Last week when I shared a recipe for tzatziki, I promised it would soon be followed with this cucumber and tomato salad recipe. One of my favorite meals includes naan, tzatziki, one of a few variations of spicy chicken (like this recipe), and this tomato and cucumber salad.
I prefer tearing off a piece of naan and scooping up all the flavors into one big bite. Somehow it’s more satisfying than using a fork. It almost feels like finger painting – you remember the one day in kindergarten when you were allowed to make a mess, it was okay to have your hands completely covered in paint, the colors oozing between your fingers as you balled up your little fist, trying to make that squelchy noise we all took so much joy in.
That’s what this meal is to me. It’s getting familiar with your food, being okay with the tomato and cucumber bits that fall off the naan, back onto your plate. Or sometimes they miss your plate and tumble onto the floor where the dog happily cleans up your mess. You may end up with tomato juice running through your fingers and down your arm, but it won’t matter. What matters is that you’re enjoying good food with the people you love. And the people you love don’t care if you make a mess and have red wine vinegar dribbling down your chin.
Let’s all get out the finger paint and make a mess, shall we?
Cucumber and Tomato Salad
Ingredients
- 1 cucumber peeled, seeded, and diced
- 3-4 medium tomatoes diced (I prefer to remove the seeds as well)
- 1/4 c red onion finely chopped
- 1.5 Tbs red wine vinegar
- 1 Tbs lemon juice
- 1 Tbs olive oil
- 1 tsp honey
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/8 tsp pepper
- Feta mint, and kalamata olives for serving (optional)
Instructions
- Whisk together red wine vinegar, lemon juice, olive oil, honey, salt and pepper.
- Combine with the rest of the ingredients and place in fridge till ready to serve.
- (Optional) Top with feta, mint, and kalamata olives right before serving.