Five ingredients (plus salt + pepper), five minutes. Literally. I timed it to be sure.
Because we all have busy lives, but that doesn't mean we have to eat a bunch of crap.
Sous Chef and I were visiting his parents a couple of weeks ago and we hadn't had time to prepare anything for the pot luck barbecue they were having (see above reference to busy lives).
We scurried over to the Wegmans near their house to grab something from the store's vast assortment of prepared foods. We saw this salad and were about to get it, until we looked at the simple ingredient list - despite the time crunch, we couldn't bring ourselves to buy something that we knew we could prepare in record time.
Some would call that food snobbery - I call it fun. Besides, I was stressed out about something else and what better way to release the frustration than by slicing and dicing and creating something in the kitchen?
This salad is refreshing, crisp, and cool. Plus, it uses ingredients that a lot of people wouldn't necessarily think to put together - I got a lot of confusedly forced smiles and "Oh...cucumber and...blueberry?" reactions when I pulled out the bowl and set it on the buffet table.
But everyone tried it; how could you pass up such a beautiful, clean salad? The deep blue of the berries, the bright green of the cucumber, salty flecks of white feta cheese.
A ridiculously simple lemon juice and olive oil vinaigrette (can you call it a vinaigrette if there's no vinegar in it?) dresses the salad, allowing the fruit (cucumber is technically a fruit!) and cheese to shine - literally.
On a side note, this is also a great side salad for grilled salmon - the pink of the fish compliments the colors splendidly and the flavors are amazing together as well.
*****
Five-Ingredient Blueberry Cucumber Salad with Feta
(5 minutes, serves 4)
1 pint blueberries
1-2 cucumbers
⅓ cup crumbled feta
Juice of one lemon
2 Tbsp olive oil
Salt + pepper to taste
Rinse the blueberries. Add them to the bowl.
Slice the cucumber(s) lengthwise. Use a spoon to scrape out the seeds. Slice them up and add them to the bowl.
Combine the lemon juice, olive oil, and salt and pepper in a small bowl. Taste for seasoning, adjust as necessary. Add it to the bowl.
Add the feta to the bowl.
Combine ingredients carefully - avoid bruising the blueberries. (I just use my hands. Way more fun.)
You're done. Go enjoy the rest of the party. I bet you took so little time to do this that people thought you just stepped away to check your email.
Eat well.
Some would call that food snobbery - I call it fun. Besides, I was stressed out about something else and what better way to release the frustration than by slicing and dicing and creating something in the kitchen?
This salad is refreshing, crisp, and cool. Plus, it uses ingredients that a lot of people wouldn't necessarily think to put together - I got a lot of confusedly forced smiles and "Oh...cucumber and...blueberry?" reactions when I pulled out the bowl and set it on the buffet table.
But everyone tried it; how could you pass up such a beautiful, clean salad? The deep blue of the berries, the bright green of the cucumber, salty flecks of white feta cheese.
A ridiculously simple lemon juice and olive oil vinaigrette (can you call it a vinaigrette if there's no vinegar in it?) dresses the salad, allowing the fruit (cucumber is technically a fruit!) and cheese to shine - literally.
On a side note, this is also a great side salad for grilled salmon - the pink of the fish compliments the colors splendidly and the flavors are amazing together as well.
*****
(5 minutes, serves 4)
1 pint blueberries
1-2 cucumbers
⅓ cup crumbled feta
Juice of one lemon
2 Tbsp olive oil
Salt + pepper to taste
Rinse the blueberries. Add them to the bowl.
Slice the cucumber(s) lengthwise. Use a spoon to scrape out the seeds. Slice them up and add them to the bowl.
Combine the lemon juice, olive oil, and salt and pepper in a small bowl. Taste for seasoning, adjust as necessary. Add it to the bowl.
Add the feta to the bowl.
Combine ingredients carefully - avoid bruising the blueberries. (I just use my hands. Way more fun.)
You're done. Go enjoy the rest of the party. I bet you took so little time to do this that people thought you just stepped away to check your email.
Eat well.
No comments:
Post a Comment