust off of my bathing suit.

So the other night for dinner, it was a delicious chicken breast made by Dave, with fresh Rosemary and Tyme from our ‘porch garden’ (Dave is OBSESSED with this Boos Block Mincer thing we got and is finding any excuse to use it) and this yummy Tomato, Cucumber and Feta salad I put together!  I’ve recently really come to like Feta, and the fat free version of it is a nice option if you’re looking to add a little flavor to something. Would I stick a spoon in there and eat it like peanut butter? Ehhh maybe not so much, but, it can really accent some dishes nicely.  Of course you can use the regular version too if you like!

Tomato, Cucumber and Feta Salad

INGREDIENTS

2 cartons of grape tomatoes
(I used one Red and Yellow)

1 english cucumber

8-10 basil leaves chopped

2 tbsp. balsamic vinegar

2 tbsp. fat-free italian dressing

1 garlic clove, minced

salt and pepper to taste

1/2 cup fat-free feta cheese

1)  Slice the grape tomatoes in half and place in a large mixing bowl.  Then peel the english cucumber, cutting it lengthwise down the middle and then slicing the two halves.  Add to the tomatoes.  Then add the feta cheese and toss lightly.

2) In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the balsamic vinegar, italian dressing, minced garlic and salt and pepper.

3)  Lightly toss the tomato/cucumber/feta  mixture in the balsamic dressing mixture until combined.

4)  Sprinkle the chopped basil over the top, or mix in the salad – whatever your preference.

Delicious – healthy – you could even have seconds! And still fit into that teeny weeny yellow polka dot bikini 🙂