Avocado Cucumber Tomato Summer Salad

Hello! Ciao! Yassas! Here’s my latest recipe – a blend of America, Italy, and Greece.

What’s up, best readers in the world? I missed you. If you follow me on social media you know I’ve had a rough go the past 9720546 months. haha! My ulcerative colitis has been acting up and I’ve failed my 5th medication.

Temple of Zeus selfie

Meanwhile, I left my job on my 30th birthday. Then took a trip to Greece the same week. When I returned I started my new job. Oh, and grad school. Not to mention some other personal shittake. Everybody’s got their shittake, ya know? With all that there wasn’t mushroom for blogging. #puns. 😉 I know things have been quiet from MangiaPaleo.com so thanks for sticking around. Love ya. Connect with me on social: Instagram Facebook Twitter

Donkeys climbing a hill at sunset in Santorini

As for vacation, Greece was amazing. And that’s partly what inspired today’s recipe. Best part of the trip? I ate so much fresh food! At one place they were literally picking stuff off trees next to us to cook with. Now that’s how I like to eat! While I didn’t follow paleo the whole trip, I felt good about the food I did choose because you can tell it was made with ingredients that haven’t been shoved through America’s chemical systems. lol. The veggies were get-outta-here good. So my salad is a mashup of a popular Greek dish brought to America and made by an Italian. Let me break it down for ya.

Greek inspiration = cucumber, avocado, oregano
American inspiration = avocado (seriously, we put that stuff on everything)
Italian inspiration = Italian dressing & basil

I love this salad because it’s a hit at summer picnics. It’s cool, clean and refreshing. Everyone loves this side dish in the midst of pasta salad, greasy burgers, and chips with dip. While everyone else is bringing dangerous picnic food you’ll be the hero that supplied a healthy crunch to their plate.

Fellow Crohn’s and colitis warriors, if you are unable to digest tomato skin or seeds you can still use the tomato. There is a way to remove the skin and seeds. Here’s a video that shows you how.

A simple dressing goes a long way in this salad. It adds the perfect element of moisture to tie all the veggies together. Plus, the acidity and oil helps protect the avocado from browning. I always make extra and save it in a sealed jar. The photo shows 1/2 cup of dressing but the actual recipe is just enough for the salad. So feel free to double/triple/quadruple the ingredients like I do! Red wine vinegar and olive oil are my go-to ingredients for salad dressing. It also makes a bombtastic marinade for shrimp or chicken. Hint: bookmark this page so you remember. 😉

Recipe

Avocado Cucumber Tomato Summer Salad

Print Recipe

Prep Time

15 minutes

Prep Time 15 minutes

Avocado Cucumber Tomato Summer Salad Print Recipe Prep Time 15 minutes Prep Time 15 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 large English cucumber (the long ones with less seeds)
• 1.5 cups cherry tomatoes
• 1 avocado
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1.5 tbsp red wine vinegar
• 1/2 tsp dried oregano
• 4 leaves fresh basil chiffonade into ribbons
• 1/8 tsp onion powder
• 1/8 tsp garlic powder
• salt and pepper to taste

Servings:

Instructions

1. For Italian dressing: Combine olive oil, vinegar, oregano, basil, onion powder, garlic, s&p in a small jar or bowl. Set aside.
2. Peel cucumber and chop into bite-size cubes. Cut cherry tomatoes in half. Slice avocado into bite-size cubes. Place veggies in a separate bowl.
3. Add in dressing and lightly toss veggies to combine.

MANGIA!

• ← Shrimp Sauté over Cauliflower-Potato Mash
• Pesto Chicken Stuffed Sweet Potato →