This is an easy one! We promise! If you’re short on time or just don’t want to turn on the oven to cook anything in the heat of summer, this greek salad makes a quick, easy and super delicious dinner.
We love using a veggie peeler to make vegetables into beautiful ribbons. It’s sort of a blend between spiralized veggies and thick pasta noodles. But, you don’t need any special spiralizer gadgets, just a regular old vegetable peeler (make sure it’s a good one). Pull the peeler down the length of the vegetable from top to bottom. Repeat on all sides of the vegetable, continuing until you’ve peeled off most of the vegetable. This works really well with cucumber, carrot and zucchini.
This Greek Ribboned Cucumber Salad is actually a recipe from our Cooking Club – Living Kitchen Cooks. Every week we make 6 new recipes and post them for members, along with detailed grocery lists, tips and notes about substitution options and recommendations for smooth recipe prep.
Cucumbers
Cucumbers are one of our favorite vegetables to eat in the summer because they are hydrating and refreshing. We’re always really interested in how food can impact the mind and how what we eat plays a role in longevity and healthspan, so that we can enjoy living as many years as we have left. There are so many nutrients found in food that support the brain. Cucumbers are a source of fisetin, which studies have found could play a role in preventing memory loss, thanks to fisetin’s anti-inflammatory properties.
Greek Ribboned Salad
Ingredients
- 1 English cucumber peeled into ribbons
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes cut in halves
- 1 red pepper (or roasted red pepper) diced
- 1/2 cup kalamata olives pitted and cut in halves
- 2 to 3 Tbsp dill chopped (or sub parsley or mint)
- 3 Tbsp red wine vinegar or sub apple cider vinegar
- 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 clove garlic minced
Protein Options
- 1 15-oz can chickpeas drained and rinsed (or 1.5 cups cooked chickpeas)
- 4 servings salmon
Optional Garnish
- large handful mint leaves
- large handful chopped parsley
- a squeeze of lemon juice
Instructions
- Use a vegetable peeler to peel the cucumber into long, thin strips (peeling from one end to the other). If you prefer, you can skip doing this, and cut the cucumber into cubes- that will work just as well!
- Chop the cherry tomatoes, red pepper, olives and dill. Combine all together with the cucumber in a salad bowl.
- Whisk together the red wine vinegar, extra virgin olive oil, garlic and sea salt and pepper.
- Toss the veggies with the dressing. Adjust seasoning as needed.
- If having salmon, you can heat some extra virgin olive oil in a skillet and season the salmon with sea salt and pepper. Sear the salmon for around 4-5 minutes on each side, or until cooked through. Alternatively, you can bake the salmon instead if you prefer. Squeeze some fresh lemon juice over top before serving!
- If you’re having chickpeas, you can simply add them into the salad. If you prefer that they are a little crispy, you can spread them out on a baking sheet and toss with some extra virgin olive oil, sea salt and pepper. Feel free to add any spices that you like, such as paprika and garlic powder or za'atar. Roast at 400 for 20-25 minutes, until they are crispy.
- Serve salad with the chickpeas or with salmon. Garnish with fresh mint leaves and chopped parsley. Feel free to add extra lemon juice on top!
Notes
- Veggies: If you don't like tomatoes or red peppers, you can get creative and add different veggies instead. Radishes, salad turnips, and carrots could all work here. You also could try roasted red peppers instead of raw red pepper.
- Olives: You can sub any type of olive here, if you don't have kalamata
- If you make the salad in advance, wait to put the dressing on until ready to serve. You can make the dressing the day before and store in a jar in the fridge. The veggies can be chopped in advance too.
We’d love to cook with you! If you like this recipe and want to see more recipes like this, come try it out for 1 FREE WEEK of our cooking club. There’s no obligation to stay, you can cancel at any time, but we hope you’ll stick around!
If you do make this greek salad, share your photos with us on social media. Tag us on @livingkitchenco on Instagram and Facebook.
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