Chock-full of nutrients and scrumptious ingredients, there’s nothing like a generous helping of salad to eat alongside grilled meat, beans and pasta dishes.

But a big, bountiful salad depends on choosing the right ingredients. Use subpar ingredients and don’t be surprised if the salad turns out dull and bland.

Here’s a stunning salad recipe that uses fresh cucumber, plump tomatoes and a nutritious cheese from Greece. Dish one up to celebrate delicious seasonal produce this summer.

Cucumber and tomato: Delicious summer superfoods

There’s a reason cucumber and tomatoes are staple salad ingredients. Besides being cool, crisp snacks perfect for beating the summer heat, cucumber and tomatoes are incredible superfoods rich in essential nutrients.

Cucumber is the solid definition of a summer vegetable. Each cucumber slice or stick is guaranteed to be refreshing, and it has an incredible nutrition profile to boot. In fact, cucumbers are rich in fiber, calcium, potassium, magnesium, manganese and beta-carotene, a plant nutrient that boosts immune health and fights cancer.

Cucumbers are classified as being for slicing or pickling. Slicing cucumbers are often eaten fresh. Pickling cucumbers, as the name implies, are left to ferment in brine to encourage the proliferation of good bacteria called probiotics.

Tomatoes, on the other hand, are also a popular summer produce. Their bright red skin is rich in potent plant compounds that help fight free radical damage from pollution, smoking and junk foods.

Tomatoes are also great for immune health. In fact, a single tomato can contain up to 40 percent of the recommended intake of vitamin C, an immune-boosting nutrient. Tomatoes are also rich in iron, an essential mineral for red blood cell production, and potassium, an important nutrient for blood pressure control.

Tomatoes come in a range of sizes and colors. The smaller ones tend to taste a lot stronger than the standard-sized tomatoes because of the concentrated nutrients. Larger ones like beefsteak tomatoes taste a lot milder than other tomatoes, making them perfect for salads and roasts.

Feta: One of the healthiest cheeses in the world

Feta cheese is perhaps the star of this salad recipe. Its taste might be a lot stronger than other cheeses, but that’s just because feta cheese is pickled in brine. For this reason, feta cheese contains numerous probiotics that are great for gut health.

Traditional and authentic feta cheese from Greece is made from sheep or goat milk, making it a lot more nutritious than the average cheese at the supermarket. Because it tends to break apart into crumbles, feta cheese is often used as a topping for salads and other dishes.

Besides probiotics, feta cheese has also been found to be a great source of protein, good fats, calcium, potassium, iron, magnesium and folate. Because of this incredible nutrition profile, feta cheese is considered one of the healthiest cheeses around the globe.

Light and refreshing cucumber, tomato and feta cheese salad

This light and refreshing Mediterranean salad is perfect as a side dish for grilled meat and other filling main dishes, such as steak and roasts. It also takes no more than 15 minutes to prepare, so go ahead and prep it as a breakfast dish or as a quick little afternoon snack.

Total time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:

• 6 cups or 2 lbs cucumbers, chopped (English hothouse or Persian cucumbers)
• 2 large tomatoes, chopped
• 1 bunch scallions, chopped
• 1 cup olives, pitted and halved (Kalamata or Gaeta)
• 7 oz feta cheese, crumbled
• 1/2 fresh mint, chopped
• 6 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
• Kosher salt
• Ground black pepper

Preparation:

1. Combine cucumbers, tomatoes, scallions, olives, half of the feta cheese and mint in a large container.
2. In a separate container, combine the extra virgin olive oil and fresh lemon juice.
3. Add salt and pepper to the dressing to taste.
4. Pour the dressing over the salad. Mix or toss to coat.
5. Add more salt and pepper to taste, if needed.
6. Toss in the remaining feta cheese and serve.

Because this salad recipe is quite basic, feel free to add other ingredients into the mix. Some people might prefer adding more herbs and other greens to theirs, such as dill and romaine lettuce.

Don’t be afraid to use different ingredients, too. Go ahead and substitute small pickling cucumbers for the Persian ones, or use smaller grape tomatoes instead of the larger ones.

You can also add chopped red onions (or other onions, for that matter) to lighten up the salad and introduce a slight crunch.

If stored in an airtight container in the fridge, the salad should keep for up to four days. Of course, it can last a bit longer than that if you hold off the dressing until just before serving the salad.

You can also create the dressing ahead of time and just refrigerate it in an airtight container for later use.

Cucumber, tomatoes and feta cheese are incredible superfoods that, combined, make for a delicious and nutritious Mediterranean salad. You can also incorporate them into other dishes and recipes to make the most out of their nutrients and health benefits.

Sources:

Epicurious.com

LiveScience.com

Health.com

GreekCityTimes.com